And, of course, here are my CCR productions!
Video 1:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/194JE2XdljW4M_Mg9akrDbVJlHZeW49VV/view?usp=sharing
Video 2:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nEFdPlO-6pppWdHDviFdZNtm5MCoS2GD/view?usp=sharing
And, of course, here are my CCR productions!
Video 1:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/194JE2XdljW4M_Mg9akrDbVJlHZeW49VV/view?usp=sharing
Video 2:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nEFdPlO-6pppWdHDviFdZNtm5MCoS2GD/view?usp=sharing
The day has finally arrived! Here is my film opening in all its glory. I hope you enjoy it! :)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h1QItEx0qZ0Qog-vwG6kOmPM_5QTal2A/view?usp=sharing
The day is finally here! Everything is completed, and wow, what a journey it has been. I've learned so much from this project, like how important it is to create a schedule and work in a timely manner and how to adapt to changes. My actors being unavailable to shoot, not being able to upload my videos onto my computer, and a picture frame not detaching from the wall have all taught me how to adapt and succeed no matter what the circumstance. I was able to surpass these challenges and even challenge myself to be involved in all of the stages of creating a movie (or at least the first 2 minutes of it). I learned so much about the hardware involved in filming, what the best sound for scenes are, how to edit, and how to implement so many different ideas into an organized project.
I'm honestly really glad that I chose to do this portfolio project individually, because it was a journey that I could only have shared with myself. I have learned so much about my own working habits and my stylistic preferences. I'm also extremely happy that I was able to perfectly portray the idea that was in my mind and share it with everyone. Mental health, especially regarding teenagers, is a topic that I'm passionate about, and I'm grateful to have had this experience and to have been able to share the importance of this to others. And now if I ever need to add text onto a video with complete creative freedom, I know just the place to go. #ILoveCanva
Thank you for joining me on this journey!
During the filming of the last CCR video, I realized it’d be difficult to recreate a whole sales pitch setting, so I opted for the next best thing! A sales pitch during quarantine! I thought it’d be both funny and convenient for myself to transform the last two questions into a sales pitch during 2020. At the very start of the video I place text that described the location and date of the “zoom meeting.” With that little tweak, filming has been 100% completed! It’s crazy to think that this is the end of what has been a long chapter. I have already edited most of it together as well, taking advantage of some free time I had during the day, so I’m almost completely finished with the entire project!
With the end of this project, sadly comes the end of high school. Now that we’re entering April, it’ll be a whirlwind of events and exams until graduation. Reflecting back on this project, it couldn’t have been a better way to close off my time at high school. It’s been a project that I’ve had to dedicate a lot of time and energy into, as well as a way I’ve been able to demonstrate everything that I’ve learned. I think I’ve modeled the character Alejandro and the goals for the target audience after what I expect to see in media myself. Just like in a coming-of-age movie, life is filled with frightening and fast changes, constantly throwing obstacles your way, and I thought it was important to be able to showcase that.
I’m so glad that I’ve been able to adapt and curate the project into a physical demonstration of my hard work. From having to find the right font and figuring out how to apply it to tweaking the storyline slightly because a soccer picture was attached too tightly to the wall, this project has been a whirlwind of emotions. Now that I went through all the stress of editing the film opening and not knowing which software was the right one for me, I feel like a professional when it comes to editing the CCRs. Luckily the editing doesn’t require as much flourish as the film opening did, but I’m becoming extremely satisfied with how they are turning out.
Filming for the first videos has been completed! It went pretty smoothly, and I had to refer back to my script a lot, but I really like how the actual "acting" videos provide a break for both the viewers and for myself to add a sense of entertainment. I have to edit it now and add some pictures onto the scenes, but I want to film the second round of videos to get all the filming done before I have to sit down and edit them all. I filmed every part of my script, but I’m thinking to take the audio of some sections and use it as a voiceover over images so that it’s not just me talking the whole time. As per mise-en-scene elements, I filmed it in my home office which already had some props and set design that gave off the academia mood, and I used a notebook that looked a little bit aged. For the second set of videos, the most important mise-en-scene element will be a semi-professional outfit to portray the tone of a sales pitch.
All four scripts for their respective questions have been completed! The first two questions are the longest scripts and will be answered through the Harry Potter idea. I also started to compile media photos in an album that I could show on the screen as well as sources that I can cite. Most of the sources are from my research process and have already been mentioned in past blogs. For the remaining questions, I have also begun to start on my Canva project, but I mainly wanted to make sure I had everything ready to begin filming the first two videos. I already know the perfect location to film the starter scenes too! The office in my house has a dark and mysterious look (due to the dark wood and academia vibes) so I’m hoping it aids in the mood that I’m going for.
For the effect of being transported inside the flashback, I think I’m going to add the silvertone filter at 50% to give the scenes a dreamy look. The reason I’m only applying 50% of the filter is because I think the full black and white look would make the scenes boring. In writing my scripts and having to reflect back on my work, I’m honestly very proud of myself. It was nice to be able to create a project that reflects on the media industry’s conventions and to use what I’ve learned in class and through research in a real-life situation. Specifically in regards to the first question, I also had to reflect back on my process and explain why I chose to challenge the tradition of the lighthearted and comedic coming-of-age genre in grouping it with the drama genre. I got to state my reasoning of wanting to show real teenage emotions and portraying the struggles that many people could relate to in a realistic manner. Mental health is a topic that I strongly advocate for and it was nice to tie in my own values and interests for a project that has become such a prominent task in my life.
So, now it’s time to film! This must be what it feels like to film the last episode of a series. However, after the filming, comes the editing, and the editing process is never over! Yes, this is my attempt at transitioning back to the editing of my film opening. After showing my film opening to my friend who had taken AICE Media Studies previously as well as to my parents, I listened to their commentary and the film opening is finally complete. I’m glad I got to get their advice on the project because it helped to have extra pairs of eyes, and for the most part, their critiques were to shorten or lengthen certain scenes by a few seconds to help with the flow. They mainly critiqued the length of a few scenes during the very start (scenes of the objects along with credits), so I managed to shorten a few of them while still following the rhythm of the sound. Everything came out so well and I’m so happy with the end results!! Now onto the CCR to finally be done with this project!
Now that I've finished my film opening, it's time to get started on my CCR. After my teacher had explained the general instructions for the CCR and showed us a few samples, I began to wonder how I can showcase my creativity while also answering the questions. Right from the start, I knew that I wanted to implement a presentation from Canva in some way, because as I've mentioned, I love Canva. I believe that through Canva, I'd be able to make a few slides that are both visually engaging and will contribute some media and graphs/text to my CCR. Since the CCRs will be in a video format and I will most likely have to create two separate videos (2 questions per video), I wanted to think of another idea as well. Thinking about what to do as my teacher was showing us some samples, it hit me. Harry Potter! No, I won't do a quidditch theme CCR, but there's a scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry writes questions into a notebook and the magical notebook answers back with a flashback. I thought this could be a very cool idea and add an entertaining aspect to the project. I would most likely answer the first two questions, as they require more thought and depth, through this method.
Right when I had finished editing most of my project, specifically the scenes with actors, it was time to add in the sound at the beginning and I, of course, ran into an uh oh. I had found the perfect sound to use from bulletproofbear.com, a website that my teacher had referred as it offers royalty free music. In the website’s search engine it says you are able to search for moods, so I looked up “moody” and after listening to different options, I liked the audio labeled Urban Island by Gregory Scott Reeves! So, thank you Mr. Gregory! I liked it even better when I slowed it down slightly for a slower vibe. However, once I had to add the audio onto the scenes (especially to be able to tweak the length of some of the clips to sound better with the song), I couldn’t find the option to add my own sound on Adobe Premiere Rush. It was at this moment that all my frustrations exploded, and I neglected all my intentions to learn a new software and I took my entire project to iMovie. iMovie has never let me down. Why didn’t I just use iMovie from the first place? Why is my loyalty so feeble? UGH!!!!!!!
So, after continuing to edit my opening film, I have run into an uh oh. Curious as to what types of fonts the software I'm using offers, I realized that, though it has a various amount of font options, it only allows the text to be in a determined spot on the frame. I was really unhappy by this because it really messed up with the look that I had envisioned for all the shots. I also didn't want to get ahead of myself by looking at different fonts on Google because I knew that once I found a way to implement a text in the spot I desire, that software is going to have a limited amount of fonts to use, too. However, not to get married to the idea, but I already envision the text to be a thin yet strict/boxy shape wise, which will hopefully be a pretty easy font to find.
My reasoning for what I'm looking for in the font is that I don't want the text to necessarily look feminine (meaning to have a flowy or curvy sense) but I also don't want the text to be bold, the thinness symbolizing Alejandro's very own hesitation of stepping out into the world. For the title of the film, specifically, I want the letters to be slightly separated from each other to emphasize the feelings of loneliness and awkwardness that my character feels throughout the movie. I'm thinking for it to look kind of like the title slide of the film Submarine. A font that already represents the image I have in my head is the font Montserrat. I was hoping that whatever software I found had a font similar to this one.
The reason fonts are so important in a film, especially at the very start, is because it helps create a mood and atmosphere when the audience is still being introduced to everything. It very easily gives away the aesthetic of the movie and in what artistic sense the movie is going to be presented. That's why I owe my LIFE to Canva, the software that made it possible to add text to my videos in the manner I desired with an abundance of fonts to choose from! Canva is a software that makes it extremely easy to present information and design templates in a creative manner. I already knew I loved it to death, but now I love it even more when this message popped up on my screen. Words cannot describe my excitement, and I immediately began to add the credit scenes and titles to my scenes before adding them back to the complete project in Adobe Premiere Rush. I still have a few finishing touches to do regarding the sound, but I'm so happy with how everything is turning out. Nearing the end of creating the opening film, I have begun to start thinking on ways to present my CCR. So, definitely stay tuned for that!
So, I can safely say that Adobe Premier Pro is nothing like iMovie. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I decided to take my editing skills to the next level and tackle a new software program, but it took a while to get used to it. I, first, had to transport all my videos onto my computer via Google Drive. This required going through them and I quicky edited some of the clips where it was easier to use my fingers to zoom in or change the orientation. When exporting the clips onto Google Drive, I also took the liberty of labeling them in an efficient manner to help the progress go more smoothly. I, of course, labeled the video with the subject or scene that appeared, but I also labeled my preference over repeated clips in order to remember which one I liked seeing on my phone better. The reason I didn't just go ahead and delete all the clips that I didn't think I was going to use was because I wanted to make sure that I had all the footage available in case I run into any problems.
After I organized all my footage, I had to import them into a new project on Adobe Premiere Pro. This is where I started to get confused because where iMovie had a plus option to add new media and a single screen to work with, Adobe Premiere Pro looked like THIS (↓). It took a lot of exploring and clicking random symbols to finally find the place where I could import my videos. And it was at this moment that my computer decided it didn't like me. Every time I tried to download a video from my Google Drive onto my computer, it wouldn't take the file in a video format. I struggled for about 30 minutes with my mom's help, and I finally decided to give up. No matter which method I would try (emailing, Dropbox), my computer was unable to show me some love and download the videos in their original formats. That's when I had to part with my dreams of using Adobe Premier Pro, but I still didn't want to use iMovie because I knew it only had a limited amount of fonts and editing techniques. Looking for an answer and trying to see what I could maybe accomplish on my iPad, I found a software called Adobe Premier Rush: Edit Video.
Compare video editing Tool Plans and pricing | adobe. (n.d.). https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/compare-plans.html
Today was my last day of filming and it has been a success! Luckily, my star actor was able to portray the emotions well and pay attention to my stage directions. I took multiple takes of all the shots to ensure that I would have a satisfactory collection of clips and I even recreated some of the shots of the objects in the room because there was a different lighting (a special thanks to the Sun for constantly being in motion and constantly changing what my scenes look like). First, when the actors arrives, I told them to change into their costumes (the formal attire) and told them about the overall plot of the idea. I thought it was good for them to understand where the story was going in order for them to better play the part. It was extremely beneficial for my main actor to have been in the same position as Alejandro, a teenager who is about to graduate, because he was able to embody the anxious persona well and move across the room with weight and anxiety.
Having some extra time before my actors are ready and available for filming, I wanted to make sure that my audio was 100% ready. After listening back to my two samples, I made an embarassing realization (thanks to a family member) that there isn't much of a difference between either audios. So, after more analyzation I chose the audio where I liked the sound the best and that I thought would best fit the film. It's about twenty seconds long and even after playing it about once and a half times, it won't fill all of the required time. Before playing the first recording of the voicemail, I have decided to fill the silence with a diegetic song. How will it be diegetic? I thought it would be fitting for the main character Alejandro to be listening to music as he is getting ready, and as the song ends, I could input the scene of Alejandro stopping the music and playing the voicemail. The title would then appear at that moment on the wall while the first playing of the audio plays.
Thinking back on one of my lessons in class, my teacher had provided a few resources for where to find copyright free music and sounds. The sites she suggested were freesound.org, bulletproofbear.com, bensound.com, and purpleplanet.com. I took the liberty of exploring these different mediums and trying to see if there was a sound that I was inclining to. Bulletproodbear and Bensound, specifically, have royalty free music rather than just sound effects, so I focused on those two. On Bensound, I have the option to peruse between different genres and I'm leaning towards either folk or indie music. While there are some sounds that I'm liking, they all seem to be instrumental and it's a small selection. I then looked at Bulletproofbear, which also seemed to have only instrumental music, but it did have a larger selection under the indie genre.
Now, it's FINALLY time to start filming and see my ideas in action. It's frustrating to be off schedule, but I'm glad to have been able to decide on a few more set and sound designs. Going into filming, I'll have my actors work with their scripts and then move off script for dialogue scenes, and take multiple takes as I've learned that overshooting is the best method. I'll also make sure to follow my shot list but keep in mind that it's okay to take creative liberty and improvise when a better shot is needed. Next time, I'll have some sample scenes to show!
Unfortunately, filming hasn't been going how I wanted it to be going. I had planned to have most of my footage done by this time, but due to scheduling conflicts and life circumstances it has been difficult to do so. It's even more difficult that the film requires daylight to be coming through the window as it takes place in the morning because by the time I was home most days after school and other events and activities, I only had about an hour of sunlight. Luckily, the universe seems to be on my side and is giving me a helpful hand to allow me to complete my filming, and that is that the clocks are changing an hour ahead due to Daylight Savings. Hopefully, I'll be able to complete all my filming and get back on track with my schedule soon.
Having unforeseen extra time before the start of filming, luckily, gave me some more time to perfect the props and work on the audios for the film. First, I found the perfect photograph of a young boy's soccer team (belonging to my family) that will help build the context of Alejandro's skills with soccer. I think it's important to show various aspects of the character's life and personality, like the soccer team photo and the Star Wars figurine, to increase Alejandro's relatability. Relatability is important to a coming-of-age film, and I also wanted to emphasize how Alejandro is a well-rounded category who had life going extremely well for him. This is what makes his mother's death that much harder on him because he is broken out of his "perfect" life and can't find the way back. I have also decided to definitely add some piles of clothes over the hamper to create the sense of disorder, symbolizing how Alejandro now feels about his life. I also found this old cube that belonged to my older brother which contains baby photos of him with my mother and my father. I thought a cool shot could be to show the cube at an angle where both photos can be seen, acting as another symbol of how his youth represented the perfect days of his life and how that has now been lost.
The time for filming has arrived! Real quick before I begin to assemble props and film, I wanted to create a shot list to make the process that much easier. In my past school projects, specifically for the music video where I was the camerawoman, I didn't follow any template for my shots and would try to get the shot in whichever manner I saw fit. While ensuring that the shot is aesthetically pleasing and accomplishing what I want, I also want to accurately display my knowledge of shots and compile the best shots to give my project a professional look. So, the shot list I created will hopefully prove to be useful in combining different techniques and camera angles. My shot list omits the specific shots of the inanimate objects around Alejandro's bedroom simply because those will all be fully displayed at the center of the frame and I didn't want to be repetitive.
Below is my official shot list for my film opening. For the most part, it mainly consists of medium shots in order for the viewers to see Alejandro's movements as well as the background to know that the props previously shown were parts of his bedroom and important to his character. With the inclusion of a close up shot, my goal is to give insight on the characters' feelings and facial expressions as Alejandro is going through a lot of emotions. In shot 7 (labeled below), I had Alejandro facing away from the door and wanted to display the dad in the background in a shallow focus (Alejandro being the subject in focus) to emphasize how Alejandro feels alone and is beginning to shut out those around him. I wanted to expand on this sense of separation in shot 8 through the long shot of both characters on either side of the frame, creating a huge gap between the two. Writing down my shot list, I was also able to land on the idea of showing the title on the wall after Alejandro first puts the voicemail to record for the second time, as previously recommended by a classmate.
Shot | Scene Description | Shot Type |
1 | (interrupting compilation shots of props) Alejandro, with the towel hung around his neck, walks towards the desk and swipes on his phone.
| Medium Shot (knees up) Alejandro at the right third of screen |
2 | (end of compilation shots of props) Alejandro, shirt unbuttoned, spins around as the voicemail ends | Medium Shot (mid-torso up) Alejandro centered |
3 | Alejandro walks towards the desk and taps on his phone again
| Medium Shot (waist up) Pan to the Right as Alejandro walks |
4 | Alejandro continues getting ready, focus on sad expression
| Close Up |
5 | Alejandro lunges back to the phone to end voicemail | Medium Shot |
6 | Dad opens the door and peeks his head
| Medium Shot (knees up) |
7 | Alejandro, phone in hand, speaks over his shoulder
| Close Up Shallow Focus Alejandro slightly at left third |
8 | Dad stares at Alejandro with a sympathetic look, deep thought | Close Up |
9 | Alejandro moves to put on socks. Dad remains at the door
Dad leaves | Long Shot |
10 | Alejandro sits on the bed for a moment and gets up, stares at thee distance | Medium Shot (knees up) Tilts Up as Alejandro stands |
11 | Graduation gown hanging on closet | Eyeline Match |
12 | Alejandro takes a deep inhale and begins to move, camera lingers on window for a moment once Alejandro leaves frame | Close Up |
Having to gather a few last-minute props to add to the set, I first want to record at least a rough draft of this mom's voicemail to be able to film accordingly to it's timing as well as for the cast to have a realistic sense of what is going on in the scene. My own mom has been casted as the mother in the film and I'll work with her for her to convey my desired tone, but I have a lot of faith that she can do it well, especially since it won't require much acting. The main actor for Alejandro, though, will have more trouble with conveying the emotions and acting as he has no experience with acting. For this reason, I tried to include as little close-up shots as possible for the project to look more seamless. I'm really excited to start filming and it's not long before showtime!
And, of course, here are my CCR productions! Video 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/194JE2XdljW4M_Mg9akrDbVJlHZeW49VV/view?usp=sharing V...