Week Eight of Portfolio Project

 03/31/22

Updates:

Well, this is slowly coming to an end and I'm editing the CCR right now!!!:(

Editing the CCR:

Boy oh boy, it was hard recording myself talking in front of a camera, I couldn't seem to memorize my lines but I just filmed piece by piece and just took my time with it. Editing the CCR was harder than editing the film in general. I had a hard time because the storage on my computer was running out and my disk was full, and guess what I deleted the who project for a second but luckily after 3 hours I was able to get it back. At that moment my heart just DROPPED.

Just showing you guys a quick little sneak peek of the CCR I tried being as creative as I could by really being myself in the film. I included some humor, enthusiasm, and sarcasm. I was going to include music in the back but I didn't want to have too many distractions. When it came to filming I just put my phone on my window and just hit record. I did many angles in my room and was only able to find the good lighting where my bed was, what a coincidence, I liked being comfortable while filming. Nothing much else honestly I just gotta say that this portion of the project took up a lot of storage. Well, guys, this was the last actual longish kinda not really a blog post and in the next one, you're going to see my creation. If i have to do any touchups id redo them and then upload them.Talk to ya later!!

Week Eight of Portfolio Project

 03/30/22

Updates:

In yesterday's post, I answered the 5 questions we have to include in our CCR. Today I will be writing the script for the video and including pictures etc. 

CCR Script:

I will just be writing the script directly on here.

The intro to the video starts:......

-Hello, my name is Valentina Bernal and this is my creative critical reflection. My film is called scrambled and it's a coming-of-age film, that is about Carolina Perez a girl who has just moved from Houston who is also a first generation daughter that was born in America but her family in Colombian, Texas and met someone. That someone is Taylor Walsh who is not liked by Carolinas mother. Throughout the film, Carolina faces many challenges with herself and her mother. Carolina fits the stereotypical characters in a coming-of-age film by going through personal growth that comes with changes that her mother doesn't approve of. (refer to blog posts)

Start of question one: 

-Genre conventions are plot features that are common in a genre, such as character stereotypes, significant events, and settings. Basically, it is what a viewer would expect when they would watch a specific film genre. If you were to go watch horror films they typically always have more suspenseful moments rather than funny ones unless it's a parody but we don't talk about those......Factors someone should expect when watching a coming of age film should be personal growth, learning valuable lessons, and obviously a teenager growing up. My film focuses on personal growth and change. Also, I included a protagonist who is her mother because a coming of age film is no good without that one protagonist, having one makes the audience feel more connected because it allows them to view the situation from two perspectives. As I mentioned earlier with Carolinas family being Colombian or Hispanic in general some of her views arent really her family's views.  She mentions in the opening film how she is nervous about her mom meeting her friend because her mom wouldn't agree with what's going on. The representation behind this is the struggles some people go through with their sexuality and acceptance of it because of their family's views some could be because of religion or others are just because of personal preference. I included or hinted at her heritage by including a magnet on her fridge of her country's flag and a bracelet with the country's colors as well. 

Question two:

- The target audience for my film ranges from ages 12 to 18 both females and males. My target audience really consumes A LOT of media by using Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Youtube. With youtube being one of the most popular streaming platforms with (include image) about 85 percent (https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-stats-marketers/) I will upload my film on that platform. I also will use this program shortcuts to upload my film, shortcuts are for high school students who want to share their short films.

Question three:

- My process from the beginning to the end I have learned a lot about editing and all I can say is I now know how to work a phone camera. I definitely had to adapt to the editing software that I used which was premiere, when I started editing I My research and planning skills really evolved, I would just get cool ideas for shots or editing techniques and id write them down, and when it came to editing those techniques that Id think of id do some research on how to achieve the effect. knew nothing all I knew was that there were SOO many buttons I could press, but I stopped myself. After doing countless research and watching youtube videos I figured out how to edit. I'm glad I did the music video project, a few months back and the sound project as well because those projects helped me figure out how to come up with cool shots and how to film, and also the sound project helped me learn how I can film my own sound effect and search up different ones too. 

Question four:

-Throughout the project, the devices I used were my phone to film the project duh and my laptop to edit it...duh. I did not only use my phone to film but I used it to communicate with my friend to help me film or send my voice memos of her talking for the voiceovers. I also used websites like Canva to design my intro, premiere to edit my film, websites that have specific sound effects I was looking for, websites that gave me a template to write a script and blogger posts which helped me share my thoughts and journey. When it came to problems most of them was when I wasn't sure how to edit either the shots or audio, so id use technology by researching and watching youtube videos on how to achieve certain techniques. 

Ending:

-This project has had a lot of good and oopsie moments but overall it was a fun journey from learning about the film world to being part of it for a few weeks. I have learned how to properly film and edit the opening of a film and also learned the psychology behind making a film as well. If I had the chance to do something different is to do the planning portion accurately. For next time I could improve by really working on my storyboard because they need a little improvement I'm not the best artist out there. Well, I hoped you enjoyed the film and enjoyed this creative critical reflection, til next time bye-yeeee. 

Week Eight of Portfolio Project

 03/29/22

Updates:

Well as you saw from last week's posting I finished editing and now it's time for my CCR. What I plan on doing is just answering the questions here and just talking about my ideas of how I'm going to edit it, make it look, the script, etc.

CCR Questions:

Today in class we reviewed the important things to include on the CCR. With that, I will be referencing the rubric AND PowerPoint to input my answers to the questions. 

First question: How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

-(https://youtu.be/HgUe8MvhPyE) Genre conventions are plot features that are common in a certain genre, such as character stereotypes, significant events, and settings. In other words, it's what one would expect when it comes to watching a film whether it's a horror, drama, or in this case a coming of age film. If someone were to go watch a horror film, they'd expect more solemn and suspenseful moments and not comical moments, unless it's a parody but we don't talk about those...For coming of age films it focuses on one person's personal growth they go through as they grow up into adulthood and it includes protagonists that don't accept or understand the changes which the character is going through... That means change which is a huge characteristic in a coming of age film whether it's a change in relationships with loved ones, friends, or families. This genre consists of a lot of emotion, and powerful feelings that some run into while growing up as they change, Change is a big factor. And that is the factor I chose to challenge in my film. My film is about Carolina Perez who is a first-generation born child from a Colombian family who has recently moved from Houston and has met a girl, but the girl is not just any other girl Carolina has feelings for her and throughout the opening film she expresses the way her new friend Taylor makes her feel. Throughout the film, she faces challenges with her family but most importantly her mother because her mother can't seem to understand the changes she's going through or who she is becoming. Cant overshare too much information about the film, so go see it yourself if you want to know more. My film goes through change and personal growth a teen girl goes through as she finds out who she really is and what or who makes her truly happy, but almost every coming of age movie should have protagonists and in my film like I said her mother plays the protagonist and she's the one who doesn't seem to understand the change. I chose these factors because it's relatable, every person who is going through personal growth has bumps and challenges, I will sit here and wait till someone says they have not gone through any change while growing up. The change represents growth and the differences that specific heritages have, some accept more than others. Carolina speaks about how she's nervous for her mom to meet her "friend" and if shell still sees her the same or if shell understands. The big picture is the struggles some people go through with being curious about their sexuality and them being afraid their family will not understand or see them the same. I show or hint at Carolina's heritage by including her country's flag on her refrigerator door and her bracelet has the colors of her flag as well. The clues that help develop the representation is the voiceover, the specific lines she says help develop the essence of a touch of reality.

Second Question: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

-The target audience for my film ranges from ages 12 to18. It is for both males and females. My target audience these days consumes media by mostly using apps like youtube, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. More than 50% of this target audience consumes all their social media platforms including youtube than other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. I will upload my film on youtube since it's the most effective platform for the target audience I'm going for. (https://www.becon.tv/shortcuts) I would also release my film on this website called shortcuts where high school students can upload their short films in all of South Florida. 

Third Question: How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

-My process from the beginning all the way to the end has evolved drastically I have improved in different ways like my creativity has expanded. When it came to research and planning I would first 

let my mind wonder about different ideas like different shots, music, and audio ideas. After letting the ideas come to me I write them down on a piece of paper or draw them out. I do my research based on the ideas I get from either searching up how to do this effect or how to work with audios etc. While filming and editing this film I did not really know my way around editing and filming. I would not be sure how to set my phone to record in the best quality or how to even work the editing software so I would watch videos that really helped me work around the challenges of being clueless when it came to editing. I am glad we did the music video project because that really helped me learn how to plan, do research (the right way), and just be creative. 

Fourth Question: How did you integrate technologies- software, hardware and online- in this project?

- Throughout the project, I used my phone to film and my laptop to edit. Not only did I use my phone to film but I also used it to record voice memos for the voiceover. I used websites like canva to design my intro, premiere to edit my film, certain sound effects websites, websites to use a script template to write my dialogue, and blogger to share my journey throughout this film. I learned my way around premiere to edit my film by figuring out how to layer sounds, add color to the shots, transitions, and how to add text. I ran into a few obstacles but the biggest one has been storage, since the editing software and the project itself my computer sometimes wouldn't function correctly because of it. 

Fifth Question: Final statement.

This project has had many ups and downs from not being satisfied with what I filmed to being thrilled about what I just edited, This project has helped me evolve my skills and taught me how to edit a film opening. I have learned how to plan ahead properly, how to work with premiere pro, how to blog and research, and the process it takes JUST to film a film opening. If I had the chance to approach something differently I would take the planning ahead because there were some days I fell behind but luckily I still got up and caught up. What I could improve for next time is to really work on my storyboards and how to draw them out. 

 

That's all for today talk to you later!!!

Week Seven of Portfolio Project

 03/26/22

Updates: 

I will be starting my CCR soon.

Day 2 of editing 2:

GOOD NEWS I finished up draft 2 today and let's just say this one is the one! This draft just had way more flow to it and just made sense. 

Editing audio:

This part of the project was a bit difficult and time-consuming since I do have 3 layers of audio. It was difficult to figure out how to add the third layer but then I accidentally clicked a button and then boom I had the third layer. Funny how that happened because I was not about to add the synchronous sound, and just have the voiceover and music, which would have probably caused me to lose points. For some of the sounds, I just unlinked the audio and then lowered the volume so it wouldn't be louder than the voiceover and the music. I only included specific sounds like the egg cracking and frying, the fridge opening, the fridge closing, and some dialogue that I had to say but it's low so the audience does not lose track of what Carolina is saying in the voiceover. Some extra sounds that I searched up were nature sounds to include in the nature shots I had filmed for the credits.

This is what the final layers look like after adding all the audios in the first audio layer muted because that's the original audio of the shots. The second layer is the voiceover of Carolina talking and the third one is the layer with the soft Spanish guitar music that I had found on a website that had a bunch of copyright-free music. The fourth and FINAL ones are the small synchronous and asynchronous sounds. If you think it's too many layers I think is about right because I wanted to include many details and including those small ones are the most important ones. 

Editing fonts:

When it came to editing the fonts the only thing that seemed hard was how to get the fonts that I downloaded transferred to premiere. So I did some research and found out that premiere has its own font lists so I chose one that looked just like the one I chose in the first place. The color of the font is yellow and it matches the color palette of the shots.

This is how the credits look in the shots I obviously made the credits small yet visible because I didn't want it to distract the audience from what the voiceover is saying. 

    For the title, I did make it bigger and I put it close to the bottom yet centered but drag attention to it because the title resembles what Carolina is cooking throughout the opening portion of the film.

Color Balance:

The color balance was very easy yet time-consuming, I didn't know how to apply the color font to all the shots all at once so I had to do it one by one. But I just used the color balance effect on the effect controls bar and just customized the color setting to my liking. The thought process for the filter of the film has to do with the mood I'm want to set, for the film I want to set a happy and lively mood. Warm colors represent excitement, warmth, and overall creativity or just make it look pretty and artsy. I had added a lot of red tones because red represents passion and excitement which is what Carolina is feeling at that moment. There are also some yellow tints that bring out the satisfying part in the cooking portion with the eggs. The green in the outside shots also brings out just a wholesome feeling to the film. Overall the thought process of the color balance is not just what looks good but what brings the film together and makes the audience feel what the character is feeling. 

This is the before and after of the color balance, as you can see it makes the quality look better and it sets the right mood for the film.

Intro to the opening film:

I designed my intro on canvas using one of their pre-made videos, it was very simple and quick!.

This was the intro I WAS going to use but as soon as I put it on my timeline it looked more like a youtube into rather than a cinematic one. 

This is the second one I made and it was better than the first one. It had more of a cinematic feel to it with the logo about the text (which moves).

What's left:

Now that I'm done editing the project all that's left is to prepare for the CCR. Talk to you later!!

Week Seven of Portfolio Project

 

03/25/22

Updates:

Last night I finished editing the first draft, came out alright but I hope the second one comes out better. When I added the background music with the voiceover it matched perfectly I liked it a lot. So for now I know that the background music matches the voiceover. I added a pretty color balance too. 

Day 1 of editing 2:

Since it's spring break I kinda edited ALOT today haha, I've been staying home all the time and I'm glad I did because today I got like two days' worth of editing done. All I need left is the voiceover, the synchronous sounds, color balance, and background music

This is just a sneak peek of some cool shots in the film. One thing I could say is that this draft does have better lighting, one thing I didn't like about the first draft is that it didn't have goo delighting because it got dark while we were filming. I can say editing this was easier because I already knew my way around premiere since I already edited the other video using premiere. For the second film, I focused more on not giving out TOO much I wanted it to mostly include Carolina and nothing else. For the first draft, I had to cut back a few scenes where she was talking to her mother before because the dialogue didn't have her mother in it. Also, this draft has more flow to it so I'm leaning towards this second draft. Another better thing is that I included an establishing shot in this one because I wanted one or two shots to include so I can add the credits. Well, that's all for today, talk to you later. 

Week Seven of Portfolio Project

 03/21/22

Updates!!!:

No updates just on spring break :).

Day 4 of Editing: No editing today just thoughts...

Hello, there today I tried to figure out what I could insert to make more time. I'm not sure if I can use free images in my film to show more of the Colombian heritage instead of using a black screen. So for today, I'm just going to do some research on whether or not it is okay and then I will speak to my teacher about it just to be sure. So from the research, I have made today it seems a little more complicated than the process of using a copyright-free song. So, I think I am going to film the small closeups myself. I have a bracelet with the Colombian flag colors so ill film a closeup of that on the counter. I'll search up a few images and insert them here as inspiration. But first ill brainstorm objects any Colombian could have. An object that resembles their country flag (the bracelet), Colombian coffee, any other Colombian food, something that resembles their religion since most Colombians are very religious. Close-ups of all these objects could be inserted into my film but there's one thing I'm afraid would happen, which is if those closeups don't match the vibe of the film I don't know I think it will do it. I will have to speak to my teacher about this idea. By the way, this is the article I read https://www.rivaliq.com/blog/guide-copyright-fair-use-laws-online-images/.

Reflection from today:

There was no editing today but that does not mean it wasn't an important day. As I edit my film I think about what could make it better because as I am a filmmaker right now I want my film to look good. I truly think the closeups would be the cherry on the top. I have other thoughts to share and ideas I know will come to me, so you'll read about them in future posts. That's all for today ladies and gents, talk to you later.

Week Seven of Portfolio Project

 03/19/22

Updates!!!:

This is the first posting during spring break!!! That means the due date is slowly creeping up 🙊. Kinda nervous maybe a bit excited to share my creation/ my child (aka my project).

Day 3 of Editing: Going a little slow because of too many buttons on the software= Valentina is confused as hell...but we're getting there.

Today I decided to look over my video another time and crop some imperfections. I had to crop out a part of one of the scenes because the lighting did not match the one that had come after. I was wondering why the lighting could have changed so drastically like that, but my theory is that it was because the camera had taken a while to adjust to the lighting, and the shot after the camera already had time to adjust to the lighting. I was thinking about refilling it but that is a BIG no most importantly because there is no time and two the setting of the kitchen would look totally different and the actress would not look the same as well. When I had cropped the scene it has looked like she teleported a little bit but it's the best it's going to get, I much rather have her teleport (but not like completely) than have lighting issues. Believe it or not, that's all I did today I know I know but it actually looks a while for me to one learn how to correctly crops and two decide which moment was best to crop without it looking choppy and whatnot. 

Reflection on Today's Editing: Overthinking FOR SURE 

Well for today I learned that waiting for the camera to adjust before ending the scene is CRUCIAL in terms of lighting. I couldn't have cropped it when it adjusted to the lighting because both actors had already stopped talking by then. One thing I really want to fix that I don't know how is to make the film look flowy, maybe it is just me that is overthinking everything but I don't know I need there to be flow. I will rewatch some opening films in movies and past projects to see if my flow matches theirs. But it is a big chance that I'm just overthinking. Well, that's all for today folks talk to you later!!!

Week Six of Portfolio Project

03/17/22

Updates!!!:

There are no updates today just editing away!!!!

Day 2 of Editing:

Today is day 2 of editing. I have completed importing all of the videos to the project on premiere adobe. I had to crop some of the imports today and also stabilize them. Honestly, I'm not sure about the stabilizer because it is very wonky and weird to work with. For example, whenever I would use the stabilizer to stabilize a shot that is a little shaky but not 100% shaky the stabilizer effect would make it worse. So now that I look back I may want to take it out of some shots but not all. For the opening shot, there's a scene of melted butter but after that, I added a black screen where I would add some credits because it looked odd to jump straight to the other scenes. MAYBE what I could do is film a couple things in my house that represent the Hispanic Colombian culture if I could find any and include them in the black part if not it would just be a black or white screen whichever looks better with the yellow writing.

Reflection of Day 2:

After editing today the time for the opening currently is 1.59 which is not bad since I have not added the credits yet. So hopefully the credits add enough time and if not I have a couple ideas. The ideas are the ones that I had mentioned above. I think adding different things that represent the Hispanic Colombian culture would really make the film look better. I'm not sure if I want to adjust the lighting of the shots because then the lighting in each shot would be slightly different and it would not look good. Wellll that's all for today, talk to you later :).

Week Six of Portfolio Project

03/16/22

Updates!!!:

Today I am starting the editing process for my opening film. I am going to use DaVinci resolve since I am used to it and I know how to work with the software. I honestly have been a little nervous about the editing part but hopefully, it goes smoothly. Okay, bad news but then good news! It took me AWHILE to get DaVinci going and working but it just wasn't budging I was already getting annoyed because it would glitch so much BUT I was able to get premiere pro since Mrs. Stoklosa had a link for Adobe Student Instruction which SAVED my life just now (Thank you, Mrs. Stoklosa :). First I am going to add all the clips into the project folder and then individually edit and fix the shots (hopefully I can do it that way).

Day 1 of Editing: 

Today was the first day of editing I couldn't finish inserting all the clips because premiere started having some malfunctions because of my storage so I will continue tomorrow. While I was adding in all the videos I trimmed them and also adjusted the headspace of some of the shots. I also used the stabilizer effect to stabilize some shots that were shaky. The hardest part of today was figuring out how to use the new software premiere, so I ended up just watching youtube videos on how to edit certain things like the stabilizer. I really hope what I had filmed was long enough because if it isn't id have to film again. Filming again would not be a problem really since I know what to film and what shots and angles to film since I would be redoing it but let's just hope I won't be in that situation. 

These are some screenshots I took while I was editing and importing all the media from my phone. It honestly took longer than I had expected so for tomorrow I will continue importing the final videos and then start the editing. I would have to record sound effects, add submits, the credits, and the title. Talk to you later!!

Week Six of Portfolio Project

 03/15/22

Updates!!!:

Today we met in a group meeting during class and we gave and received advice for our projects. Some group members needed help with adjusting the schedule so it can work for everyone, some needed help finding the right song that fit their film, and others like me needed help with the title. 

GREAT NEWS!!:

I FINALLY HAVE A TITLE FOR MY FILM. The name of my film will be drum roll please SCRAMBLED. Thanks to the meeting we had during class one of the group members suggested it to me so quickly I was beyond shocked at the fact that she brought it up in such a simple way and I've been struggling these whole five weeks trying to figure out the damn title. The title is literally the cherry on the top. While I was filming the opening I was thinking to myself why the heck am I cooking an egg, I was thinking of why the egg was relevant or how I could at least make it relevant. So now thanks to my classmate I have a film title. 

What the title represents:

At first, when the title was suggested in class I didn't realize the representation behind it but when I put thought into it I realized that the title really represented the plot, genre, and what is featured in the film. The genre of the film is coming of age meaning that it follows the main character as they grow from childhood to adulthood the title represents the life of a teenager transitioning into an adult. A teenager growing up never has a perfect experience there are always bumps along the road because of the imperfections the coming of age genre has the title scrambled fits in perfectly. Obviously, the film consists of the coming of age genre, Carolina is finding new and different friends throughout the film which causes her family to be having disagreements about the friends Carolina makes. Scrambled again could be heavily represented due to her life being a mess at one point because of arguments with her parents and just changing in general. In the film, she is making scrambled eggs (not an omelette anymore) which also serves as the purpose of naming the film Scrambled. 

What was discussed in class/summarization.

As each person shared in their input of each project we gave each other feedback. After hearing everyone's project they were really good ideas. I am very glad we did this class meeting it was very helpful. We discussed different software we can use to edit to make the shots still, to find free copyright music, to edit in animation. We talked about this free editing software called Blender which could be used to edit animation if it would be included in the film. We also took a look at each other's blogs and just looked through them to see what the project is about and what they're working on at the moment. 

These are just some pictures we took after our meeting. :)))))! Talk to you later!!!

Week Six of Portfolio Project

  03/14/22

Updates:

I decided to have two drafts of the film just in case one of them is better than the other I have both. Ill first edit the first one that I filmed and then edit the second one. I know you might think THIS IS A WASTE of TIME but I rather take the safe route. I have to edit both projects and then do the sounds of the eggs cracking, knocking, frying, etc. 

The script from the last post:

So I did some research on how to write a script with a voiceover just in case it was different than the first script I have. After doing some research on google turns out that the dialogue is basically the same thing I just have to label what is part of the voiceover. I included the one line I have but I'm not sure I will include it if I do I wrote it on the script. 

This is the whole voiceover script with soft guitar music in the background, I changed the music since I changed the dialogue. Like I said before the dialogue in the film before had too much information shared but with this new dialogue, the audience won't know what she really is talking about sure they can connect the dots but WHO knows. Both film drafts will have a voiceover dialogue but will see which one is better.

Music:

While writing the script I decided to change the music because the upbeat music did not match what Carolina was talking about. I chose this soft Spanish guitar music that matched the flow of what Carolina was expressing which were her inner thoughts while she was writing. 

These are screenshots of the information I was reading just to make sure I could use the music as my background music on this copyright-free music website. This says that along as my project is not commercial then I have the right to use it for free. That's all for today talk to you later!! 

Week Five of Portfolio Project

 03/13/22

Updates:

Big updates lots has changed...

Changes:

Today I had decided to refilm my project. Why you may ask, well my first time around it wasn't my vision, it just did not click with me and I know I could've done better WAYY better. So I got to thinking is it the story or the characters, is it the setting, all these questions. But I realized it's not the story, I didn't reach my full potential creativity. SO...I REFLIMED IT, either way, it was always part of the schedule kinda like a test run. A few things changed that I knew just weren't going to match the vibe of an opening film. Let me divide it up and explain.

Why I made changes:

Well to begin with I was not comfortable with my film it just didn't feel like I reached my full potential filming this and I know I could do better. I also didn't feel proud or confident about sharing it, so the only solution was to refilm it. 

Dialogue:

Most importantly the dialogue gave away too much. It just wasn't natural it didn't fill in the element of a coming-of-age film. The confrontation Carolina had with her mother didn't feel natural like a mother and daughter confrontation and just gave away too much for just the opening scene. So I was thinking, an opening scene is supposed to grab the viewer's attention and not even give INTO the story too much because it's just the opening part. So, I erased the dialogue but there is still dialogue ill include it in the next post because I want to dedicate a whole post to it. But I will obviously still speak on it. A coming of age film focuses on the main character most time its inner thoughts, the character talking to themselves. It really is like a cheery on the top for me. So I decided to do a voiceover of Carolina speaking about her thoughts, But, I still wanted to show things a teenager would do to express their thoughts freely, and then I thought about a JOURNAL. It was perfect some shots of the Carolina wiring on a journal while reading it out loud by adding a voiceover is really good I loved the idea. The only person who would be speaking in the intro would be Carolina and maybe one line of her friend Taylor. With that not, too much of the film is exposed as to why her mother doesn't like her friend. 

Setting:

The setting has not changed and it has remained the same.

Wardrobe/ Characters outfit:

Has changed because I wanted my character to symbolize today's style and kind of have a preppy innocent vibe to it. 

Shots:

I'll include the new and improved storyboard right now. 

TADAAAA!! I'm so much more comfortable and confident with this layout hope you will enjoy new and improved shots. Some are still the same for sure it's all the same storyline just some parts are being told differently. 

Most Important change and WHY:

Well, the most important one is that the mother will not be introduced in the opening. This is because why should I be introducing new characters at just the beginning, if I include TOO much information then what would I have left to show and tell in the rest of the film. The idea of the opening is to GRAB the audience's attention and not bore them with TOO much dialogue. Sure a voiceover is still a lot of dialogue but it's channeling only one character's inner thoughts and not the others. What Carolina is writing down in her journal is just enough information, it leaves the audience with questions but not ones that they have to think about too much just simple thoughts they are curious to find out so it drags them into the movie more deeply.  Well as you can see this was a hectic post, but don't worry it'll turn it amazing!!! Talk to you later!!

Week Five of Portfolio Project

 03/12/22

Updates:

Yesterday I began and finished filming my project. There are PLENTY of changes to the film that I had to change while I was filming. The filming process was stressful because there were many trial and error moments. But at the end of the day, I still accomplished my goal.

Changes:

Some simple changes I made had to do with part of the dialogue. The mother will not be shown in the reopening part of the film but her voice/lines will be heard in the film. For next week's blogs, I will go more in-depth about the multiple scenes and shots that were changed. 

Little Sneak Peek of the Shots: 

This is one of the long shots of the characters cooking (her main hobby). I really am proud of some shots that I filmed. The lighting is nice but could be better when I edit in a filter. My goal for the mise-en-scene is to make the kitchen look like a home and not a set. What I mean as a home is to make it look like someone is living there rather than making it look clean and organized like a set would look sometimes. If this shot is a still shot rather than a tracking shot then I would have to crop this. 

The second scene I will be showing FOR NOW is this one which is one of my FAVORITES it just comes so naturally and casual I love it. I am just writing this little note that I have to fix. My teacher told me that there is too much headspace so I have to crop the top a little and make sure to look at other shots to see if there are a few mistakes in which too much headspace is included. This shot took a couple tries because I needed it to look perfect and what I mean as in perfect is to make it look natural. She opens the fridge and picks out ingredients for an omelette that she is cooking. I made sure to set up the camera at an eye-level but a little bit lower because I wanted to show in the shot her eyes to make it obvious that she is looking for something in the scene. 

This scene has my favorite lighting its so beautiful, I was REALLY nervous with the fact that it was getting dark quickly and the lighting would have to change. But I decided to make this shot outside to make use of the lighting while I had it. Again TOO MUCH headroom oops! So I would have to crop this shot like the other one. This shot is a POV of the confrontation Carolina is facing with her mom. Since I couldn't have the mother figure be shown on the film due to timing issues, the mom's voice/lines are featured in it but her physical self isn't shown.

Reflection:

While I am editing all the other shots I have to check for the amount of headroom each shot has. So far the three that I have shown have had too much headroom. I'll begin the editing process this upcoming week and edit all throughout spring break. All is going good and well, talk to you later!!! 

Week Five of Portfolio Project

 03/11/22

Updates!!!

Today I am going to start my filming process!!! I am so excited and really look forward to finally starting the filming process of this project. I am going to my friend's house after school and we are going to film and for the next weeks, I will start the filming process. 

Music:

I have found copyright-free3 music I want to use for a portion of the film. I found it on youtube and I really think it matches the vibe of the film. But the title of the video says "royalty-free" so I'm guessing it's copyright free but to make sure I will ask my teacher. This is the song I found on youtube and if it doesn't fit in as I'm editing it I will sadly have to find another one. 

Predictions before filming: 

Before I stay filming I am pretty sure there will be some changes to the film. I am not sure if one of the charters would be able to be featured in the film but their voice will be in the background of the film. So as of right now the only change to the film is not including the mom physically but her voice and dialogue would be included in the film. 

Goals for the last few weeks: 

For the next following weeks, my goal is to take more time on editing than filming. The filming process could be less challenging compared to the editing process. So taking my time editing will help me reach my goal. I have to edit the video and add in filters, sound, and subtitles. That's all for today talk to you later!!!

Week Five of Portfolio Project

 03/07/22

Updates!!!

I just asked my friend who will be featured in the film if she is available to film later this week and weekend to begin production.

Fonts: 

My vision for the fonts of my film is messy but not like messy handwriting but one that can be written using a paintbrush so it has that bristle effect. The color of the font will depend on the color of the film I want to have an aesthetic or color scheme for my film. So as of right now, I want a yellow color to my film title and credit. I'm not sure if I should use the same font for both the title and credit. I searched up fonts that I can use that has an airbrush texture to it. This website really showed my vision for my font and it had multiple good examples. 

I like how this font has the brush effect but I would want it with more of a messy look to it as if someone wrote it themselves. 

Now this font is perfect it is literally exactly what I had in vision. It was the paint brush effect with the messy but yet clean look. One thing that I would have liked for it to have is a more brush effect like around the edges of the letters. 

This font is close to perfect but I'm not sure if its too messy. Maybe it looks messy because of the color of the font and it would probably look better in yellow. One color I do have to stay away from is red because using a red color for this font would just show a different vibe like a scary movie vibe.

Fonts really play an important rule in the opening of the film because in a way it was to match with that the movie is about. Since my project will be a coming of age film a teenagers life isn't perfect so to emphasize what the film is going to be about I want the font to say it all. A messy but yet appealing to the eye font, well in my opinion fonts like there are appealing for some reason. Well ill give updates soon talk to you later!!!

Week Four of Portfolio Project

 03/06/22

Updates!!!

Bad news! This weekend I was supposed to film my draft of the film just to test out shots and angles in the kitchen but my main actress caught the flu :(. So the production process got pushed way back and not we are behind schedule...Everything is fine though although now that I am writing this I'm a little freaked up about how behind I am with the schedule. OH almost forgot I have to pick a song for the film and contact the producer/ owner of the song. 

Changes in the Schedule:

I will ask my friend if she is free to start filming sometime this week so by the weekend I can get back on track and start the official filming process this weekend. Just in case she cannot film this week I have a backup schedule. This weekend I will begin the official production process maybe staurday start it and try to do most of it and the next day I will try to continue production and make necessary changes so throughout next week I can begin editing and also do some research on editing and sound techniques throughout the next week. But my main goal is to get back on the original schedule. 

Changes:

There are no changes currently for my project but by the time I start filming there will be come changes on the storyboard and maybe script. Thats all for today, talk to you later!!!

Week Four of Portfolio Project

 03/04/22

Updates!!!

No updates today!!! :(

Reflection on key moments: 

Haven't posted in a while since the SAT was two days ago and my birthday was yesterday but hello! So far some key moments were writing the script and drawing the storyboard. I feel like those two things really brought out how much creativity you can use when producing a film. Also, the research was fun, I liked learning about different techniques used to develop specific meaning in a film and just different ways directors use their brains to create such a cool piece. Drawing out the storyboard was kind of difficult because it was putting my vision into a drawing which was not the easiest since I can't draw for my life. The script was fun to write though, I don't want to say it was the easiest part but it wasn't the hardest. Even though you can write whatever you want on your script your character's lines still have to match the personality. So writing a script that would match Carolinas, Martzia, or her mother's lines was tricky because it has to match the way I described them and their personality. My script was short because my opening film did not have too much dialogue just movement, so I obviously just wrote the script at the part when they start talking instead of writing it on the whole thing. Well, that's all I got for today, talk to you later!!