On to editing

 Welcome back. We're finally done with filming so we're moving onto editing. With Covid-19, editing was going to be a little more difficult to do. Usually, we can edit at school together and take turns, but none of us are at school. Although editing would be difficult to do together, we were going to figure out a way to make it work. The first part of editing we had to do was choosing through all the clips. This was actually really fun to do. We watched all of the clips and "favorited" the ones we liked best. We usually "favorited" two clips of the same scene in case we liked one better than the other. I enjoyed watching the clips and thinking of the fun we had filming. After choosing our favorites, we then looked through those and only chose one clip for each scene instead of two. When we shot a lot of the shots, we recorded for longer than the scene was in case we needed extra time. That meant that when it was time to edit, we had to shorten these scenes. So, that was the next thing we had to do. We all did it together and I let the group know where to end it since he would be doing most of the editing. Joaquina and I did most of this since I would be doing a lot of the editing. I can't believe we are so close to finishing our film. I'm really excited to see our final product because we've worked so hard. Read my next blog to see what happens next. Thanks for keeping up, see you soon! 

COVID and Editing

 This is my second time being in Media Studies, being in A level now. I did AS Level Media Studies last year and unfortunately Covid-19 affected the end of our year. I am telling you this now so you know that Covid-19 has affected my time in Media Studies for two school years. This year for school, I am doing school online, so obviously some changes had to be made when doing school and working with a group to film/edit/plan. We all had to make sure before we agreed to be a group that our parents would be okay with us being together to film or do any other steps. It wasn’t too difficult to plan our film because we could do that over the phone. We all did certain parts of the storyboard and script and worked together to make the film fit all of our visions. The script was a little difficult to work on at separate times because we wanted to make sure we all agreed on it. To reduce the trouble, we made sure to read over it together after it was done and make changes together. The next thing was the storyboard, which was easy to do with the script. Filming was a little difficult because we had to make sure that the restaurant we wanted to film at would allow us with Covid-19 and social distancing. We also had to make sure that parents/families were comfortable with people being in houses. Luckily, all the parents/families and the restaurant were okay with us filming. In the restaurant, we wanted to film when it was less busy, however, because we did not want to have our masks on during the film. Editing was difficult just because we would not be able to all edit since only one person had the software. I did most of the editing, whereas Joaquina and Amy did most of the acting and planning. This worked for us because it highlighted all of our strengths. As you can see, because of Covid-19, a lot of changes had to be made. Because we’ve been living in this “covid world” for a while now though, we were able to make it work. I’m extremely grateful that my group was able to get together to film and that we worked so well together. Thank you for coming along this planning/filming/editing journey with me. I can’t wait to show you the final product.

the begining of editing

 We're finally starting to actually edit. As I said before, it would be a little more complicated to edit because we could not all be together. Joaquina and Amy chose the music for me to use. We emailed a few people but only two responded. King Princess's manager and Danger Incorporated's manager gave us approval to use their music. From King Princess, we would be using the song "Cheap Queen" and from Danger Incorporated we would be using the song "Diamonds." Although we had other songs that we wanted more, we were glad to get approval from any of the artists. The next thing I wanted my group to do was tell me how they wanted the film to be edited. Joaquina and I both agreed that we wanted it to be edited similar to how many young adult/lgbtq+ films are edited. This means that there were little to no transitions. It also meant that the editing made the film look very smooth, with not a lot of cuts. Just like everything in our film had the conventions of lgbtq+ films, we wanted our editing to be the same. We hoped that even without the plotline, it was obvious our film was in the lgbtq+ genre. Through our editing, clothes, young characters, and dialogue, we hoped to achieve that. They also told me that when we watched the film, we wanted to feel a sense of contentment and excitedness for the characters. My group told me that if I could do that with editing, it would be great. I said he would try to make it happen and that I had the same vision as them. It's great that our whole group had the same vision and was excited to see our project come alive. I told My group that there would be no exterior shots because we did not have time, which was the only thing that we missed with the conventions. We're finally done with our film and I'm so excited, I can't wait for everyone to see it. Stay tuned on the next blog to see how Covid-19 affected filming, editing, and more.

Next part of filming

 Day 2 of filming is finally here! We were very motivated to finish filming today because then we would be done with filming, before reshoots (if they were necessary). We went to Joaquina's house at around 5:00 and just hung out for a little bit. We all went to Joaquina's house, even me and Aitan who weren't in any scenes, because we needed extra hands for filming and we all like hanging out together as friends. We decided what we would film first and made sure that everywhere we planned to film was tidy. We filmed the scene of Jade, Paige, and Cassidy laying on the bed first. Everyone was just laying around and Jade asked if she could do the girl's makeup. I filmed this scene while Aitan made sure everyone looked good and was shown. The boys worked together really well the entire time to make sure everyone that was being filmed was shown and the angles were nice. We filmed this a few times to get different angles of the girls laying down and different angles of Jade and Cassidy walking out of the room and towards the bathroom. The next scenes we filmed were all in the bathroom of Cassidy (Joaquina) and Jade (Gleda). Joaquina's bathroom has a huge mirror so we had to film where you couldn't see the camera but could still see both girls. It was important that we showed the girls maintaining eye contact because it was a big part of us showing that the girls were falling for one another. Amy and I did the filming for this scene because I was not in the scene and Aitan isn't really a part of the project besides acting. For this scene, we had to film Gleda looking like she's putting on Joaquina's eyeliner, and then she "messes up." Joaquina, then, re-did the eyeliner better because she actually knows how to do eyeliner, and then we filmed the rest of the scene. These scenes were my favorite to film because they show Cassidy and Jade getting closer and showing interest in one another. The next thing we filmed was my character, Paige, calling Cassidy and Jade back to watch a movie. Since the next part of the scene was all of the girls, me and Aitan filmed these scenes. We showed all of the girls being in the bed ready to watch a movie and Jade lays her head on Cassidy. Cassidy had a surprised look on her face when Jade did this to show that although it was unexpected, she still liked it. We aren't done with filming at Joaquina's house just yet. Look at the next blog to see how the rest of filming went.

Third part of filming

 You're back for part 2 of filming at Joaquina's house. It's nice to see you again. So, the next thing we did during filming was film Cassidy on the phone with Jade asking her if she wants to come over. Gleda went to Joaquina's parent's room to look like she was at her own house during this scene. Joaquina was on the phone in another room but we did not film Joaquina, we just recorded Gleda. We also filmed another phone scene of Cassidy on the phone with Aiden. For this scene, we recorded line by line to make it easier for editing. We then filmed a scene of Cassidy and Paige on the phone and we did the same set up for this scene as we did for the one of Cassidy and Jade on the phone. Joaquina was filmed while I was on call on speaker so you could hear what I was saying. The last scene we filmed was the most eventful one and the most necessary one. This is the scene I was most excited for because 1.) it was very suspenseful and 2.) it meant we were done filming. Joaquina and Gleda are very close friends but this scene was a little awkward for them to film. In this scene, the girls were supposed to kiss, and then the film would cut off right before their lips touched. We filmed the girls talking from a few different angles before the big kiss was about to happen. To actually get the scene of them kissing, it took about 10-15 minutes. This was a really fun scene to film though because we were laughing and enjoying ourselves the whole time. We were now finally done with filming, for now. We hung out for a little before going home. We all agreed that filming was super fun. We can't wait for editing to start and to see our film come to life. Here is a picture of us filming at the diner! Talk to you when editing starts, BYE! 

Fimling at the diner

 You're back! Welcome to part 2 of filming at the diner. So now that we're ready to film and we filmed the scene of Gleda walking through the door, it was time to film another scene. We decided to film the scene of all 5 of us because that would be the most difficult to film. Amy and I had to pull another table close to the booth and use something to stand it up. While everyone was sitting, we had to look into the camera and see if it was focused and centered. It was so we started to film that scene. We had to film a few times because of multiple interruptions. While we were filming, a waitress came right in front of the camera, people walked past the camera, and, of course, we messed up our lines. It was annoying to have these interruptions but we got through it and the scene turned out great. We filmed it twice just to make sure we had two in case we didn't like one of them. We then filmed the scene where Jade walks up to the group's booth. With this scene, we had to figure out the perfect angle and who had a steady hand to film it. I filmed it while Joaquina told Gleda exactly where to walk so the scene looked best. The next scene was a longer one so before filming we went over the scene a few times to make sure we all got our lines down. This scene had angles of all 5 of us and angles directed toward specific people while they talked. We filmed the scene a few times to get all the angles down and so it looked the most natural. We were all done filming in the diner finally! Before leaving to go outside and film outside the diner, we had to clean up and pay for the food we got. The diner also told us to take pictures of their establishment that they could use for their website so we did that before going outside. Now I know this seems like a lot of filming, but the day still isn't over. Tune in to the next blog to hear about filming outside the diner and filming at Aitan's house. 

Filming our Short film

 You're back for the next one, wow. The filming of my film must be really interesting to you, but anyways, welcome back. So the last thing we heard was my group finished filming inside the diner, but we still had to film outside the diner. This didn't take too long. We had Joaquina, me, and Aitan walk outside the diner. The main point of this was to show that Cassidy was uninterested in Aiden and kind of disregarded his goodbye and when he said "I love you." My character, Brian, was walking with them because Aiden was taking him home. We then filmed Jade and Paige walking out behind them just to show that Cassidy exited the shot the same way Jade and Paige did, showing the girls were leaving together. We had to film Brian and Aiden filming in the car. This scene was a longer one, but we were able to make it where the boys were reading the script but it wasn't shown. I liked this scene a lot because it's nice to see boys talking about something serious and bonding. This showed the closeness of Aiden and Brian's relationship, which you don't see anywhere else in the film. After this scene was done, Aitan drove us all to his house to film the scene of Aiden on the phone with Cassidy and the scene of Cassidy and Aiden in the room. We all wore masks inside Aitan's house since there were so many of us and we did not want to risk putting his family in danger. We filmed the scene first of Cassidy and Aiden talking in his room, showing their distance. This scene is a defining point in the film because it is evident that Cassidy is no longer into Aiden. We then filmed the scenes of Aiden on the phone. I will do a lot of the editing, so I told my group to stop filming after each line because it would be easier to edit. We shot each line and we were finally done at Aitan's house. We are now officially done with our first day of filming. Today was definitely a success and we got a lot done. Stay tuned to see how our next filming day goes.

The begining Of the filming process

 Hi guys! It's finally time to start filming. We had a lot to film, but luckily for us, it didn't take too long. The first thing I want to talk about is who filmed with my group. Our cast consisted of 5 people but we only had 3 people in our filming group. Our friends, Gleda and Aitan, helped us film. Gleda was Jade, the love interest and Aitan was Cassidy's boyfriend, Aiden. We used Gleda and Aitan to help us film because we know they'd be good actors and we are all good friends so the chemistry is already there. They also live close and were willing to help us film. Before we got to filming, I had to figure out how to dress like my character. Amy also had to print out the script and the storyboard so we could use it while filming. Aitan, having a car, drove Joaquina, Gleda, and Am. My dad drove him since I live farther than all of them. When we all got there, we went inside and spoke to the manager. Amy spoke to the manager to remind him that we had spoken before and ask where he would like for us to be, to not be in the way of others. He told us wherever we wanted since it wasn't too busy and we chose a secluded booth. We chose this booth because it was secluded, wouldn't be too loud, and it had a table across from it we could use to film the scenes with all 5 of us. When we got to the booth, the first thing we had to figure out was how we were sitting so it made sense with the scene. As a group, Joaquina, Me, and Amy chose which scene to film first. We actually did not film the first scene first because one of the scenes was in the middle of the diner and we wanted to get that over with. We did not want to be a distraction to others eating and we wanted to film it before we got too crowded. If you want to find out about the rest of filming, you'll have to read the next blog. See you at my next blog!

Planing: getting music for our short film

 We have a spot to film so now it’s time to pick music. My group and I, of course, wanted to make this step to be done by all of us. The way we decided to do this was for all of us to choose a few songs first. We all chose 3 songs and then put them into a playlist. My group and I listened to all 9 songs and chose individually which 4 songs we thought fit the best for our film. For me, the process of picking out the 3 songs was very fun. I loved looking through my playlist and listening to songs that I loved. The songs I chose were: Night Shift by Lucy David, Candy Paint by Post Malone, and Lights Up by Harry Styles. I picked these songs because I thought they perfectly fit our film and had a specific place where I thought they’d sound nice. When it was time to listen to all the songs Ben and Joaquina chose, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to just sit and listen to music. After listening to the songs, it was evident which ones would fit best. We used 2 songs Joaquina suggested, 1 I suggested, and 1 Amy suggested. My group and I were really glad that the “finalists” for the songs were all chosen by someone different. I think this allowed for creativity from all of our parts, rather than just one person shining through. The next thing we had to do was ask for approval. We emailed all the managers of the artists who wrote the songs. I emailed the artist of the song that we chose that I suggested, Joaquina did the same, and so did Amy. We still haven’t gotten anything back. Hopefully, we will get something back because if not we will have to chose new music. If we have to do so, the first thing we will do is look at the other songs we chose and then look into new songs, if we don’t like those. I’m so excited to be diving into this film even more everyday. See you later with even more updates on our film!

Collaborating with Moonlite Diner

 From the beginning, we knew we wanted to film at Moonlite Diner. This diner has a nice retro interior and exactly the vibe we want to associate our film with.everyone in our group knows this diner and where it is. It is also one of the only diners we know around us. We obviously knew that we couldn't just walk into the diner and film, we needed approval. The first thing we did was have me call and ask if we could film. I was told, by an employee that in order to film/ask questions about anything, we would have to go to the diner's website and fill out a form with our questions. Joaquina composed the email (the form) and sent it to the diner. We didn't get an answer for about a week, so we decided to try again, but still with no luck. My group and I decided it would just be best for me to go to the diner and ask for the manager. After asking the manager, he told me he would ask the owner and then he'd call me back. He assumed it would be fine, as long as we didn't film on the weekend which are their busiest days. We didn't get an answer for a few days so I called again and asked for the manager, he told me that the owner approved but still wanted to talk to me on the phone. He called me and we discussed my group's plans and when we were considering filming. He asked about our film and I told him it was about an LGBTQ+ experience and he loved it. We learned that he usually charges people if they want to film, but that he would let us film for free. The owner's only requirement was that we didn't film on a weekend and that we took photos of the diner for him to use for the website. My group and I agreed to do such. The whole Moonlite Diner staff was so accommodating and my group and I are already excited to work with them. Now that we officially are filming at Moonlite, we can't wait to start filming and create a wonderful short film.

Social Media and Marketing

Filming is rapidly approaching, my group and I couldn't be more excited. As filming is near we have started to do some things to make our film feel more like a real movie. We have made multiple social media for our film. We've made an Instagram account, a Twitter account, a Youtube account, and a Facebook account. We've also made an email and a website. Joaquina, Amy, and I all worked together on the website. It was a great learning experience to make the website. We had made an alternate version of the site, although it did not come to fruition. Still we're happy with the results. Since we are not in school and could not be together, working together on the website was difficult but we were able to go on Zoom, although I suggested an app called Discord, because the screen sharing is much more clear and higher resolution and work together to make the website creative and our own. We chose colors that went well with the aesthetic of the diner and incorporated that into the website and our production logo. We wanted to do more with colors, but when we added a picture of the diner on the homepage of the website, we realized the colors did not look good/match. We all decided together on the different tabs on the website, like producers, about, content, etc. The website we used to make our website had its own tabs, colors, and pictures and we had to customize them all. It was difficult to come up with tabs and agree on colors but we ended up making do. For the social media, Joaquina made Facebook and Youtube accounts, Amy made the Twitter account, and I made the Instagram account. It was fun making an Instagram account using the platform and following my friends' films. It was also a cool experience for me to explore the platform and I'm even thinking of making a personal account for myself. It was such a fun and new experience making social media and the website, which I've never done before, so thank you for this cool experience. Anyways, follow us on Twitter @moonlitefilm,Youtube @moonlitedinerfilm, Facebook @CassidyJensen, and our Instagram @moonlitedinerfilm.

 

Storyboard for Short film

 We’re definitely moving along with our project. This past week, we finished the planning for the filming of our short film. We have done everything from pick a title to figure out location. We are so excited to be able to count the days. This week, we all helped piece together our storyboard. The storyboard helps later on when we have to worry about camera placement. We sketch out the overall look of the scene and any specific angles or movements. Because there are three of us, we were able to split up the pages so it wasn’t as much work. We each took on a few scenes and talked about how we envisioned the shots. It got us even more excited about getting ready to film. We tried to organize the scenes, so the more the audience watches, the more they feel for the characters. For example, the main character Cassidy is supposed to be set up as relatable for queer teenagers. To relay this, we had a shot of her with the love interest’s head on her shoulder. She had a shocked expression and it was clear that she was freaking out. This comes full circle with the genre of the film being LGBT+. We wanted to make a short film that accurately represents the anxieties of being “in the closet” and in a relationship. Not only is it an interesting thing to film, but it is something that a lot of the LGBT+ community go through. Recently, there have been a few LGBT+ films in the limelight. Only a few of those, although, are accurate representation. That’s why it was so important for us, and me especially, to tell a real story.

Planning for short film

  Since my group and I have already finished writing our screenplay, it's time for us to start planning. We have been provided with a list of things we need to have thought out. That is very helpful because it's easy to lose track of what we need. The first thing we had to think out was our schedule. As of today, we've set aside the days from November 16th to the 23rd. We chose these days because two of the members of the group might be away for thanksgiving. Also, with the holidays coming up, one of us might be out of the country, so we feel it's important that we film as soon as we can. The next thing we had to think of was the location of our scenes. The opening scene, along with a few others, takes place in the main character's room. For those, we are going to use my room, as it is most fitting for Cassidy's (the main character) personality. Along with my house, we are going to be using Aitan's house. He s a friend that will be one of the actors in the short film. We are also going to film at one of our local diners and following their protocol for filming. In between certain scenes, we will also be filming in cars. Besides our three group members (Joaquina, Amy, and Ben), two of our friends, Gleda and Aitan, have volunteered to be some of the main roles in our project. Health and safety is definitely the most important factor in filming this year, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We fully plan on wearing masks everywhere we go and avoiding seeing anybody, besides our families, the week before we film. Since we won't be needing to do any stunts for any of our scenes, we are mostly trying to stay safe from the virus. For props, we don't need anything specific, besides the phones that will be used in certain scenes and things for mise en scene, like the food, and decoration for the rooms (posters, furniture, etc.). The last thing we need to plan is the costumes, which we decided are going to be very casual and modern, with each outfit fitting the character's personality.

Genre Choice for Film

  We had a couple of options for what genre we wanted to label our short film as. There was LGBT+, comedy, and romance. We took enough time to research all of them thoroughly. We went through all of the common aspects of each. We were able to immediately rule out one of the genres. The comedy one didn't necessarily fit with the vision that we have for the short film. We were able to break down the ideas and compare them to the other two options. We considered the romance genre for a while because of the love triangle that is shown. While it is a very present part of the film, we didn't want it take take away from the message. We had to step back and look at the bigger picture. We want it to stand for all the LGBT+ teens that could use support. We felt that the LGBT+ genre was most fitting for our film. We believe the pitch is great as it is. It previes the audience to the LGBT+ aspect, along with setting the tone for it as a teen film. It stamps it as a tool that can be used for guidance. This piece will have the beautiful blend of giggles and tears that is so desired in coming of age movies. We could not be more excited to continue this journey as amateur filmmakers. This class has introduced us to the passion we have for promoting love through a screen. We are so ready to begin the process to do just that. 

Genre Research- LGBTQ+, comedy, and romance

Some examples, CAMS in the LGBTQ+ genre, for costumes the characters usually wear modern clothes. this is because they are usually set in present day. Some common angles in this genre usually. With movements, this genre usually has tilts, pans, zooms and tracking shots. Sounds of this genre include music from either LGBTQ+ aritsts or music about sexuality. The Mis-en-scene usually is influenced by mood or tone. The lighting is usually adjusted to reflect how the character(s) is feeling. With clothing, movies in this genre can show character progression thruogh how they express themselves with their clothes. The editing in this genre is pretty standard, there is more of emphasis on drama. An example from this genre is Love Simon. Some elements I like about this genre the chemistry between the actors can be really good, and the movies can be really representative of the community. An element I dont really like is that some of these can be very stereotypical. For Comedy, some examples of CAMS is that some of the clothes can can be very goofy. Angles can range from being normal, or being really expressive. movies in this genre usually has tilts, pans, zooms and tracking shots. Music in this genre is usually goofy. Mis en scene usually has an emphasis on keeping things entertainingly funny. An example of this genre is WaterBoy. An element I like is that I can get a lot of enjoyment out of these movies. An element I don't like is that these movies can be a bit too childish. For romance, examples of CAMS are the characters usually wear modern clothes. this is because they are usually set in present day. Some common angles in this genre usually. With movements, this genre usually has tilts, pans, zooms and tracking shots. Sounds of this genre include music about love. For Mis en Scene scenes are usually  influenced by mood or tone. The lighting is usually adjusted to reflect how the character is feeling. With clothing, movies in this genre can show character progression thruogh how they express themselves with their clothes. The editing in this genre is pretty standard, there is more of emphasis on drama. An example from this genre is The Notebook. An element I like is that movies of this gnere can be really touching. An element I don't like is that these movies can be unbearably corny and tend to get repetative.

Genre research for short film

 The genres that my group will be exploring and researching are the LGBTQ+, comedy, and romance genres. My group and I agree that the film we are planning on doing fits in best with these genres. They share similarities of fun and young adult movies, which is what we hope our film will be. To start off, our film will be centered around a young girl who is figuring out her sexuality and if she likes girls, while also being in a straight relationship. Because we will be focusing on LGBTQ+ relationships, it would make sense to research the LGBTQ+ genre. We are excited to research the LGBTQ+ genre because we want to learn more about it because it is not a common genre. We also hope to bring light to LGBTQ+ relationships, which need to be talked about in the media more. Also, we think that romance will be a good genre to explore and see if we want that to be our genre. Our film will have 2 relationships, but they will not be the focus of the film. We have Cassidy's (the main character) relationship with her boyfriend and we also have her relationship with the new girl, and if she wants that to be romantically. We might not chose to do a romance genre, however. This is because the center of our film is not as much about her relationship with the new girl or her boyfriend and more about her exploring if she likes the new girl and exploring her sexuality. This will be a good genre to research, though. Even if it not the main part of our film, it does play an important part. Cassidy is trying to see if she wants a romantic relationship with a girl. The last genre we might research is comedy. This genre we are the least likely to do. Our film is about sexuality and romance and, even if it is funny, that will probably not be the basis of our film. We will look into it, though, to see if we would like to do it and what it entails. All of these genres have their similarities so it is our job to explore how they are different and decide on one. 

film pitch

When 16-year-old Cassidy catches feelings for the new girl, things get complicated in her relationship. This film explores the realization that many LGBT+ youths experience .

Group Blog

So I do have my group. I was worried that I would have to do this project by myself. The people in my group are me, Joaquina and Amy. I worked with Joaquina last year. I'm glad to be working with her again because she has proven to be a diligent worker. I have had only a couple interactions with Amy and I know her through Joaquina so I expect that she will be a good and contributing member to this group. We haven't started our discussion on what our short film will be but I look forward to what my group members have in mind. I think that each of them can bring a lot to the table. I have a feeling that my group members will have a lot of good ideas. I'm relieved that I have a group. This project would be a lot harder for me if i was by myself. I would have anyone to help me film, because my parents work all week and my brother is at college. I think that me and Joaquina having previously worked together will be a great bennefit to our work. We have an established trust in each other to get our job done. Joaquina being good friends with Amy will have a good effect on our work as well. They have known each other longer so that will work well. I'm curious to see how this group will work together. I have a lot of anticipation to work with the members of this gorup. I have no doubt that this group will be a good fit. We may have a few creative differences along the way but that's perfectly fine.

Welcome back!

     So here we are, months later, still in quarantine. It's exciting to be back behind the wheel, I'm looking forward to seeing what this year brings. I wonder what challenges await me. I wonder if the choices I make along the way will be the right ones. I'm excited to get back into the creative process. I think it's pretty obvious that my overall feelings on my return to this class would be excitement. I think I would also say I'm a bit worried. I'm a bit worried becausse the fact that we are still in quarantine will heavily affect the process of making the short film. I'm thinking I will see if my group members from last year are available or willing to work together again. I plan on getting in contact with them again and proposing the idea of getting the group together for this final project. My main concern is how will we make the short film. I need to create an idea for this project that we can build around the quarantine so we can still effectively create this project. It's good to be back. I have concerns, but still I remain optimistic. There will deffinitely be hurdles to get over. But what is the creative process if there aren't any hurdles to get over. The road ahead won't be easy, but I enjoy a challenge. Overall there's a lot to look forward to. But there will be a descent amount of struggles due to quarantine and the requirement of social distancing. But all there is left to say is: welcome back!

24 Extract Essay

     The main theme of this extract is mainly suspense and distrust. Both characters are under pressure, due to being under surveillance, which is what mainly helps communicate the theme. There is some particularly good, intense acting and there are many details that work to portray a suspenseful feeling on the audience. It could very well be that the writers were aiming for this to be recognized as a thriller.

     In the first scene, we are presented to the main characters. We are shown a man walking into a room, where a woman is seated. We are, then, shown that they are being surveilled by cameras. In this scene, the director makes a point of flaunting various camera angles and movements. The multiple over the shoulder shots, for example, are strategically placed to direct the focus towards the man's analysis of her. It provides the first example of how he acts because he does not trust her. The use of the two-shot with the two main characters is to build suspense. It shows through the visual example of how they are getting “closer” to discovering the full story. The importance of them two being the only people in the room is that they are in isolation, yet they are not alone, they are being watched. The use of sound in this scene is to grab the viewers’ attention. The ticking of the clock represents the passage of time, and the ticking down to possibly an intense climax. Scene 1 was mostly to introduce the story and set the intense tone of the extract.

     In the second scene, the lack of trust in her is introduced in this part of the extract. The constant showing of the people in the camera room is to show their suspicion. The man is seen to be hostile towards the woman for reasons that are somewhat revealed in this scene. An example of the director's use of sound is the crash of the table when the man throws it. It provides a way for the character to express his frustration. In this scene, the director uses different angles, including a low angle. This can be seen when the camera is pointed towards the clock. It is shown from the point of view of the woman. That is another camera angle that adds to the meaning of the clip. By putting the audience into the shoes of the woman, nervously looking at the clock, it allows them to feel the tension of the scene. The ticking sound that comes from the clock when it is focused on is to symbolize the passing of time and how both characters patience is running thin. Their clothing suggests an everyday life being in a not so everyday position, giving off a dark mood because of its lack of color or design. This scene, in general, does a better job at presenting the theme and mood, due to its use of mis en scene details.

      

     The third scene starts with the woman warning the man not to hurt her and threatening that he will lose his job if he does. Her low tone tells the audience that she is serious. Another part of the mis en scene is the makeup. The actors are made up to look run down and tired. This is to show that the man has been interrogating the woman for a long time, hence his rising levels of impatience towards her. Eventually, he loses all patience and attacks her. The editing used in this part is a split screen. They simultaneously show the people in the camera room, who seem to have a level of authority, running towards the room where the man is fighting the woman. This is used to show the importance of the woman and how she must remain unharmed, as she hinted towards in the beginning. Another way they used editing that ended up affecting the scene was the eye line match shot. It shows how the surveillance people came in and saw the fight that going on in the room. This adds a lot to the theme of skepticism, because it proves that they both needed to be watched for a reason. The woman, being a criminal, and the man being unhinged. Another part of the mis en scene was the setting and the lighting. Not only does the scene take place in a dark room, but it is also placed in a room that has minimal decoration and ray tones, lacking emotion. Overall, scene 3 has the most attention to detail than the other scenes and reveals the most about the other characters.

     The director’s goal of entertaining with suspense and thriller was achieved. A theme of skepticism and lack of belief pulled through with the use of camera angles, movements, editing, and mis en scene. Everything from the sound to the setting was well planned out and added up to a proper extract. 

CCR

Here is my CCR. The process was a bit tedious. I had to film this by myself with little help, I also had to make sure not to mess up any lines when I was speaking. If I did I would have to restart the whole segment. I hope it is up to the standards that the graders are hoping for.

Movie introduction

Our product, in many ways, both challenges and uses conventions, but mostly follows Typically, in the thriller genre, there are many key components to film a successful film. Using the conventions, in our case, was easy because all my group members and I had a lot of experience watching movies within our chosen genre. Even before the research part of the project, we discussed that we wanted to work within this type of film because of our interest in it. We studied that, with a lot of thrillers, there is also action involved.

Music Video

Our product, or music video, does a good job at using conventions, while still challenging them. The way that our video is designed leads it to have similar qualities to other music videos of this genre, being an electronic song. Some common convention in these types of songs are scenes of dancing with dark scenery. Another common thing is tracking shots. We utilized a lot of those in our video to make the viewer feel included in the actions shown. In other dance videos, you can often find actors placed in a city setting or at a party where they first meet with mise en scene like sunset light . Our video is very different from that in many aspects. The lighting we chose to use is very bright and cheery, as to give off that type of energy onto our audience. As to the actors, they were walking around the beach  and being seen having fun.

Gatorade Commercial

Our commercial uses conventions to establish our main character as someone who strives to be the best in her league, we use this to shape how we think about a character in this certain event. When it comes to characters, conventions can easily turn into stereotypes. We wanted to avoid this by not establishing that this “the big game” and it’s all up to her to win. The audience may not be able to relate to that so we decided to have this event be only what it is, just another soccer game. Gatorade is an electrolyte replacement drink, the way that this commercial represents a group like athletes is that Gatorade's purpose in replacing electrolytes holds true for the particular needs of athletes.

re-editing

With the recent outbreak of the covid-19 virus it's been very hard to get anything done. Our school has been closed and communications with teachers have been cut off. All we Have been able to do is our CCR project. We have been getting instructions though remind and canvas. Those are the applications that we use to keep in touch with our professors. With this time off, we have been able to discuss future plans for our film. Not being able to see anyone due to isolation has been trying. We can't get our refilming done. As a result, we've been editing what we have. We are trying to make it perfect and add requirements from our own ends. We plan on adding some shots done without the location being shown so it matches up. Editing-wise, we have to add key details, like audio. We have to add non-diegetic sound, amongst others. Because one of us specializes with editing more than the other two, they will be working on that while we help him find music and things like that. We have sent requests to some artists for permission to use their music in our film. We are still waiting on a response so we have a backup. We are all set with most of our details and preps other than music. All our edits are done and voice overs are finished. It's been a very difficult time but we're pulling through.

Challenges of re-shooting

Recently we have been trying to re-shoot. we are aware of the upcoming deadlines. We are nervous that we will not have enough time together as a group. We have been struggling to film. There have been a couple obstacles n our way. The main one has been a risky global epidemic called the coronavirus. It is highly contagious and has led to the changes of various things worldwide. For example, schools have all been closed for at least two weeks. During that, assignments are still due. Group projects have been difficult because of the fact that we have been told to be “socially distant”. We are facing a lot of trouble with re shooting our video. The COVID-19 virus has put us in a tough spot. Our parents are not letting us leave our homes. Because of this, we are very worried about the progress we can make, if any. Our project needs to be complete. The quality of our video is at stake. Things only continue to get worse for public health. We may be put in a state wide quarantine. There’s even rumors of martial law being put into place. It’s extremely troubling.

Second half of re shoots

Lately, we haven’t been able to reshoot. We have had struggles finding a right time to. For example, last weekend we wanted to film. Unfortunately, I was out of town. Because there are scenes with two people in it, there had to be three people involved in filming. During the week, it gets even more difficult. We all have afterschool activities. One of us even has a job. our plan is to film this weekend. Saturday would be difficult, so we think it will be on Sunday. It will be a struggle to get transportation because the shooting location is farther from where we live.Although it will be difficult, this weekend is the most convenient. Aside from school, spring break is coming up and so is the due date. We have to reshoot because we were missing some angles during the peer review. One important one is a low angle. We also wanted to provide a better variation of filming techniques. We feel that it will make our film more appealing to the audience. We also have to focus on editing after this weekend. We need to add some important details. Things like the music and subtitles are missing.  

Re-shooting

After receiving our constructive criticism from our peer review we now know what we need to accomplish during our re-shoot. A few points we need to address are our camera angles, audio, time and plot development. It is in our best interest to fix our errors, so we can knock this out of the park. We need to add more scenes establishing the story/plot. we will do this by making any confusing spots better explained.We also need to shorten the film to meet the two minute mark. Some specific camera angles need to be added as well. This is to give an all inclusive felling of our film. Some of the audio hadn't come trough therefore making it difficult to hear any dialogue and understand our plot. The fine details of our project need to be tweaked so there is nothing left to chance. We all agreed to meet on Sunday, a bit earlier than our last meeting . This worked out due to our schedules lining up. Thanks to our director (Ben) getting a new phone our filing should go much smoother. this is because there will be less of a chance of hiccups such as phones loosing battery or filling up on storage. We hope to have everything perfect by Sunday so we can really focus our efforts on editing. We will make sure our tittles are done ans spread out evenly. We are really in our home stretch of this project. Thanks to us planning every little step out. We hope it come through that our best efforts have gone into this film. the experience was really enjoyable and exciting. 

Peer review blog

When doing the peer review we got some helpful critiques. We were told some helpful insights. What needs work is our audio. We devised what we think to be a clever idea. We would have our main actors use Bluetooth earbuds and use them as mics. We will keep them out of sight for immersion purposes. When importing the files into the editing software, some audio files got corrupted. We are going to have to re-shoot some scenes. The audio we are missing is pivotal in communicating the story. It’s very important that we either get those audio files back. We may even have to re-shoot those scenes. Some of our titles are missing. Of course this is due to time constraints. We will have them completed in time for submission of our project. I also plan on color correcting the shots and scenes. I’m still considering using fades for scene transitions. I plan on checking out different fonts and maybe alternate colors for the titles. We are very close to having our work done.

Filming and editing

This past weekend we filmed. We spent a few hours at Andrews house. We used the storyboard to shoot some scenes. We got distracted a few times. because this project has brought us so close, it was like filming with best friends. Besides the joking around, we were very focused. We found it easy to shoot the scenes. We were very interested in the plot. We found ourselves having to Derail from the original storyboard a few times. We had some ideas change throughout the planning process. We were able to execute them with no problem. Something we didn’t predict was the weather. It was colder than we had expected and made the outside scenes frustrating to film. The inside scenes were simpler but we did have other things to focus on. The lighting was an aspect that we had to pay close attention to. We wanted to make sure that it fit the mood of the scene we were filming. we had to re-shoot a few scenes due to the acting or the misunderstanding during the directing. Andrew’s house provided a good setting that went along with what we wanted the protagonist to portray. Overall, it was a good experience and we were able to work efficiently while still having fun. It was a good end to the filming process and we were ready to start editing.

Third filming blog

Currently we still haven’t been ready to film yet. one in all our group members left Class, so puts a significant delay on our work. We are planning on filming this weekend. it should be a troublesome time getting everyone together for filming together of our group members left Class. We're visiting film at my house first, because it may be a well controlled environment, so we are going to be ready to get that scene done faster and more efficiently. we are going to film the start of our project, this may be the scene where we first see our main character typing in his computer, he will then get a telephonefrom an unknown number asking how “things” are going. Next we are visiting film in an alleyway or neighborhood because itis that the scene we would have liked our now absent group member to film that scene. Our main struggle is getting the people we'd like to be there. one in all our main actors works on Friday and Saturday. Our director also includes a job on Sunday. So we'd like to film at later times. This puts an excellent tighter time constraint on us. We’ll have less daylight time to figure in so we must be precise in our work. We are just hoping that everything goes to plan and zipgoes wrong. we'd like to conserve our time. We only have such a lot daylight by the time we are able to film. We're currently keeping tabs on our plan. We must be concise in our scheduling. Anything can suddenly change at the drop of a hat. we've complete faith in each other. It’s important to create sure we are all on board with our ideas.

Second week of filming

Currently we still haven’t been able to film yet. One of our group members left the class, so that puts a serious delay on our work. We are planning on filming this weekend. It may be a tough time getting everyone together for filming as one of our group members left the class. We're going to film at my house first, as it is a well controlled environment, so we will be able to get that scene done faster and more efficiently. We will film the beginning of our project, this will be the scene where we first see our main character typing in his computer, he will then get a phone call from an unknown number asking how “things” are going. Next we are going to film in an alleyway or neighborhood as it is the scene we needed our now absent group member to film that scene. Our main struggle is getting the people we need to be there. One of our main actors works on Friday and Saturday. Our director also has a job on Sunday. So we need to film at later times. This puts an even tighter time constraint on us. We’ll have less daylight time to work in so we must be precise in our work. We are just hoping that everything goes to plan and nothing goes wrong. We need to conserve our time. We only have so much daylight by the time we can film. We're currently keeping tabs on our plan. We must be concise in our scheduling. Anything can suddenly change at the drop of a hat. We have complete faith in one another. It’s important to make sure we are all on board with our ideas.

Filming

Currently we haven’t filmed yet. We are planning on filming this weekend. It may be a tough time getting everyone together for filming as our schedules don’t exactly line up the way we want them to. We're going to film at my house first, as it is a well controlled environment, so we will be able to get that scene done faster and more efficiently. We will film the beginning of our project, this will be the scene where we first see our main character typing in his computer, he will then get a phone call from an unknown number asking how “things” are going. Next we are going to film in an alleyway as it’s when all group members can be present, and it’s when we need all hands on deck. Our main struggle is getting the people we need to be there. One of our main actors works on Friday and Saturday. Our director also has a job on Sunday. So we need to film at later times. This puts an even tighter time constraint on us. We’ll have less daylight time to work in so we must be precise in our work. We are just hoping that everything goes to plan and nothing goes wrong. We need to conserve our time. We only have so much daylight by the time we can film. We're currently keeping tabs on our plan. We must be concise in our scheduling. Anything can suddenly change at the drop of a hat. We have complete faith in one another. It’s important to make sure we are all on board with our ideas.

Planning: Storyboard

This blog is all about the storyboard. The storyboard is outlining the story, or plot, of what we are recording. We do this so that we have some help when we film. Sometimes, we can get confused about what we are filming. The storyboard helps with that. It shows, scene-by-scene, what we have to film. It helps with reminding us how to go about the filming. Things like how to set up the camera and what angles to use are documented. Overall, it makes the entire filming process easier. It allows for us to be able to focus on the quality of the scenes and not technicalities.

Planning: Title

For this google slide, we had a good bit of arguing about who gets credit for what. We all contributed a lot to this project. The first thing we discussed was who gets to name the company and studio. we ended up choosing the most professional sounding ones. For the name of who was going to be the editor it was pretty simple because one of our member has experience and offered to do it from the start. we wanted to give fair share of the credibility so each of us got to have our name on some sort of the production and studio. We decided to give Ben the writer label because the plot was his idea. We gave Andrew the producer label because most of the filming will be done at his house. The director label went to Joaquina because she will be filming with the camera. And we gave Freya the story by label because she will be the one making sure we follow the story board.  

Planning: Location, participants, health and schedule

For this google slide, we had to discuss a lot as a group. The first thing we talked about was the location. We tried to pick locations that were convenient. Also, as a team, we all had to decide what we were each going to do. Whether it was filming, acting, or driving. Health and safety-wise, we had to take into consideration a lot of things. It was mostly about the surroundings. The last thing we had to agree on was the schedule. It was simply because we easily established that we wanted to be time-efficient. My group works very well together.

Planning Blog (sound Script)

The sound is very important in this production. For sounds I would need to record keyboard typing and things like that. We want to use music from Good time, as it has the aesthetic I want. Things like the sound of cars and a city are important as well. As for the dialogue, we need to have good acting and delivery to make the writing really effective. I was mainly focused on sounds that were possible for us to get. We need to have a god use of diegetic sound, as well as non-diegetic.

Planning blog (shooting script)

for the shooting script, it was a tough process. We didn't have an exact idea on what would happen in the story. We mostly made it up as we went along. with time constraints, things were getting stressful. Luckily we were able to get a story ready. I wrote with the thought of what was possible for us to shoot. Some things were difficult to portray in writing. Hopefully They'll be easier to put into action. But for now I'm happy with what we have. And that's very important.

The dead zone research

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film? There were 20 titles displayed during the opening sequences to the film.

What images are prioritized in the opening sequence? The images prioritized in the opening sequence were of the setting the film took place in.

What connotations do the images carry? The connotations the images carry was that there is fear to be had in an open and calm looking setting.

How is this genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? This genre is reinforced through symbolic and technical codes by establishing a tone of isolation through cinematography.

How does the film establish enigma from the outset? The film establishes an enigma by creating curiosity of were its people have gone, and why the town is empty.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? The strategies used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience were using eerie music and creepy scenery.

How has technology been used effectively? The best way technology was used was by having a tracking shot on one target location in each shot creating an inclosed feeling. The editing of the title at the end made the audience look closely to then have a big reveal of the start location of the movie.

Se7en research

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequence? There are a total of 37 titles in the opening sequence.

What images are prioritized during the opening sequence? Images of grimy fingers are prioritized to disturb the audience.

What connotations do these images carry? These images carry a connotation of intensity and disturbed images.

How is the genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? The opening uses very close up angles to give a feeling of claustrophobia.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? The main question it proposes is who are we looking at.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? Great cinematography is used to reel in the audience.

How was technology used effectively? Technology was used effectively by making the opening 100% practical.

Hostage research

How many titles are displayed during the opening sequence? During the opening sequence, there are exactly 30 titles displayed.

What images are prioritized during the opening sequence? Images of swat teams and police during a hostage situation are prioritized during the opening sequence.

What connotations do these images carry? The images carry a connotation of intensity and urgency.

How is the genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? The symbolism of a red sky during this situation to show the darkness and intensity of the situation. On the technical side the opening is completely computer generated.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? The film establishes an enigma of whether or not the situation will be resolved by showing the preparations needed for such an unpredictable scenario.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? The film ensures that it will appeal to its target audience by keeping the viewers on edge, keeping them guessing on what will happen.

How was technology used effectively? Technology was used effectively by making the opening 100% CGI. Doing this allowed the filmmakers to get camera angles that would be harder to get if they were using real cameras.