Filming finished!

 Good afternoon blog,

The final day of filming! I was excited that we finally got a date for filming and actually planned properly after the mistake on Tuesday. Learning from mistakes is the hardest part of doing all of this so we have to make the most of what we have left. Regardless, we scheduled a time around 5 which would be a good enough time yk get things started as it wasn’t too dark yet and still light enough to film everything! I packed up my stuff, got in the car and drove myself over.

Romina lived in the lakes which was a community that wasn’t too far from me. Originally we were going to film some of the scenes at her house and some of them at mine but because of the way the community was set up, it was just too perfect to be the set for things. When I got there, we immediately started going over our story board and hashing over what exactly we wanted to do with the films we set up. During that time, I was going to start changing but a we got a lively surprise. 

Romina’s sister was in the house and I knew her previously because we were both in jrotc. That meant that she also had a uniform and everything I had. I noticed this and talked it over with romina. It would be way better if she was to star as the main character instead of me. Not only because the rooms we were filming in weren’t the type to be in a men’s room but also for better time setting and for me to do the camera work. For most of the film I did the camera work and I felt like I did a good job. I’m confident in the camera so I tried to convince her to join. After a few minutes of talking and insisting that she’ll look great within the film, she reluctantly agreed. 

So after that we started the filming. We described the general vibe of the main character she would be playing. The main issue with Romina’s sister is that she was rarely serious. She would smile pretty often and that kind of contradicted the type of character she was trying to play. We had to council her into how exactly she should be looking for a bit and how she should present herself. She did a great job adapting quickly and did her best to fit in. It wasn’t something out of nowhere as she was aware of the project beforehand but it was still none the less impressive. 

The scenes we started off with were scenes that all took place within her room. This space was pretty small and barren but fit perfectly with the vibe. To add onto it, off camera was a walk in closet with a light. This light would be perfect for the specific lighting we needed in the room at the start in order for it to not look really bad and dark at the start. Utilizing the closet door to change the amount of light that was visible was kind of a novel and creative idea in my book and I think it worked. After that, since it was getting a little darker, we were able to replicate how things in the morning would be: daybreak. The timing was pretty genius as even though it was the afternoon we could show it as of it was the morning. I don’t think it I came in the middle of the day I could properly replicate this image of the scenes and made the tone of the morning feel especially moody. 

We then filmed the scenes in the house and outside which flowed seamlessly together as she put on her uniform. The uniform was well kept as I told her before in jrotc class to keep it clean for upcoming events. This seemed to be a double perk as it was ready to be worn for the costume design. The uniform was out on and she really killed it with the more subtle scenes where she has to put on the facade of being a good caring person with no worries. 

Overall filming went really well and I think that the editing process will be smooth, even if I feel we took a little too much footage. Anyways that’s about all the time we have! Until next time! 

Scheduling

 Good afternoon Blog,

Today was supposed to be the day of filming, Tuesday the 26th but things didn't go according to plan. Because of what was happening throughout the day we had to schedule at different times. Originally it was going to be at 2 pm than at three than at 5 but than a lot of other things happened with me having to keep doing stuff as I was moving and my partners aunt coming over. It really ruined what we were going for. We had to reschedule to doing things on Wednesday. 

That got me thinking how important scheduling can be for people within not only doing projects but in daily life as well. I’ve realized over the course of the project that i usually leave things for last minute and things like rushing or miscalculations can just be avoided by scheduling myself and meeting those deadlines. It isn’t exactly hard to do but requires discipline and I think that’s what I need to work on. 

Another thing is making sure to set up specific dates with what we have in mind. I think a problem to the dates and times was that we didn’t have everything done prior. It would have been much easier to do things like that if we had just planned properly beforehand. It seems having a structure for things beforehand is better as that foundation allows things to go more smoothly. It seems like an obvious thing but more difficult to put into practice.

We rescheduled for tomorrow and that seems way more plausible now that we actually set up a plan for the things we’ll be doing. I’ll be bringing everything we need for props and other things of the sort in order to  get things flowing. We will see how things go! That’s about all the time we have though. Until next time 

Acting!

 Good Afternoon diary, 

Today I just wanted to talk about acting. Today I helped a classmate Nathanial in his film and it was kind of hard. I don't usually talk in my films or videos but reading and memorizing off of a script is hard. I'm very much aware of how there are 100's of takes that go into getting the right take that they need to get the scene just right but it's still very much daunting. With these thoughts in mind, I wanted to go into what I thought was important about acting in general.

Acting is a multifaceted art form that transcends the mere recitation of lines; it involves embodying a character's emotions, motivations, and essence as authentically as possible. To bring words on a script to life effectively, actors must delve deep into the minds of their characters, combining their portrayal with depth, nuance, and sincerity. By immersing themselves in the emotional landscape of the character, actors can create a compelling and relatable performance that resonates with audiences on a profound level.

Helping out Nathaniel with his project provided me with an idea of what goes into the collaborative nature filmmaking. Working together to create authentic performances highlighted the importance of genuine connection and shared vision among all involved in the production process. Through working with him, I learned the significance of authenticity in performances and how it contributes to the overall impact and success of a project. The challenges faced during the project helped deepen my appreciation for the vision and discipline required in acting.

Acting serves as a journey of self-discovery and personal growth for a lot performers. You can see that by the variety of actors there are and all the different films they take part in. Acting not only improves skills but also deepens self-awareness and empathy. While navigating emotional challenges, connecting with audiences brings immense fulfillment. Evoking emotions and sparking reflection showcases acting's transformative impact.

All in all, actors do a lot to make our immersion in the movies spot on. They help the movie truly realize it's potential and most movies wouldn't able to be made because of it. Recently there have been actor and writer strikes in Hollywood and to that I have to say I hope they get what they deserve. After acting for just a small scene, I can already comfortably gauge how skillful you need to be to do this. Anyways, that's all the time we have. Until next time!

Unifrom

 

Good afternoon diary,

Romina and I wanted to discuss the casting situation or the film that we are working on and who we might cast. 

We are unsure as of now who we want to specifically use because of how we want to do things. Romina could easily do things at home with an extra set of hands and all with her sister but I think it'd be better if I did it. Why you may ask? Because I want to not only test my acting skills but because I want to show more of my vision. Pretty selfish huh? Really though we agreed it was for the best as my house can show the scenes pretty well. 

The main idea for the actors was to get a military's uniform because of the setting of the movie. Usually that'd be a little hard, going to the dollar store to get maybe a costume but for us it was no problem. Romina's sister and I are both part of the JROTC program at the school. This gives us immediate access to an JROTC uniform which we'll be using in the film!

The reason we are using the uniform as well is for easy representation. A uniform itself gives a lot of context into a lot of things. For example, a decorated uniform can show how involved the person is with the military. A person with a bad looking uniform can be clumsy or not every caring for it. All these little things build details on what type of character we want our protagonist to be. For what we choose, we wanted to make a protagonist that is clean and very definition of role model on the outside. Again, the mc is going to be very to faced so we will illustrate that maybe by something like his ranks being a little off because he doesn't like the military system and just wants to be at the top already. To me, little details like that help a lot into making meaningful characters. Anyways, that's all the time we have left. Until next time!

   

The setting

    

Good afternoon blog,
So Romina and I finally finished our ideas for the idea for our film. We decided to make a military fictional movie that focsuses on our characters idea of the world he lives in through acting rather than mostly dialogue. The main plot of the story for our mc is that his parents were in the military and sent on a mission. His mom is killed and his dad gravely injured. He develeops an image in his mind that this place is wicked and that the only way for it to not be is if the people are freed. However, he is not a normal person and his mind is skewed in naivety and ignorance. He wants to create a anarchy where he can rise up to the top and become the monarch and then crush it all himself. Romina came up with the more antiquate part of anarchy and I really liked it. 

The places we established for our setting were as follow:
The auditorium for the initial scene with the monarch and his speech
House for filming the scenes with the mc
The street of the neighborhood 
The school courtyard for a few interactions with other people
The basketball court
The hallway into the Jrotc room.

The places are selected from what we found most convent and that helped wit the process of producing the film. We wanted to also include things like focusing ,moving shots, long shots, close ups, and more. The idea is to build a sense of unease with the protagonist from the get go and shot composition will be extremely important. Anyways, that's all the time I have left. Until next time!

Script Part 2

 Good afternoon Blog, 

This is part 2 of the storyboard. If you haven't read part 1, go ahead and do so!

After going through the door, he walks outside around his community. In order to get to where he has to go he walks by and occasionally says hi to the neighbors. His back is turned away from the camera for most of the interactions with an over the shoulder shot so we don't see his face but as soon as a neighbor mentions how his father is doing it goes to a closeup with his eye twitching in irritation for a second.

After that he arrives in the "military facility" which will just be the courtyard and the basketball courts of the school. We will be shown this from a low angle, making it feel as though when you are in the army place, you are beneath him and in his domain.

He finally ends the opening in front of the door before coming before the door of the main room. He takes out his phone and checks his different smiles. He wants to make sure he has the perfect one. Ths is a little bit of characterization for him showing how fake he is and how everything he does is a carefully planned together act. The audience knowing his personality and intentions I feel is very important to the opening and movies in general. Anyways, that's all the time we have. Until next time.

Script Part 1

Good afternoon Blog, 

The story board process has begun development. I am very exited to get the angles of the scenes I want with the right filming eventually but let me describe to you how the scenes process will work and maybe in a later post compare it to how this pot faired to the final version. 

The first scene will be a close up shot with a tracking shot up into the back of the monarchs face. The image bellow is the best way to describe it but it continues to go up until it stops at his face

After that it goes to his speech and the different angles around him. Than it cuts to our title card mid sentence with him going like "we need a monarch", a cold cut to it would be nice similar to how invincible does there's.

Than it'd cut to the mc in his house with and his daily routine, doing different angles of the room and focusing on different places.

He would go out of his room and past by a door of his sickly father, almost opening the door but moving forward as to not look back at the past. This would be done in a medium shot.

After that he'd go downstairs, go to the door and try to do force a smile that would be an extreme close up. Than leave once he got it right.

The scenes help show the loneliness of the character and how he is trying to wear this persona of a mask to hide how he really thinks about the world and other people in order to further his goal. Well that's about all the time we have left. Next time I'll talk about the rest of the script

Character Vs Society in Military fiction

Good afternoon Blog,
Romina and I decided to kick off our research in class by focusing on character vs. society themes in military fiction movies. I delved into film openings that exemplify this theme, analyzing their key elements for a deeper understanding.

Black Hawk Down:
The film opens with a chaotic scene of soldiers preparing for a mission, showcasing the camaraderie and discipline within the military unit. The intense coordination and focus of the soldiers hint at the challenges they will face as they navigate through a hostile environment.

Saving Private Ryan:
The opening sequence vividly portrays the brutal reality of war as soldiers storm the beaches of Normandy during World War II. The chaos, fear, and sacrifice depicted in this scene set the tone for the harrowing journey ahead, highlighting the individual struggles within the context of war.

Full Metal Jacket:
The film begins with a grueling boot camp sequence, illustrating the dehumanizing process of military training and indoctrination. The strict discipline and psychological pressure imposed on recruits serve as a stark contrast to their individuality, setting the stage for the internal conflicts they will face in combat.

American Sniper:
The opening scenes establish the protagonist's sniper skills and his moral dilemma as he navigates between duty to his country and personal ethics. The tension between his role as a soldier and his humanity is palpable, foreshadowing the internal conflicts he will grapple with throughout the film.

As I went through and watched these military fiction movies through the lens of character vs. society themes, I think I gained insight into how these narratives explore individual struggles within the larger frameworks of military operations and societal expectations. Each film opening sets the stage for a compelling exploration of personal identity, internal conflict, moral standings, and the impact of war on individuals within a broader societal context. That's about all the time we have. Until next time!

The Richness of Color

 Good afternoon Blog,

For our latest essay, we watched a section from the series "Killing Eve". Immediately throughout watching the exert, I was captivated by it's unique showcase of visual representation to show how a person acts. Especially in it's first episodes. 

The show itself has been praised for it's unique way of story telling through the use of color alone. These definetely help to enhance a scene and display a "show don't tell" approach to there story telling. A good example of this is the red motif in the gelato store. The red motif of Villanelle and the way the scenes are shot makes her out to be a more antagonistic force from the get go than other characters introduced. I especially liked the detail on her watch where there is red on it and it's up to the audiance to decide if that's real live blood or just gelato. 

Another example I really love is the title card. The yellow and black can represent a lot of things from just the first epsiode alone. It can represent the joy for Villanelle of killing eve as yellow is associated with happy things (think joy from inside out). It may also represent the corruption within MI5 where yellow represents corruption within groups and the black further attributing in the darker motif. 

Another movie I watched recently was the kung fu panda movies. While I originally thought they were going to be unassuming cartoons about a fat panda somehow learning to do kung fu, they were way more layered than I thought. For example, In all four movies, there is a color motif representing each villain. 

Ti Lung's Color motif is blue. This represents his potential for becoming the dragon warrior but also the contempt he still harbors within himself for his father figure to shun him once he was turned down of the position.

This blue is also in great contrast to Po's gold coloring that is prevalent throughout all the movies. The gold may represent a multitude of different things like his ability to shine and bring out the best in others and himself. It could be his literal golden personality and him finding out about himself through the dragon scoll which was blank the whole time. It could be him becoming a teacher a beacon of light for his fellow masters, or really just finding himself finally. Po's coloring is important as it reflects off all the other villains.

There are more but my favorite by far is Shen's red. I already talked about red but for me, it's a striking color for visually showcasing a character. In this example, we are introduced to his horrifying red through Po's frightened flashback to the genocide of the pandas. This red and that point signifies bloodshed, murder, chaos and death.

However, by the end of the movie Po finds inner peace with him. He is not out for revenge but rather for Justice and the red turns into something like hope and love, two other things red can stand for. I found the changing of the meaning of the color to be very interesting and rewarding for people who payed attention during the film. Simple color motifs can create an atmosphere for characters or a movie that can enhance it past what it already was. 

As for my film, I’m not sure how I want to specifically do color motifs. Even a little bit of it would be important into conveying maybe the militaristic aspect of the opening that I would like to go for but I still need to research colors that relate to the military. I’m very much interested in integrating it so we will see where this goes. Anyways, that’s about all the time I have left. 

Film START!

 Good afternoon blog,

Today starts the first day of filming the intro to the film. I have a basic idea of what exactly I want to do through the rough design of the story board but I won't bore you with the details at the moment. For now lets turn our attention to the actual videos themselves.

The first video is a video that shows the monarchs entrance to his big speech. The is probably going to change angle wise because of how you can see my filming throughout the video. Still I really like how the shot came out and looked like how the presidents would walk on stage. Aden (The actor) is really good at playing these types of characters and I feel like the role fit perfectly for him. We also got to film in the auditorium because of him.

As you can see, Aden isn't really reading of the script well and that is because of our constraint time with getting into the auditorium and getting him to read the script a few times. It would have been better if he were more prepared but it was also my fault for not reminding him about reading the script over a few times. It's a fine mistake.

After these initial filming, I felt really dissatisfied with my work and went back to the cutting board to do some more work on the angles I wanted within the story boarding. I talked with Romina as well to make sure we were on the right page and we both went through the videos accordingly and discussed. For her it was more on the side of the lightening and how my shadow would appear. She said she could edit it out but I felt we could do with better angles to more appropriately paint the light of a power figure that the monarch is supposed to be. Besides that, the angles need to be more focused and less wishy washy. I think we are just going to do max 3 angles for the monarch in order for it to be more focused on his speech. The more the angles, the more things are taken away from the scene itself. Anyways, that seems like all the time I got. We are going to work on improving the story board and recording again. Until next time!

Script Done!

 Good afternoon Blog, 

The script is FINISHED. I am happy to announce that the script has been done. It isn't a long script because of the lack of dialogue throughout most of the film. Though that isn't inherintly a bad thing. I want to convey scenes through just mise-en-scene and acting which can either work in my favor or backfire hard. I am aware of the risk and don't mind taking it. Regardless, take a look at it! 

Amazing huh? Well it still has things that can make it more fleshed out but the script is def done for the most part. Celtix, while initially complicated with button layout, made the creating process much easier. Even with the stupid free version, it still seemed really good. I think the opening dialogue is going to have to stick and the scenes leading up with the opening of the film. I asked out my friends smiles to play the monarch because of how he is always wearing suits. I feel like that is literally the perfect part about it. It's also fun to work with other people and work to create a good script. I didn't realize how much fun i'd be having while discussing with Romina about all the different ways we can take the script and how to properly convey the scenes we wanted to show. Another great thing with collaborating is actually getting a name for the main character! Finally Ciel has a name. I think it's a great name for the premise of the film and it's french influence. I think it ties itself pretty well where if people really look into the naming conventions of the characters and people, they can figure out the story pretty easily. But, that's about all the time we have today. Until next time~!

CCR

 Good afternoon Blog,

Today I was just informed of what the CCR project is for the Film Opening Project. Basically, the CCR stands for creative critical reflection. This reflection will be done in different creative ways in order to fully illustrate how far we've come along with our projects and how well we can respond to the prompts. During the time we took to fully check the CCR Mrs.Stoklosa told us a few things.

The first being that the CCR was worth 20% of our grade. This is quite a big portion for something like this so it already got our heads turning on what exactly we should be doing. The CCR is important to the overall grade and we should keep this in mind the entire time.

Next we were told that there were 4 main questions to answer. Those four questions determined what exactly we would be responding with for our projects. The questions would be split up into two separate videos that would go over two of the two questions listed. Our teacher also gave us a multitude of options to do this in. The different forms of media gave us a lot of freedom into what exactly we wanted to do. The questions given to us were as follows:
How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?
How does your product engage with audiences, and how would it be distributed as a real media text?
How did your production skills develop through this project?
How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware, and online - in this project?

For the first question I was thinking about the genre itself and how it represented certain groups of people. We were doing a military fantasy idea for our short film so maybe that represented an aduiance that were familiar or liked military related media but also people who prefer different takes on it or the different more fantastical ideas of it.

The second question had me thinking about who our specific targets were. It was fine to pander to the people who like those genres but genres are broad and it would be better to allocate the marketing of something to specific group. We haven't specifically found this group out yet so it is still something to think about.

Third question was easier. I have done a bunch of different things during the project. Some of them have made me improve and some of them have made me regress. I believe it's not good to stay stagnant for too long so being able to explain those different changes throughout the project shouldn't be too tough. Especially with the previous blog posts.

The last question is the easiest but I still shouldn't underestimate this. Software discussion isn't too hard because I just have to mention blogger, the places I took the music from and maybe my reasoning for using these specific things. It shouldn't be that hard.

Now as for the time frame of this event, i'll probably make and edit them all accordingly the start of next week and into spring break. I am moving with my family and won't be able to do much during break. We will see. Until next time!