Halfway done with the CCR

     Hello everyone! As this is the last week of my project, I am working on finishing my creative critical reflection. For the first part of the reflection, I decided to create a presentation with a voiceover answering the first two questions.

    After I finished designing and creating the presentation, I created a script for my voiceover recording. writing this script, made it much easier for me to get the voiceover done and inserted into my presentation quickly. 

Working on the script

The first slide of the presentation

    The final part of my CCR is to answer the last two questions. I have come with an idea that I will film a "get ready with me" video where I am doing my makeup, or hair, and getting ready for the day while answering the questions about my project. I think this will be a creative and entertaining way to respond to the questions, but also keep my audience engaged. 

I will create a script for this as well and then began to film it  Stay tuned for the final product! Bye.

Starting the CCR

     Hey everyone! It is officially week eight of this project. The last week! I can not believe this project is quickly coming to an end. I am starting to create the last part of the project, which is the creative critical reflection. In the reflection, like I previously blogged about, I have to address four specific questions. I will answer the first two questions in a Powerpoint presentation with a voiceover. I will answer the last two questions in a Get Ready with me video, where I am doing my makeup and getting ready for the day while discussing the project. 

     I began working on the presentation first. I wanted my presentation to look clean and easy to read, so I stuck to the same theme throughout with the same font colors and text size. The presentation did not take too long to create and was actually fun to do. In the presentation, I will give a quick summary of my film opening, representation of social groups/issues, and genre conventions. I also will discuss my target audience and distribution practices for my film opening.

Working on my presentation

Next, I will write a script and add it a voiceover to the presentation explaining each slide. Once I do that, I will be done with the first part of my CCR! Bye for now!

Learning How to Add in Text

      Hey blog! This is my last post for this week! My film opening is almost done. As you saw in my previous post, I finished clipping the scenes and adding the music to the background of the opening. The final step was adding the title and credits. Although I knew how to add text to my opening, I was unsure of how to add a specific font. I searched a tutorial video on YouTube how to add it. I came across a very helpful video and was able to teach myself how to incorporate this font. 

The tutorial video that I used

    I found this website called DaFont.com and found a font called Ethonocentric. I liked it a lot and it gave me a sci-fi vibe. I wanted the text to go with the entire theme of the film opening. I added the title of the film and credits with the font and decided how long each text would stay on the screen. The project is pretty much finished, I just need add some final touches!

DaFont.com website

Bye everyone!

Editing Time

 Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog. I am officially done with filming! It is time to start the post production process. 

    I added all of my clips to the app iMovie on my laptop and edited the clips on this software. All the clips combined were over four minutes and thirty seconds, which was a problem, since my film opening could only be a maximum of two minutes long. 

      I went through each clip individually and took out whatever parts were not necessary or didn’t add to the story. I also took out some clips when the actor was not ready to begin or when they were looking directly at the camera when they should've!

After going through all of the clips, I was able to cut it down to two minutes and thirty seconds.  I knew that I still had to take some scenes out. I was able to delete some full scenes that I thought did not have any relevance. 

When my opening finally came down to two minutes and two seconds, I was good to go. I came to a decision and chose a sound from YouTube, that I blogged about previously. I was able to convert the audio from YouTube to a MP3 on an online website converter. The score is three minutes long and is able to run the whole film opening. 

     The next step to finishing my opening is to find fonts for my credit and title scenes. I’ll update everyone when I do! Bye!

Filming Sophia

      Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog! Today I filmed with my actress Hailey who plays the character Sophia Davis. The filming went very well and I was able to film her in less than an hour and a half. My actress was very cooperative and easy to work with. We filmed at night, just like I did with my other actresses. 

Filming with Hailey (Sophia Davis)

     The production process is officially done! I am going to start the editing process very soon. When I begin to combine all my content together, I will be conscious to make sure the opening is at least two minutes. If it is under two minutes, I may need to shoot some more content. If it is over way over two minutes long, I may need to cut out or shorten some of the scenes. I will update you if there is any obstacles when I begin the editing process. I think this film opening is going to turn out great! 

    Thank you for reading. See you in my next post!

More Filming!!

     Hello everyone! I am nearing the end of week six of my project. It has been a long process, but I am almost to the finish line. Today, I filmed the scenes with my actor Gary, and made him appear as a large mysterious man that knocked on all three of the girls' doors. This man is the one who delivered the boxes to them. To appear ominous and unknown, I had my actor dress in a black sweatshirt, wear a black beanie, and wear dark colored gloves. His face was never fully shown in the shots to also create an eerie feeling.

Filming with Gary (Mysterious Man)

     The filming process went very smoothly and did not take more than an hour to do. My actor was very easy going and willing to do whatever it took for a perfect shot. The only thing I have left to film is my actress Hailey as her character Sophia Davis. She is third and final teenage girl that receives the box in my film opening. I will start filming her this next coming week and then it will be time to edit everything together! 

       Stay tuned! Can't wait to see how my film opening turns out. Bye for now! 

Searching for the Right Score

      Hey blog! My project is moving along fast and I am preparing to take the next steps necessary. Even though I am not done with the actual production process, I am thinking in advance and researching some scores I can use in my opening. My film opening has no dialogue, so the story heavily relies on the background music.

     To start off, I researched some copyright free music on YouTube. I had to make sure all the scores I checked out were at least two minutes long. I searched royalty-free sci-fi music and discovered a playlist with twenty different sounds. 

I thoroughly went through the playlist and saved my favorite sounds to my "liked videos" folder. Later on, I will choose from those favorites and narrow it down to one. 

Additionally, I found a website called bensound.com that provides free music that is also copyright free. I was able to filter my search for a score to film suspenseful tracks. This made it much easier to navigate the website and find the scores I want. I went through the tracks and favorited the ones I may be able to use in my opening.

I have found some great music that I can possibly use in my film opening and I will update you when I pick the one. Bye for now!

Sources: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiCXjQJDR-A&list=LL&index=2

https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music?filters[]=Film&filters[]=Suspenseful&category=Mood&type=free&sort=relevance

Representing Teenage Girls

     Hello everyone! It is officially week six! Only a few more weeks until the project is over- it is crazy how fast this project is going. In my blog today I want to write about the representation of teenagers in my film opening.

     In my film opening, I focus on three teenage girls all eighteen years old. Teenagers are typically represented in films as lazy, dumb, reckless, or getting into trouble. They are known to make stupid decisions because they are young. My film opening is trying to break away from this stereotype and portray wise and knowledgeable teenagers making an important decision whether to open their box or not. 

The movie Clueless (1995) represents three teenage girls as shallow and only focusing on their popularity.

Similarly, Heathers (1989) portrays the teenage girl characters as cliquey and self absorbed.

    The teenagers in my film, have to throughly think through different scenarios to decide what would be the best choice for them. They have to ask themselves if they want to know how long their string is or remain ignorant? They have to weigh the pros and cons of opening their box and seeing what lies inside. They must understand how to live with the repercussions of whatever they may find.

     My characters will be represented in a positive light unlike most films with teenage girls. They will be intelligent as opposed to being portrayed as ditzy or an airhead. They will also be confident and independent. This life changing box will greatly affect the girls and they will have to choose carefully. 

Finally Filming!!

      Hey everyone! I finally started the production process! This weekend, two of my actresses were available to start filming. Summer, who plays Amelia and Jenna, who plays Olivia were ready to film their scenes. My other actress Hailey, who plays Sophia ,will start filming in the next coming week or so. 

    The filming process with these two actresses went smoothly. On Friday night, I headed to Summer's house to begin filming her scenes. We were very efficient and able to film all her parts in a little over an hour. My actress was very cooperative and ready to do whatever I needed to be done. I filmed most of the scenes either using a tripod or held the camera myself.

Filming with Amelia (Summer)

     On Saturday night, I headed over to Jenna's house and began shooting her parts of the film opening. Just like Summer, we were able to film her scenes in a little over an hour. With both actresses it was a very fun and creative process. I felt like I really had control and my vision was coming to life.  Additionally, I filmed most of the scenes either using a tripod or held the camera myself.

Filming with Olivia (Jenna)

     When I went over to both of the actresses locations, I was able to go into both of their personal closets and pick out the specific costumes/clothes for them to wear when shooting. For Amelia's character, I knew I wanted her to wear earthy colors and have a boho aesthetic. For Olivia's character, I wanted her to wear neutral colors and have a comfortable and warm aesthetic. 

     Filming these scenes were super cool to do and I can't wait to shoot more! See you next week! Bye.

Costuming Options

Hey everyone! As I am starting my production process this week, I have been thinking about some costume ideas for my characters. Each of my actresses will have their own unique style which is directly related to both where they live and and their personality. I researched some popular clothing stores where teenage girls shop and scoured Pinterest for ideas.  I then chose some outfits for my actresses.

Sophia's Outfit

The character Sophia will wear something very similar to this outfit because since she lives in Miami and the weather is warm. Her everyday attire is usually shorts, a tank top, and sneakers. She has black curled hair.

Olivia's Outfit

I would style Olivia in something like this matching sweatshirt and sweatpants outfit because she lives in Detroit, where it is very cold. She would wear an outfit that will keep her warm but is also comfortable. She has blonde hair and always wears it in a ponytail.

Amelia's Outfit

I would style Amelia in an outfit very similar to this one. She would wear sandals, big baggy pants, plain colored t-shirts, a big tote bag, and lots of jewelry. She has honey blonde hair and always wears it in pigtails.

That's it for this posting! See you in my next one!

https://www.pinterest.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Outfits-Pullover-Sweatshirt-Sweatpants-Loungewear/dp/B0B8WCM11T/ref=asc_df_B0B8WCM11T/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598283018311&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12607088906106007916&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011989&hvtargid=pla-1841432451053&psc=1

Starting the Production Process

      Hey everyone! It is officially week five and I am preparing to start filming my opening. I have three female main characters in my opening, so I have selected three of my friends as my actresses. My friend Hailey will play the character Sophia Davis, Jenna will play the character Olivia Wilson, and Summer will play the character Amelia Taylor. 

     I created a text group chat with my three actresses and sent them a message about when I want to film with them to make sure they are available. I am waiting for them to reply and confirm. Once they answer, I will be able to gather all of the necessary materials and actually start filming. 

    Some of the items that I need to film with are: the props I bought and blogged about previously, a tripod, and my iPhone. These minimal materials will make it easy for me to transport them to different locations. After five weeks of brainstorming, sketching, blogging, and more, I am super excited to start the production process of my film opening. 

    I will keep updating my blog on my production process and hoping it goes well! See you in my next post, goodbye!

Learning about the CCR

      Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog. In class today, my teacher, Mrs. Stoklosa, reviewed how to create a successful creative critical reflection. She went over all of the four questions that need to be answered in the reflection and how to address all of them individually. These questions are: 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 throughout this project? How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

     She emphasized that the reflection should not be started until all of my film opening is complete. The purpose of this reflection is to reflect on my production, respond to the prompted questions and express my personality throughout. I learned for this reflection I need to create two separate media projects to respond to the questions. I also learned that my projects have to be innovative and engaging.

      My teacher provided specific details and talking points I need to include. She also provided some tips and techniques to refer to when creating my reflection. I have already thought of some ideas that I want to include. One idea I had is to create a "get ready with me video". This video will show me getting ready for the day while discussing my project. Additionally, I will make sure to review the examples provided. 

My written notes are attached below if you want to check them out! See you next week! Bye.

The Target Audience

Hi everyone! It has been a few days after meeting with my other classmates and I realized I forgot to include my target audience for my film. Since my film focuses on three teenage girls, my target audience is young females. I predict my film will attract young girls aged 15-25 from the United States possibly from the same states from which the characters hail. 

Even though my film will most likely attract a primarily young female audience, it should not only be marketed to this segment of the population. This film can be watched by parents with their younger children and even males in the same age group of 15-25.  It is important that the viewer be mature and old enough to understand the concept of the movie. 

The movie will be promoted mostly through digital media. This is because where the film will find its target audience. Promotion for the movie would be through digital media because the majority of digital app platform audiences are Millennial (27- 42 years old) or Gen Z (11-26 years old) users. In fact, Instagram is Gen Z's favorite social platform. I will be using social media, mostly Instagram and Youtube to tease my film and gain a wider audience.