CCR Link

Here i the CCR both parts:

Part 1- https://youtu.be/g0beFO_xDsw

Part 2- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwD2gPKfP6Q

Film link

 I finally finished my film and here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqzIwlLsYnk

Film reflection

     I finally finished the editing for the film and the Creative Critical Reflection! It took a little while to do it and I also kind of procrastinated a lot on finishing it but Im glad I did it. Over the 9 weeks I had to work on this project, I believe I became more experienced in the preparation process, as well as in the editing and filming process.

    I dont think I could have been as organized if I didn't use the blog posts. They really helped keep me in check and keep everything planned out as I progressed throughout the project. From the first weeks of researching genres, creating a plot, finding a location, to the end of the project of filming, editing, and creating the CCR, I gained a lot more experience in the process of making a short film.

    At first I was nervous in filming all the scenes because I had to record at sunset time to get the best lighting for my film, so there was limited time for each film day. I expected to film the whole thing in maybe 2-3 days, but actually filmed it in about 5. It was more work than I expected when I was actually doing it. And for the editing, I did have to research different techniques to add on to the film such as downloading specific fonts for my horror genre for the title and credits at the beginning. I feel relieved that I'm now done with this project and happy that I took part in making a film opening.

Planning for the Creative Critical Reflection

 A few days ago I was planning for my CCR, which was the last part of the portfolio project. I decided the best route of planning what I was going to do was to create a very simple script of everything I'm going to say. I will also include in parenthesis what pictures I will insert in the actual video because it is important not to keep a video of just me talking the whole time.

Script: 

Hello! You just saw a quick clip of part of my film opening called "Pursuit", and I'm going to be talking about and discussing my planning progress throughout the entire film opening by answering a couple questions. So lets start right away with the first question:

1. How does my product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

So I'm going to split this up into two parts by first talking about how my product uses conventions, specifically, with talking about the genre of the film. The genre I used in the opening was horror, and now when you use horror as the genre of a film, it has the same approach and goal like every other film, which is to engage the audience and interest them. However, the main thing that makes horror stand out from other genres is that this genre tries to create a unique feeling compared to other films, like boosting adrenaline or creating an uncomfortable tone for the viewers. And this is overall made by using techniques like lighting and specific sounds.

Now for the second part of this question, my film does not specifically dive into or focus on any specific social groups or issues. However, it does dwell into teenagers and some struggles they could possibly have in their childhood, like doing things that cause them to be in bad situations or interacting with strangers. So for example, in my film opening the protagonist, which is of course a teenager, could have been doing something like exploring a restricted area or interacting with a mysterious person, causing them to end up in the bad situation he's in.

The next question we have is:

2. How does my product engage with audiences and how could it be distributed as a real media text?

So back to what I mentioned before with the genre and the feeling I tried to create, there are certain aspects that are used to help engage the audience. One of them can be lighting. By using a low key lighting technique or having a dark environment, you can kind of get that spooky or uncomfortable feel for the audience. In my opening, it started of bright at sunset and made the gradual change to being darker as the scene started getting more intense. Another important technique is the sounds and shots used. For example, towards the end of the opening where there is a POV shot of the protagonist hiding and looking around, this helps immerse and engage the audience into the film. The panting sound from the main character suggests that he is scared and that something could happen at that moment, which will make the audence want to pay more attention and keep watching.

Now I am not working with any big film organization or anything like that, so obviously I won't be able to distribute my film in a theater. One of the best ways to help promote and distribute content so that people can find it is through social media, like YouTube. Everyone has heard of YouTube and uses it to watch videos everyday. By posting this on YouTube and other social media platforms, people who are interested in the horror movie genre will be able to find my film and it can grow in popularity.

Next we have the question: 

3. How did my production skills develop throughout this project?

Now, A great way that I planned and and kept everything organized was through blogging everything I did. By doing this, I could look at what my ideas were in the past and if I wanted to change something. From looking at what I researched, to creating a script, and to even finding a location for filming, the blog was a great way to track everything I did.

And although I do have experience in filming things from past projects like my sound film or one word film, this was the first project working by myself. I got to have a lot of freedom on this project, and everything was my own idea. I was lucky to have my dad help film and give me some tips on something I could do better, and although he did not understand what idea I had for some certain shots, he later saw when I was editing what my vision for a specific shot was for and why.

I think this project overall helped improve my planning process for big projects like this and gave me more experience in filming and editing.

Finally, we have our last question, which is:

4. How did I integrate technologies in the project?

So first off, the film equipment I used was basic, however was super important in the film making. For example I used a tripod to help stand up my phone when recording scenes to keep a still and stable shot. The tripod had good features such as adjusting the height, being able to tilt, rotate, and pan when recording. I was able to use all of these techniques in my film to make it better.

I also used a lot of important software in this project. One of the things I used was the blog posts, which I mentioned earlier, and how they helped keep me organized and helped me plan everything out. Of course, I used an editing software to edit and combine all of the scenes together, and I used Adobe Premier Pro, which I already had previous experience with, so it was not an issue. One final important thing I used was a sound effect database to add every background sound. I used a website called ZapSplat to find sounds like the wind, crickets, footsteps, the trees blowing in the wind, and more.

At the beginning of this project, I was a little nervous on all the work I had to do, but I knew it was going to be a fun new experience. I got to improve my planning skills through blogging, I got to use my own ideas and creativity, and more. I also got to learn more about new filming techniques used in my specific genre of horror. Something I think I could do better is to not wait so long to record, so I could have more time after to fix anything, go back and rerecord, and more. Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy my film!

Self Made prop during filming

I forgot to mention this earlier when I was filming but I wanted to talk about the prop I used for my final scene in the film opening where the masked figure had to supposedly drag a bag with a body in it. The difficult part about this was how to make the bag appear like there was the shape of a body in it. After researching different ways to make this happen, I came accross a video with a very good idea that I ended up using.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urw8tapvrfI

This video cuts up a couple of big black garbage bags in half and spreads them out. They then proceed to get many used containers to make up the body and later use other bags and tap to cover everything up. 

I did the same thing by finding used containers in my recycling bin, however something I did that the video didn't do was use cardboard and towels. I think this was a really cool idea that I ended up using. The only thing I had to make sure was that the cardboard wouldn't leave any sharp corners that stand out of the bag to not make it look like a person.

Sound effects for my film

 As I have started editing, i need to use sound effects in my film. I have found sound effects for  panting, the wind, crickets at night time, and more using the website zapsplat.

These are some examples of what I was trying to find on the website. Since not all of the footsteps or environmental sounds are not recorded at the scene, foley sounds or sound effects are made or added later in editing to make it sound better, which is what I will be doing for my project. I ended up using sounds that include crickets at nighttime, wind, footsteps, and trees blowing in the wind as well.

Started editing !

    Yesterday I finally started editing for my film after recording. I started by airdropping all the videos from my phone to my mac and put all of the videos into one folder. After I imported the folder into Adobe premier pro, I started to look at all of the scenes and order them out in the same order I went in the storyboard and the shots list.

    I noticed that since I recorded my scenes during sunset, I started to notice a lighting difference between some scenes. So I might have to go back and re-record a scene to match the other scenes. Another thing I have to do later is find a lot of sound effects to add into my scenes such as the footsteps, crickets, and wind.