The End of Filming, and The Beginning of Editing

   Moving on from filming, the editing process is going to be that much more tedious and exhausting. At least with the editing process, I won't physically have to deal and interact with others. I was planning on taking the brunt of editing all on my own, but as seen, plans change. Luckily Michell is returning to the fray. She has offered her services through the assistance in editing, Being away now she can edit without needing anything. But as always, there's a caveat. It isn't a major problem, but boy is it a headache to deal with.

    The issue is sharing and receiving or importing and exporting the footage across platforms, at a distance. The distance is the key component here. Usually when filming one would use an SD card to store the footage. But while using a cell phone, that's not necessary. Using a phone you can share footage easily via text, and the files are too big, on Apple devices, one could airdrop files. Airdrop through work via Bluetooth. And that means I cannot utile this feater in the case. Michell is too far, therefore I must find a new way to give her access to the footage. I tried using email too, but Gmail too has a limit on the size of the file that can be sent. It does however have google drive, I thought, where you can upload and extract files from a bank/sever. The process is usually straightforward, on the computer, but for some reason more complex on the app. Its taken some time, but most if not all the footage is uploaded.

Parting ways with Justin

 

   After everything was said and done. I decided against using a third. With the scenes filmed with Maddison and Hezrona, I already had everything. There was no more reason to put participants at risk from leaving their homes to assist in this project.And despite how much I wish to say that this was all my decision, it wasn't. I would have loved to reshoot and gather extra footage while editing. Justin however was key in allowing that to happen. He, unfortunately, was unavailable. He canceled last minute due to work.

    Its possible that this is decison is overall for the better anyway.While it would neat to have the element of a changing figure, it isnt praticale. That and I feel that my abilty in film is up to the task. During this process, I think I dratic over estimated not only myself and my abilities, but my partipants and failed to consider crutul real world logistics. I wasnt the best director and that led to the fustration of my team. And with lower moral came lower and lower video quality. In all, everything is set to begin editing. All shots have been taken, and every scene filmed.

Filming Inside With Hezrona

   

 Wrapping up with filming with Maddison, we filmed all but on scene. The scene in question was the shower scene. It again didn't go as planned. I first attempted to film in the bathroom closest to our starting bedroom. The problem was that the silhouette did not shine through to get the effect I wanted. Despite shining a flashlight through the curtain from the other side, we could get a clear image of our mysterious figure. We then decided to move to the second bathroom. The second instead of curtains had glass so we saw both participants. This gave the added problem that my sister was of course not going to be naked on camera. We were able to grab the illusion of such in some shots, but not others.

 

    With Hezrona, we simply completed the missing scene. We were on a time constraint, and wish I could have made duplicate scenes with her. She was closer to my sister's skin tone and It would have been easier to maneuver in certain shots. I wouldn't have to worry about her appendages showing. In all, a pretty successful take. The shots were really easy to shoot for these scenes. There was the slight problem of the matching clothes again. Hezrona didn't have a matching sweater or similar pants. We ended up making do and swapping tops when my sister entered the shower. 

Filming in Walmart

    

Not only was filming outside difficult, but filming in a store, during a worldwide pandemic was that much harder. One would think that the circumstances would limit the people we ran into. That unfortunate was not the case. Not only was filming outside filled will uncontrollable factors but it felt that Walmart had that and more in store for us. It felt that no matter where I turned there was someone there. And it wasn't even always like this. I only included Walmart in my plans because when I typically visit, it's relatively empty, and the spaces I had intended to film weren't frequently toured.

    It was extremely frustrating running into all those people. I of course didn't want anyone else in the shots, but I was also trying to maintain my six feet. It was nearly impossible though. It seemed that as one person cleared out, another would come to replace them. I must have backed into three or four people who would just appear behind me as I was looking through the camera. The comings and goings of people wasn't even the worse part. Of course, people came to shop at the store, that much was excusable. But I noticed, even single time the camera started to roll, someone just had to pause in order to take in the none existent scenery. Or group up and chat about something. And worstly pause to take a phone call in the middle of the aisle. What impeded me the most was when I decided to wait until someone made their way past, rather than moving to another location, and they in kind slowed themselves walking down the aisle. Iv never felt more impatient in my life. I wasn't even waiting on anything worthwhile.

Filming Outdoors

     Filming outdoors was difficult.  A lot of scenes had to be reshot because of unconsolable noises. Too many cars would drive by at one. Or someone would pass by on their phone. And while background noise isn't unwelcomed, the volume of said noise is. I would prefer them to be distanced and blended in to create scenery. Rather drown out the focus of my film.

     We filmed at and on the way to a nearby park. Not many people we out that day. There was a man and his two kids playing on the swing set and monkey bars. And a woman on the opposite end with a baby, next to two teens on the basketball court. We kept our distance from them and filmed. They provided some nice background noise too. It wasn't too noisy and it was much better than having an empty park to work with. It was getting to the park that was the issue. When filming the running scenes, I don't believe anyone would believe the number of cars that passed by. And it wasn't only normal cars either. A garage truck impeded filming for quite a while with its obnoxious beeping. And it was followed by a foliage collection truck, it was quicker overall in passing, but decided to stop in the middle of the road we were filming on. Being subjected to all that was exhausting. Not only that, we ran into the issue of my sister being unable to run long distances due to an ankle injury she received from soccer. She informed me of these moments before filming the necessary scenes, we managed to wrap her ankle with a brace and shorten run time at the expense of actual sweat for realism. 

Filming Indoors With Madison

     Our indoor scenes were by far the easiest to shoot. The elements we filmed in was perfect, and for the most part, was exactly how I envisioned it. It was seamless up to a point. For some scenes though, I didn't account for the front-facing participants. In my head, I thought I could just black out their face or something. Thought that I could angle the hoodie down so that the face wouldn't show. That wasn't feasible at all. It didn't come close. Because an added issue we ran into was that Madison and my sister not only differed in height but differed greatly in skin tone. And no matter how much we angled the hoodie, her face showed.

    That limited me to only behind the shoulder shots. Not much room for variety if I'm being honest. That aside. My team was beyond frustrating, My confidence is not the highest as when I initially went into this project. Going back to what I first thought, I think I failed to reach my intended purpose. I wanted to tackle current events, and I pushed that aside for a new point of an interesting and engaging film. It has now taken my strife to push me to look back a the fact that I was skewed from the conception of what I wanted this film to be. Nevertheless, I'll keep pushing on and make the most of what I have. Not only for the grade of course but for the pride that comes with this being my project. No one else name goes on this but my so ownership of this lies with me, for better or worse and I will see it to the end. I will be the sore captain that goes with the wreck of the ship, and proudly so.

Filming Update

     I can proudly say that I managed to get a grip on the situation that is filming. After the disaster that was Michell leaving for the break, I came to the conclusion that I could no longer rely on her. And that I must essentially fill the parts where she was needed. That left me in quite a rough spot if I'm being honest. And at the risk of adding too many delay blogs, I'll illustrate the painstaking workaround I came up with. 

    As it stands now, we have three filming days. Resulting from hours and hours of phone calls and text messages. The three days will serve as dailies and reshoots for all intents and purposes. It came out this way because of the varying personal schedules of the two additions I made to my team. Justin is a part-time worker and can only film on Friday, which is day two. I enlisted the help of both my partner and my sisters, mine babysits and won't be available until next week Tuesday, and my sister's partner luckily is available tomorrow, which is Wednesday, and marks day three and day two respectably. And it that seems confusing, it is. While filming is now wrangled, this scheduling creates its own unique issue. Now if I were to want to mix and match footage, I couldn't. Each participant of course has a different height. My sister is the only constant and is the focus of the film, my partner is shorter than her, hers taller, and Justin is assumed taller but we have no way of determining that until filming day since they have never been in the same room with one another. It isn't a big issue. It might even add an unexpected element to the film that this mysterious s figure changes shape and size throughout until its revel. Though said and done, with filming on different days, we run into the fact that the scenes outdoors will be completely unsalvageable, being that weather and light are unpredictable and uncontrollable. I'd have to pick the best singular figure for those scenes. 

Filming Hiccups

     Plans were made to rewrite it seems. I'm not sure who said it, but I'm sure it's a quote. If it's not, it should be because it hasn't seemed more true than right now. My plan included starting filming on the first few days of our winter break. But it would seem that I didn't learn from my Thanksgiving mishap. I waited too long to get started. I enjoyed my break too much and neglected to begin the work I had delegated to myself. At no one's fault but my own, I now have to rearrange a few things.  And it's not just because I waited, I still have time, so to speak. The problem is, that by waiting, I have now lost a key component of my plan. 

    My plan consisted of four people. These people are: myself, of course, my sister, my classmate outside of this particular class, and a mutual friend who doesn't attend this school.  What has now happened is that  Michell, my classmate is leaving to visit family for the winter break. This is bad on many levels, the first being that she will no longer be able to assist me in filming, and I have lost access to the high-quality camera she posses on her phone. Then on top of not being here, though he is a mutual friend, Justin will be less inclined to lend his assistance without Michell accompanying him. But even if she were to come back in time to lend me her camera, assist in filming, and convenience Justin to participate, her travels jeopardize safety so I couldn't have her there. It wouldn't be fair to the other participants in this time of unease. Covid still runs rampant and I would hope she wouldn't travel, not only for this project, but for her safety, but there's nothing I can do.  I'll just have to find a replacement for them both. Hopefully in time to begin editing on schedule.

Disruptions in Filming

    Maybe it was a tad overzealous of me to assume Id get to film at the first chance I got. And giving myself a week, was a little too ambitious. Didn't take into account that at least two of those days would be spent relaxing and enjoying the break, two more for other projects I had on hand, the day of thanks of course, then the day of cleaning from the day of thanks. Leaving one sole day, which wasn't enough. Instead of filming I just ran through the general plan of the film. Ironed out some details like transitions and so on. My main issue is the the issue continuity. Right now I want the character to be wearing the same clothes when the wake, so they can go to sleep in the them to create the loop, in the picture taken on the news, and when the viewer see her get murdered. Everything is fine up until the last point. I have two actors playing the same person, therefore I must find a way for them to look indistinguishable until the reveal. I hold that either I can do a quick warobe change and swap outfits, with a convenient enough angle, or that my actors have similar enough clothing. But that saying I hope the differences in my actors don't show too heavily on camera. 

   With that all said and done, I planed for Christmas break as well. And to my surprise, it's a two-week break rather than just one week, so that's great. However I was informed that one of my participants might me leaving the state in order to visit family for the holidays. While this isn't as much of an issue, It puts some dents in the plan. The person in question was meant to hold the camera while I direct. That being so I wouldn't have to do everything. Also It would allow me to shoot more effetcily, by positioning the camera woman and actors. Ill mostlikly move the dates up for my orinbigal plan by a few days and start filming on a weekend. Its not as concrete of a plan, but I still want to get started in Demcember, which is approaching stortly.

Websites' Alive and Well

     As of today, the website is fully functional. And just like the social media accounts, It wasn't very hard. My peers and I, by the suggestion of our instructors, used the website, Wix.com. The instructions thereon were pretty straight forward. I choose a general category; film, and some general templates that I liked, and Wix put together a website that I liked enough to start to edit. And not to sound like a sponsored ad, but I found it extremely easy. It didn't take much time, especially since there were other things I had to attend to. The website itself is live and can be found under "https://daziechain.wixsite.com/daziechain".

Which brings me to the decision of the working title. Not that it needed much thought or a deeper meaning, but I did so. It's like a little cherry on top for now. And in terms of branding and them, I like them a lot. I thought of Dazie for the name of my character, as in the name Dasiy, mixed with hazy, to represent the misty and foggy feel that I want the film to have. The chain came in because I want the film to have a looped effect, that the start and end are connected, and can repeat after the film has ended off-screen. And though the name is subject to change the elements I was want to embellish won't. The name will still most like retain apart of its origin if it changes at all.

Socials Went Live

     As of now, all social media accounts for the film have been activated. That includes Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and my personal favorite Twitter. Making the accounts wasn't very hard. It was fairly easy actually. As a member of Gen Z, I'm already well versed in technology. And I had already made personal accounts for each website/app so I was that much more familiar. Not to say making a social account would have been hard otherwise though. The way I did it, was that I simply connected everything, like a tree with branches. In hindsight, I could have gone a step further and made an official email for the film but I decided to use my professional student one. Going from there I opened accounts with the email and there all linked.

    As for branding, and marketing, I'm currently at a loss. Naturally, I don't have anything to post as of yet. I plan on filling the feed with behind the scenes, maybe actor P.O.Vs, and bloopers from filming. But I still have to think about the feel for the movie. I want to base my social media presence off of the show Riverdale, and how each member of the cast had turns posting their own takes on what was happening episode to episode. You got the learn more about the characters they played along with the actual personalities of the actors and I liked that. The only downside is, it might be too lighthearted of a branding idea for a thriller film. Or, maybe the juxtaposition would help hypothetical fans warm up to the film and look forward to it more.

Storyboard Blog

   Below is my storyboard. I didn't do much of it and tried to do my best illustrating my vision of how I wanted the film to play out. I plan on filming from my home so It wasn't very hard to map out where I wanted things to happen. And apart from the scene at the store, I will have full control of the elements to change to fit my vision. Filming at the store is still an uncertain factor in my vision because of this. I don't doubt that I'll be given permission to shoot there, but I worry that because of the public nature of the store the quality of my shots will diminish.

    With the storyboard itself, I can see almost even scene I mapped out perfecting, I like the pacing and to me, everything is smooth until the end. I feel that the drama leading up to the conclusion is adamant, but how I end it could use work. I was thinking of possibly a few more seconds between frames to illustrate the reveal of the figure after the murder. That really comes down to filming and editing though. I'm going to have the camera running for at least a few seconds between each take for more natural transitions. I feel like I also have a lot of varying angles but not many transitions. For pacing sake, I used fades and mostly jump cuts. With one or two action matches, I could also add some dissolves. It's mainly because I want the figure to move quickly. With inhuman, and freakish speed. And I want the feel to be that you could miss something with the blink of an eye. I also want to limit the need for transitions. The way I broke up the film, I can shoot most scenes in one shot, with some need a shot-reverse-shot and that's it, and then a transition in between. I'd love to have each scene have a trucking shot to make it easier but depending on the feasibility of having everything, multiple stitched shots will have to work too. 

Planning Blog

     Beginning with the film's schedule, I plan on utilizing my holiday breaks to the fullest. Since my personal schedule is fairly busy, I plan on using weekends and the upcoming holidays, the days in which school isn't as much of a hassle. And since I will be working with other people weekends and holidays make it more likely everyone will have the means of transportation and free time as well. I plan to film consecutively at my house and the surrounding area, if not in one-day, filming would be back to back; assuming weather and availability are stable factors. Preferably on any given Saturday and Sunday. After filming I'll be on my own for the most part. Creativity and editing and directing will be my main focus, while I enlist the help of my classmate Michell for film, and my sister and neighbor Jahmeila and Justin respectably for acting. And of course, due to coronavirus, everyone will be wearing masks ensuring everyone's safety; if they don't have any, disposable masks have been procured in advance to distribute. 

    The current ideal is to start filming around the 24th, with the 25th, and 26th being the holiday safety net. If need be, the 21st and the 22nd are available. The overall goal is to finish, before the 31st of this month, with any and reshoots, or retakes being done in December. Editing shouldn't take long, for what I envision the bulk of the work in is filming and the transitioning. After all the footage is compiled all that would be left is stitching it together. With maybe one or two sound effects that we'll record like heavy breathing and such I don't see myself having much to do.

    With the basis of the film overall, the only prop I see us needing is a fake knife and some concoction for fake blood. If they can't be bought for whatever, either because of expenses or unavailability, I consider myself pretty crafty so I'll make them. As for customs, I have a good idea of what I want my actors to wear, it'll be regular clothes like running shoes and a hoodie, nothing too hard to muster up out of the closet.

Short Film vs. Feature Length Film

    I simply adored the short film. I was short and to the point, as intended. As though I had a question, they were answered in a manner where I didn't feel cheapened out of my curiosity. Though my thoughts were right the answer so to peak was just accepted. It was a nicely wrapped storyline. And it could be understood without any further explanation. 

    The feature film takes all of this and multiplies it. The story, seemly a prequel, to the short film, elaborates on the story and gives the audience new charters and more backstory. This said it retains its charms with questions. Giving the audience something to wonder about as the story progresses. A trait I want to achieve in my own film making process. I liked how with more time, the film was able to achieve more cinmetic diptions. Like the end, where the audeince got saw the spirtis rise up rather simply walking to their graves and ending it there. The feature film was also able to give more than one story line, it wasn't as clear cut as the short film. There was multiple antagonist and multiple lovable charters. It also gave the audience a hint of romance. It was kinda weird after the reveal that they were all created from the soul of the same man, but it was sweet. The length of the film just allowed for more complex lines of thought. And they had voices! The audience didn't have to interperate anything. The characters told us what they thoaght, and I liked that.

Research 9, The Feature Film

     To think I was interested before. The film was so good. I was hooked off the bat. The opening narration, just, captivating once again. I already had so many questions. In a good way too. Like what caused the end of humanity. What gave this man the idea to create these dolls. How was this possible. Quite a beginning in only the first five minutes. And how do we reach the start the way it did. Clearly, so much time has passed to put us into the era we see.

    Not only was number 9 just the center of the show; the protagonist if you will. I felt drawn to him in the film because he sought to question and challenge common ideas I admired and resonated with that. Everything was so climatic. The sound was so engaging, every moment was expressive and dramatic, and it made watching the movie very enjoyable. So many obstacles for the characters to overcome, and for not one moment did I feel that the characters were flat and static. Each of them had so much complexity, even the antagonist after the audience learns of the history of the word. And though the colors were bleak, the word had so much vividness. I just felt emersed in the word I watched.

Research 9, The Short

    "9" the short film, was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can even see why it would get picked up to be made into a feature film and all. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I was taken by surprise in all honestly, to say the least. The ragdoll premises was captivating. And though the film didn't have any dialogue the story was extremely digestible. There was a moment though where I gave the film a little more credit than it was due. I mistakenly thought that number 5 had turned into the antagonist. But before  I could even explore that thought really, the film ended.

    Speaking of, the antagonist was, very cool. He, it, whatever the case was a come combination of all the things I love. A cold, bounty hunting, mercenary type. Nothing gets better than that. I found the mechanics of how it hunted interesting too. How exactly were the two pieces of the tracker connected? As the audience, we could discern that one half sensed when the other was near but was the other was drawn to the missing piece? Or was it drawn to the ragdolls them selfs? If not, why not toss the piece you had and relocate? And for the film as a whole, why only have numbers 5 and 9 as the subjects? I'd like to know what happened to 8, 7, and 6. I am not questioning numbers above that because it'd be understandable that they would have to die early one. I know they died in the content of the film but  I wonder why the director chose to have that dynamic between those two numbers. Especially when 8, 7, and 9 are closer in relatability than 5. It worked out in the end, so it's all good.

The Result Of Research; My genre Choice

     I have decided to go with the genre of a Thiller. And if we're being nitpicky, a horror-thriller since they are so closely related. Almost one in the same. And indistinguishable to most people if you were to ask them. Not sure of making it a compound genre makes it its own thing or not. If it's it though my choice is clear. Simply put it, if you boil down the two it came down to whether I wanted to be flashy or subtle with how I wanted the audience to feel. In all, I wanted to be lowkey. I want my pacing to be slow and purposeful and I want my audience to feel that my subject could be them on any given day. While it's cool to imagine my subject being chased by some phantom menace, I want to add some elements of truth. At least till the big reveal. All ill say now is that while researching, I went over some fan-favorite films, and one, in particular, stood on. It wasn't so much of a film, but an animated short featured on an epitopic program called Love, Death & Robots. 

    The episode in reference is called "The witness" and I wanted to replicate the twist at the end. I found the ending so cool. Basically, the subject bears witness to their own death and at the end of the episode, it is revealed to be a time loop. I was thinking of doing that but having the murder at the end be acted out by the same subject we followed. The present subject is killed and we begin to follow the new subject, as the same "strange things" happen again creating the loop. I'm thinking of dressing to acters the same way in order to accomplish this, a reenact events of the film from a different perspective to demonstrate the loop. That's the plan anyway.

Genre Research: Horror, Thrills, Action

Below is a PowerPoint that describes the research on each of the three outlines I described. Since each had elements I wanted to implement in one way or another, this research was primarily for deciding which would be the center focus of my pitch.

Genres I'm Thinking Of

    At the moment, my vision can go one of three ways. I really want to have an element of suspense and get my audience to feel what is happening on screen. The genres I'm thinking of are Horror, Action, and Thriller. I think looking into each of these genres will let me get a better feel of where I want to take my short film. And I feel like each of these genres has pieces and elements I want respectfully. Between elements of suspense, fright, and prolonged tension, I want to engage the audience through perspective.

All three genres in one way or another hinge on shifting points of view to allude and engage the audience to create and effect. 

   With my pitch, I see a young girl being spooked, haunted and chased even. And when it comes to the point of view, whos to saw we cant look of from the perspective of who is chasing our subject. I want my audience to feel the heart racing events I put my subject though, and face questions that the subject too must answer to make sense of the events in the film. I want to have mystery, an overarching linger, and hint to something greater that connects together at the end. And wraps around to the beginning of the story. That's why I think these three genres will most likely fit my vision. In each, there's of level of storytelling to explain, why, and how things are happening. Like how a doll got possessed in the Conjuring, why the young man hand to escape in Get Out, and so on. My focus is mainly on the conclusion and the most effective way of achieving it. Achieving a satisfying end that folds into itself. Personally, I take joy in theorizing at the end of the film, so I'd like to create a film where that is possible as well. Enough answers to resolve the main plot points but not enough to kill off the intrigue of the world of the subject. Tricky but doable I hope.

Research.”

My Pitch

 A young girl is followed through the night as strang and unexplated things happen, is it just her imagination or sothing else.

Me, Myself, and I

     I have decided ill be flying solo this year. With all my many ideas for what I want to film this year, I think the best way to illustrate my personality is to work alone. Well, at least on paper anyway. I plan on getting help here and there with filming because I can't be behind the camera and on camera. Or...maybe I could, like a first-person film, or a handheld scenario like the Blair Witch series. Its a thought but I'm not sure if that bodes well with the criteria for the class. Whatever the class, I plan on enlisting my sister again to help me out and my friend who previously took the class in AS a few years ago.  Even though we're in quarantine, or maybe because of the special circumstances, I feel like working alone could be the most solid choice. It safe and ensures that every facet is within my hands. It unfortunate though because it also means all the responsibilities rest on my shoulders and my shoulders alone as well. It's going to be hard again this year finding compatible softwar. And even harder because rather than four heads working on a solution its only going to be me. It should be fine since we have a jump start in figuring everything out compared to last year, but I'm not looking forward to the hiccups. It was relatively okay last year, since I got to lean on my teammates with shared responsibility, and mutually assured destruction if we didn't work. But not it's all on me. Kinda terrifying. And I still need a camera. I could use my phone again, but Id rather not. I used it film and edit last year and feel like it could have made better qualities work. This year I'm going to try and find a way to edit on my laptop for a wider range.

Returning to AICE Media

    What summer is has been. Not much has changed since my last blog but it's fair to say there have been improvements. Quarantine is still as much of an issue as it's always been and students are still out of school. Though the school is closed the learning hasn't stopped. To the dismay of many, online learning is in full swing. It has its up and down, but for the most part, it works. We can't meet in person,  so instead, through Microsoft and other software, we simply meet virtually. It's a testament honestly to how far technology has come. Connecting us all from so many places. How well it will work in favor filming is yet to be determined but I'm excited to figure that out. 

     Just the overview of what this year has in store fills me with glee. I have so many ideas for what I want to film this year and how I get to show my personality through the lens of a camera. Whether I want to tell an uplifting and humbling story or a gritty and deranged one. I really want whatever I land on this year to have real meaning, like how I did last year, tackling homosexuality and domestic dysfunction. In this day and age, being so close to election day for my area, it is also very realistic that I can do something to reflect the current political tension. In all, I'm glad to be back behind the camera and I'm ready to get the ball rolling. My main concerns lie in who exactly ill be working with. I'm going to have to use everything possible so I hope I pair up with some skilled students. If not, I might have to go this year solo. Now that's something to look out for; complete and utter artist license. Sounds nice.

Audience and Institution Practice Essay.

                  Access the importance of marketing in the media area you have studied. [50]

                 Marketing is arguably the most important step in media making. With the ability to take place, pre, post, and during production, marketing is vital in generating the appeal of any film. Without any appeal in a film, the film would not bring nearly as much money as it would otherwise.

                Marketing can come in may forms, and many films take the liberty of utilizing them all. Films like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, especially being a sequel, had a major audience and already had a significant appeal already, but it was furthered with use of cross media convenience and merchandising. Partnering with Dairy Queen to create new flavors based on the movie kept audiences engaged in wait for the movie’s appearance in theaters and apparel like graphic-tees allowed fans to show their pride in movies and keep the hype for the film alive during production. Marketing is extremely important for films like Guardians of the Galaxy because of the length in which they take to make. Marketing ensures that conversations are being held in anticipation, ensuring that there will be an audience to view the movie when it is released.

                In new releases however, marketing can be used to draw in an audience that never existed before. With films like Blank Panther, an arguably racially charged film, using Michael B. Jordon and Kendrick Lamar to advertise, drew in a massive audience. With his performance at the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Kendrick Lamar showcased the music being featured in film. The trailer for the film also aired during the NBA finals, advertising to many viewers at once. Marketing for this film really aimed to advertise to a devise population, holding fashion events to promote the film. Marketing in this case was important because it represented much more than isolated film, but instead an entire culture.

                The same thing can be said for Brands with tatted reputations. Marketing for anticipated movies like the Spiderman Homecoming set up fans for a new era of a beloved family movie. Marketing for this film targeted all ages, including toys for children and a soundtrack and a promotion on Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal box. With the Spiderman brand leaving off on a sour note to many in prior years with earlier trilogies featuring Toby Maguire, marketing for Homecoming was vital for resparking the love in the Spiderman brand and the fanbase within . Introducing a new Spiderman, Tom Holland, also put the film on the radar and gave audiences hope.

                Keeping the trend of family movies, marketing is also a way to entertain the audience of fan favorites like Beauty and the Beast. With its initial trailer of a simple falling rose petal, the Beauty and the Beasty movie sparked intrigue across the board. For live-action remakes, the most important thing for the movie was interest, achieved but the films marketing.

                 Marketing is by far the most important part in the process of media making because It decides weather the media in question will be successful. In terms of films, without marketing, the audience just isn’t there. Marketing engages the audience and ensures that there are people to see the film, it is also a way for producer to gage their audience while stile in production by the response to merchandise and other aspects.

Creative Critical Reflection

    This is my completed CCR video that I made for my final task. I'll admit, it's not the best. I tried my best and made do filming and editing. In terms of the creative aspect, I thought it would be fun to use some masks laying around, dress up and have my sister interview me. We set the try-pod and took turns in the hot seat. One of the masks unfortunately halfway into filming so we thought that we could film three individual characters. The diction isn't as clear but between myself in the mask and out, are meant to represent two different subjects.

 

 

 

A Short Recap of Our Commercial

Due to the coronavirus, my teachers have instructed my class to blog about the past  in order to show our progress throughout. Unfortunately, my group neglected our commercial and it has been lost. It's not lost entirely but out of reach. We are out of school and our instructors are the only ones with a saved copy, ith is on a hard drive located on campus. lf I had to rank our commercial it would be in the middle because it was the most interactive yet the most basic in terms of ideas. We chose Dunkin' (Donuts) the coffee brand, we dressed in running gear and a barista outfit and used the slogan "American runs on Dunkin'" to advise Dunkin's drink and a bow of a dozen donuts. We ran into a slight mishap with sound when filming and recorded a voice-over to replace the inaudible dialogue. It wasn't perfect but it was the best we could have done, being out time to reshoot. It was overall very fun to film, since, thanks to Emily's mom, we got to have actual donuts on set and happily ate them while editing.

The Complete Music Video

    Due to the coronavirus, the upcoming exams were canceled worldwide and we have been instructed to upload our work to showcase our progress through the year. We were told to blog about the things we have done so far in AICE Media, so I proudly present our music video. I was absent from the filming of our music video but made up for it by being on the editing team. It's fair to say that I directed the direction of how the film looked after the initial storyboarded; curtsey to Emily. The music video was the first time I thought of using black and white, especially because I saw the potential for a vintage finish, having already placed the film in the 1900s and used an old Jazz song. The message was also pretty big and I feel extremely proud as a high school student to have taken such big liberty and shoulder an entire through this project. With the time period, we placed the video, came a lot of prejudice about homosexuality and we just wanted to bring light to that and change the narrative of a typical love story.

Reediting and the Final product

    In terms of the reshoot and re-edit, my group members Emily and Andrea have tried their very best, using their phones to edit and film what we needed. The editing was mostly just incorporating the footage we were able to film in these hard times. With the COVID-19 virus and the lack of human interaction through social distancing, we had to call and text to effectively make a group decision.

    The film is a lot chopper than expected but because of the fact we only had iMovies at our disposal, editing became a lot harder. Being out of school made piecing together our footage that much harder but we tried our absolute best to create something that represented all we have been taught this year.

Crisis Update

     So far,  my group and I haven't done much in the past few days.  As far as we know, school for my entire district has been canceled and has recently extended until the start if May. The coronavirus has basically stopped productivity in its tracks and, many of my peers believe this may be an indefinite situation. We have started online school, but as far as the movie and post-production are concerned, we still lack the resources we have grown accustomed to. We planned to carry on with reshooting and editing but forced separation has made things more difficult. In terms of filming the CCR, we had planned to film together and take turns on camera but now we have to film separately and compile our footage together. Lacking cameras, we'll have to film and edit on our phones. I plan on involving my sister and having her ask me questions like an interview. Quarantine has really uprooted life as we know it. As it now, people are so hysterical and have got to extremes out of fear.  Some are afraid to leave their homes while others leave in reckless abandon. Shopping centers have either closed completely or have very limited hours; with some even setting regulations on the number of people allowed in stores per square foot. The beach has been closed, grocery stores are going empty, and every "non-essential business has basically been laid off. I recently went to Walmart and found that the entire section of toilet paper was gone. In lack of a better term, the coronavirus has practically sparked a miniature apocalypse. 

Music Blog

    My group has put me in charge of finding the music we will use in the final film. It was difficult finding a free outlet for royalty-free music. I primarily used Google in my search. In my search, I got a lot of paid subscriptions to websites with royalty-free music but did not find anything free until I found  Mixkit.co. When I found this website I was stunned, to say the least after spending at least thirty minutes looking. I tried youtube but was unsuccessful in my endeavors. Youtube was unable to provide trustworthy songs, and I was fearful of the idea of a creator retaining heir claim to it The website has over one thousand stock music tracks in all different genres. The music was completely free to download and easily covered into an mp3 file. After some browsing, I found one particular track that suited the film nicely.
    We are still doing everything we can despite the lack of resources. With the music, we will be moving on with the editing. We are mainly going to have to use Imovie, seeing that school has now been closed for three added weeks. We are going to have to scrap the idea of transferring the film between softwares. Its quite the struggle but editing will have to commence in this time to meet deadlines. At this time not much can be done. The school is on lockdown and we aren't left with much choice and Pinnacle Studios is no longer available. 

Refliming: Having To Posone

    Due to the recent epidemic, the Corona Virus, my group and I are for the foreseeable future will be unable to reconvene for any filming. We are unable to go to school so the use of Pinacqale Studios will also be temporarily halted. For the time being, we will separately be viewing the plans we made for editing. We still have to adjust the titles, lighting, and stuff, but won't be able to until we get back to school. We are currently under a state of energy and are entering into spring break. We're looking at, at least, two weeks out of school, and until all is clear, my group and I will not be meeting up in person any time soon.

    Personally, along with reviewing the plans for editing, I have also given more thought to where exactly we would find our music. We were given the option of asking permission for the rights for music, but I think it will be easier to use royalty-free music. I'm not exactly sure how easy it will be to find fitting song whist at the same time finding a free outlet to download a said song, but I will try, until all film is ready, all we can do is a plan and prepare for our editing.

Editing: Planning out the Audio

  Because we were previously planned on making our own music, my group and I did not plan on a method of finding any. Now that we are moving onto refilming, we thought it best to search for without music, Collectively we're looking at classical music as a primary option. It is by far the most effective for delivering our story. For the audio, in general, I will be trying to cover areas like the shattering of the plates and picture frame, arguing scene, and the clattering of the silverware at the dinner. I have work on transitions too since they were not smooth. We have a lot of work to be done. Andrea and I will be working together for the most part so I won't have the entire workload on myself. Andrea will be focusing on tiles and overall areas while I look at the more specific details. My main focus is still finding music, however. As of this moment, our discussions focus on the style of the film, mainly titles, and sounds. Since some of the work has already been edited was the current title style needs to change. On pinnacle studious, we shouldn't have any issues. We may mimic the style we had in our commercial with a two-toned font with fancy lettering. We also might be editing on Imovie. Since its split between myself and Andrea, it's the most effective way to edit at home and at school. We, unfortunately, we don't have access to pinnacle studios at home. We hope that this will quicken the process of cutting and piecing together. 

Ediing: Peer Edit Draft

For the peer review, my and I group started editing the movie. We essentially made to have a rough draft of how the final product will look. I didn't do it physically but rather directed my fellow classmate. Andrea took my place and begone the draft. Moving into the final project, we wanted everyone to at least have a chance at editing. Andrea never went to we thought it would be best to test her ability with the rough draft. Under the time constraint, she did pretty well but it was nowhere near as good as it should be for the final draft. She did have to take it home and edit it one another software and the overlapping of multiple programs didn't help.
  The draft came out choppy. As mentioned before we also lacked music and our overall sound needs to be tweaked. Right now, our biggest problem is time and motivation. We need to find a way to keep moving. With the reshoots, it's going o be hard to keep our motivation
in order to have maxim production.

Peer-Review: How We Were Reviewed

     For our film, I already knew most of the issues we had. It was nice though to have another set of eyes critique our work. Honestly the draft we gave wasn't the best. We could have spent more time editing. We needed up shopping together the main plot points, but a good portion of the footage was uncut.
    For our critique though, we were told that our sound and lighting were the biggest issues. I totally agree, especially since the weather while shooting wasn't the best. We were also told that though the theme was conveyed, the overall film left significant confusion. I don't necessarily agree with that. Since it is subjective I don't mind, but I hope that we can make it more clear when reediting. While editing we really need to work on our titles. Due to the lighting, the titles blend into the scene and don't stand out. We also need to look for new music. The draft we had did not have any due to some last minute changes from our composer, Emily.

Peer-Review: How We Reviewed

    When peer-reviewing we reviewed a lovely film by one of our fellow classmates. The film was about a son and his missing father. Personally, I loved it. The editing was great and though the opening was a bit clique, I thought the overall production was fantastic. The person we reviewed hit most of the marks. The only complaint I had was that the audio throughout the film was not that great. In terms of dialogue that is. The sounds made the film was good, a bit loud at some intervals but overall good. It was just the one shared piece of dialogue between the two subjects; the mom and the young man, that was hard to hear. That said, even though there was little dialogue the plot was so clear.
    The music was a nice touch as well, The music was both calm and exciting, a really good pick in my option. It matched the tone of the film and emphasized what we watched on the scene. The shooting of the movie was also very dynamic, There were no repetitive shoots and the whole thing was editing smoothly as well, The transitions were suitable and pleasant one the eye. The angles chosen were also pleasant; allowing us to see the subject, t hi entirely, at all times. The lighting was also very consistent. The use of natural lighting really tied everything together in terms of theme. It was a good example of what my group and I should have done by the end.

Filming The Car Scenes

    By far the easiest part of filming had to be the car scenes. It was both short and effortless. We shot the cars along with the general outside scenes so we were rushed while filming inside the care as well. We didn't do many takes for the car scenes. I believe we only took about five total, with only two of them being goofs. The main purpose of these little scenes of us in the car is to show the everyday, private lives of the couple Victoria and I play.

    If I had to choose, I say that between the car scenes and the outdoor scenes, the car scenes were the most awkward and I think Victoria would agree. We just sat in silence. Of course, it was for a point, but it was weird. That and the characters only share a few lines of dialogue in the entire opening. Apart from the yelling, the film only consists of small conversations between the main subjects.
   I look forward to reshooting. The car scene especially. The lighting wasn't terrible but it could have been better. In hindsight, we should have asked to move the car before filming inside. On one hand, it works, empathizing the distaste for one another between the charters. On the other, I can totally see the argument of poor lighting. That said it's not like the car was unable to move since we moved explicitly to shoot it moving.

Filming The Outside Scenes

    Moving outside overall, was pretty simple. The scenes were very short, so it didn't take much time. The workload in my option lowered as we moved further into filming. The awkward factor, however, rose exponentially. Since the scenes were in essence, traditional scenes, the camera was in a constant state of off and on. We only needed a few seconds worth of footage so we didn't need the camera to be rolling for an extended period of time. That being said, when moving to film the outside the camera began to lose its charge, forcing us to make haste. We had to retake a lot of scenes because of this. Due to how short what we needed was, it was extremely easy for me and Victoria to mess up as well, further derailing the process. With Andrea and Emily directing though, it was easy at times to follow the plans that we had made.
    The most pleasing and equally displeasing part about filming outside was arguably the weather. It wasn't too impeding but it did halt our filming a bit. The weather likes to shift very in the location we chose to film, giving us fluctuating lighting and a bit a drizzling. Lighting wasn't as much of an issue since we were able to wrap up quickly, The rain, however, was overcome by pushing through normally. Since it wasn't heavy we were still able to film. It shouldn't show, or at the very least shouldn't be extremely noticeable in the footage since the camera was kept dry.
    Apart from the difficulties, the weather also gave us the pleasant gift of a double rainbow. We would have filmed it if we were shooting any other movie but it, unfortunately, didn't fit the theme we were aiming for. Nonetheless, we accomplished our goal, in spite of the hiccups.

Filming The Inside Scenes

    Staring with the indoor scenes my group and I filmed all the domestics together. We started by taking the wedding photo, printing it and framing it for the opening scene. This involved me and Victoria preparing for the said photo, her more than I since she had hair and a fancy dress, We as the actors, had a tiny costume change as well, showing the passage of time with new outfits. Along with some general couple scenes, we filmed the scenes with the food. I'm personally happy with how the shots of me and Victoria came out. The setting of the table thanks to Emily really brought the whole thing together. The table scene, however, did have a problem. The table we sat at was surrounded by mirrors, a cabinet on one side and a full mirrored wall on the other. It was a fun addition to everything but it limited where we could place the camera. We managed to find a corner in between the two and Emily took over filming.

    I didn't like being filmed, it was weird. Even though I knew exactly what needed to be done, I didn't know what to do. The best way to explain it would be that I was practically a deer in headlights. I guess its something I have to get used to. On top off that, I felt that I didn't have much of a purpose. I kinda felt that I was sitting around most of the time waiting for the shots to be taken if I'm being honest. The only saving grace is that I know, the actor is one of the most important parts. I would have much rather preferred to be behind the camera. That aside the food was the most difficult aspect of the indoor scenes. We originally planned on having at least ten plates to set on the table but only came out with four. It can be counted six if the two set in front of the actors are included. It was Emily who made the food so I'm guessing there were just not enough resources to get all that we had planned.

Final Film Progress

    In terms of starting our final assignment, we have. Today we went over our schedule and decided that we would start filming this coming weekend. We haven't started yet due to the lack of organization. We used today as a way to catch up with ourselves and get everything in order. The overall aspects of where, why, and how everything was taking place was the main prerogative. Since the scenes are all in the same place, we decided it would be in our best interest to shoot it all in one day. In deciding this we scheduled three to four hours to shoot everything we need, The four hours gives us time to review and reshoot if we needed it. Today we really just made sure that every one of us was able to meet up in order to begin the filming process. We checked off the things needed too, like completing our scripts and storyboard. We also talked about the general props we would have on set since we'd be implementing cooked food into our film. We only need the camera, which I will check out the day before we begin filming.

    We also made plans to shoot the CCR. We're not super clear on in but the attempt will be made so that there will be less work to do in the future when we have to edit both that and the final film. We have the question down and the general answers to them, but timing and formating haven't been a focus. The CCR is honestly a secondary, but we scheduled it in to maximize our time together. We want to do the most when we have time in order to save time later to get the best quality work possible. Though we have to rush most things, today was to ensure we would have sufficient time to review. On top of that, we have to ensure that we have the time to edit the footage. Especially because this will be longer than both the commercial and music video

Planning Blog: Storyboarding

Planning Blog: Storyboarding

The storyboard for my film was done by me and my fellow group members. In order of each scene, the following is drawn out:

The first template shows a sketch of the film. protagonists (the married couple) in their wedding photo, before slowly zooming out to glass surrounding it as a foot steps down and shatters it, the couple will also be yelling at each other in the background as this happens although we didn't write that out explicitly. The camera will then cut to the couple arguing and yelling at each other. The next shots will be of a plate flying across the screen, followed by a bowl, and then a wine glass. Shots of each object breaking will be shown in between. The next scene is a scene of the protagonists in a fancy car. An establishing shot is used, and then a two-shot showing one character looking at the driver, then jump-cutting to the other looking outside the car window. The car then pulls up to the venue and quickly finish the drinks they were having before opening the door. One foot comes out followed by another with the camera zoomed into them, staying zoomed as the character walks down a red carpet with cameras flashing. Paparazzi will be shown accompanied by a bright camera flash that will then show the characters smiling. The second to last scene returns to the couples' home, showing food on their dining table. The female will look at the food, quickly looking away to meet eyes with the male before returning to the female as an eye-line match. As the final scene, the food will then slowly be shown, revealing that what the characters are eating is... not quite right. This will take a bit longer to make the viewer intrigued, before ending the film (or well, the final scene of its beginning). 

Planing Blog: Location, Participants, Heath, and Schedule

In this power-point, my group and I mapped out the possible locations we would film, as well as filming schedule. We also reestablished the sound the would accompany each location and discussed safety. We chose the locations listed because they are the most simple option while fulfilling the common conventions found in the Romantic genre. To ensure safety we also cover measures in case something were to happen. This power-point serves to delegate the location and responsibilities beforehand. This limits confusion later on so that everyone knows their roles, as well as allowing filming editing to go a lot smoother. By mapping out the relative time in the script, the scenes can shoot more efficiently. It is most efficient to shoot in one day, and all sense, given the time can be accomplished all at once. There is minimal movement needed

Planning Blog: Titles

In this power-point, my group and I mapped out the possible placements for our titles. This power-point covers the actual titles we plan on having, including actors, music, editing, custom design, the studio and production company, director, and our working tile. To ensure safety we also cover measures in case something were to happen. This power-point serves to delegate responsibilities beforehand. This limits confusion later on so that everyone knows their roles, as well as allowing editing to go a lot smoother. By mapping out the titles in the script, the placement of titles is a lot easier in post-production