MY CCR!

The time has finally come...I present you with my CCR!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IYBsIQ0fjSSL_oByR-5P2Ca4XTwVNvSf

Enjoy☺

MY FILM OPENING!

     I am proud to say that I have completed my film opening, here is what you have been waiting for!

I present to you my production, The Checklist.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Vh2KCNSN2b-CQstkss-z-ByzjHYJwBmL

Check this out!

     I used the app PicsArt and VSCO to edit and create the title covers of my film opening. The first picture I used a picture I took from one of the video clips from my opening that I liked.This is something I wanted to do because I felt it is an important element to the process. Although I am an amatuer film maker and this most likely won't be used for streaming services. When I distribute my film at film festivals and on YouTube these can be used as a thumbnail. These are the final two pictures I chose that represented the film well and would attract the target audience.

      In the first picture I felt like she looked confident and powerful as a woman and the close up presented the main character well. I layered another picture and lowered the opacity so that the viewers can see the list, and it signifies that it is an important part of the film. The color of the picture is enhanced to attract the audience and display that it is not a sad film.  The main character is focused in the picture, justas she is the main focus of the film. The title is underneath and doesn't take away from the image.

     In the second picture I also blurred the background, but I kept the subject and "find true love" from the list in focus. This makes it stand out and show the viewers that it is important to the overall film. I included hearts around the border to represent the genre better and the color is enhanced to display the positive tone the movie is going to have. Overall, this picture shows the main character and main part of the movie, her completing things on the list of things to do before she graduates.  

      

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UPDATE
I have come up with a small schedule for my CCR to manage my time effectively. I have decided that I will be filming my CCR on Monday and if I need more time I can film on Tuesday as well. This will give me time to edit and have it done before April 17th. I have completed the script and I have timed it and it is roughly 7 minutes worth of audio. My plan is to implement a lot of graphs, logos, behind the scenes, and other visual elements to my video to make it more interesting.

Here is my script:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BbklvrZpeQNGmP3NjnhylRkknUyJidv7hfCSEl7epK4/edit?usp=sharing

Reflection of the project creation

Planning
During the planning process I learned a lot about genre conventions, target audience, representation, and how media is distributed. I discovered what it is like to be a content creator and I found out about local film festivals in the area. With the coronavirus taking away my initial plans of my setting and cast, I was able to create a plan B and create my film opening. I developed many skills one of which was time management. During the planning process I created schedules and I had to organize myself to make the production process carry out smoothly.

Cast
Being in quarantine I was not able to film with either Julia or Briana from my original cast. Therefore, the lead role had to change, so my step sister Valari Cronin decided to take the part. She is 14 years old but looks older for her age so she fit the role fine and I was able to make it work.

Costume design
My friend Paulina Lopez is the one person I know that loves fashion. At her school she participates in coordinating the annual fashion show, so when I asked for her guidance she was very helpful. I decided to paint a butterfly on the back of a jacket to have a signature look for my main character. Although I did create this piece she inspired me to do so. The other elements of her costume were small accessories that helped add to Skylar's outgoing and sweet personality.

Finding a setting and creating props
Originally I planned to film in Briana Farnsworth's room, she was my first pick for the original lead role. I was planning to bring props such as the record player, art set up, guitar, and whiteboard, however that had to change. The setting switched to my room because of not being allowed out during this pandemic. I implemented all of the props in my room and added a colorful tapestry to my bed, and flowers by the window to add more vibrant colors to the set and build up her personality.

Filming
Filming was a two day process. I decided that this would be a better way for me to organize my time and not overwhelm my sister with having to re shoot most of the footage. A new day gave myself time to plan and gave my sister a break. I filmed the first half of the opening on one day and the other half the next day. I ran in to a few problems with lighting and it was hard to film shots with a mirror without being in the frame. I also desired to use some filming equipment to help with my shots but I was limited because of a lack of resources.

Editing
I spent days editing to finally get it good enough for my liking. I began with using the app VideoShop
to see a quick rough draft example of what my opening was going to look like. I then used WeVideo as my main platform for the final product. I had to learn how to include text so I watched tutorial videos. I had a lot of raw footage to work with so the selection process for what clip to use took a while. I also discovered a new font that I preferred better, I used transitions and included the credits in a unique way. On WeVideo I was able to edit both of my videos with no complications, overall it was an organized and stress free process.

Sound
I wanted to start the opening with diegetic sound so I included a bird chipping track and some other natural sound elements to make the scene more realistic. I balanced the sound effects and original sound of the videos to make the scene sound better. I used Audiolibrary and YouTube copyright free music to add to the opening. I wanted music instead of dialogue or just regular sound because I thought it would make the scene more cheerful and add a positive mood to the overall production.
Although the sound can get repetitive, I believe it does it's job in making the video flow smoothly and it matches the tone of the film. For my CCR I used a small microphone to record the voiceover element of the video.

Technology
I used my iPhone 8 plus to film this production and I edited on my MacBook Air. I used various websites in the research and planning process, I also used my instructor's website for guidance and examples of past projects to help me. I used the app Pinterest for costume design inspiration, I used VideoShop for my rough draft of the opening, and I used WeVideo to edit my final production. I created title covers for my film on PicsArt as an additional unique element of the production process.

Feedback from my classmate

     On Monday I had a video call with my classmate Briana Farnsworth. On this call we were able to share our ideas and discuss details about our project and the production process. Originally she was supposed to be the main role of my film opening. We agreed that we were going to work together to help each other with this project, however, with the circumstances we were unable to help physically.
     As a compromise we stayed in touch and communicated with each other virtually. This was a way we used media and technology to help with our projects. On our call we both showed our finished edited film opening. I gave her advice to change the font and how she showed the credits to be more presentable and look more like an actual movie opening. She helped me find the right place to implement my credits as well. She said that she liked the sound I chose and agreed with me that the Finally by Loxbeats was the best choice. We discussed what our plans are for the CCR and she said she was going to make a script, in which I am planning to as well.
    She told me that some of the transitions between the shots could have been smoother but at that point the only thing I could do would be trimming or adding a transition so I was able to fix it. I left my title at the end and she agreed with that looking better as well. She almost forgot to add a title so that was a good thing to remind her about.
     We talked about how being in quarantine affected our project and how we managed to still work on it and get it done. I made her feel better about her project and we both felt more motivated to complete the entire project.

How the editing process has been going

 Quick update on how the final video is looking and what's my next step. 

     I have been editing on my laptop on WeVideo and I decided to use the audio Finally by Loxbeats from Audio Library. I used a free sound clip of  birds chirping to the beginning along with diegetic sound. I have been putting the text for the credits along with the title and I decided to use the font Amatic SC. I almost have have the final film opening complete and I will be beginning to plan for my CCR.  I want to develop a script for my CCR and begin that this week starting Monday. I want to come up with a creative way to shoot the video and at the same time have enough time to edit. I also want to keep my CCR video around 8-10 minutes, or shorter if I can cover all the information within that time.
     I have answered all of the questions for the CCR in previous blogposts to save me the trouble of having to do it all in one sitting. I want to manage my time as best as I can in order to make sure I have time to edit the video. One of my goals is to give myself more time to plan so that it can be way easier and more efficient way to produce my video. Here is the font I decided to use, I think it has a fun look to it without looking to formal and it brings out the adventurous teenager vibe that the movie focuses on.

Amatic SC font 

Integrating technology

  Technology helped me film and edit my production, and without technology the outcome of my project would be so different. The camera I used to film was my iPhone 8 plus. I was able to use technology as to film and without having my phone as a source I wouldn't have the footage for my opening. I used the platform WeVideo to film and I used the app VideoShop to create a rough draft on my phone of what it would look like. In the beginning of my opening I focused on diegetic sounds and I used a sound clip clip of birds to make the scene have a more realistic and to avoid going straight into the music. With this I used the microphone on headphones to enhance the sound. I used the volume adjustment to edit and balance the sound in the video. I was able to use my instructor's website www.tstok.net to help me use resources of previous projects as examples and to help me make my production better.
     Using technology was a way for me to me solve the problem of having long shots that are boring. I was able to edit my clips to make the video flow more smooth and it made the overall video more appealing to watch and less messy. I was able to use websites and sources to conduct research to help me film better and understand what to expect from the process. I used Pinterest for inspiration for costume design. Audio Library and YouTube copyright free music was an online media platform that provided the sound for my opening and helped me integrate music into my piece. Some obstacles I had with technology was finding music that matched the mood of the film.  I had to learn how to edit with text on WeVideo to do the credits for the film, with this I was able to include the opening credits which is important. I used www.tstok.net to get some inspiration for film ideas and how to execute my opening from the projects from previous years. I am using the platform WeVideo to edit.

My project was filmed on my iPhone 8 plus

                                                 

VideoShop

My instructor's website resources

WeVideo (my main editing platform)

How did my production skills developed?

     This process truly did not go as I planed it to go and it was far more different than I expected. This is something that all directors, cinematographers, and anyone involved in the film process may have to face. During the production process there tends to be obstacles and bumps in the road that have to be taken care of and solved. Truthfully, at times I felt doubtful that this project was going to go well or even come close to being completed. I lost my motivation and thought everything was ruined. The coronavirus took away my plans of executing this piece the way I wanted it to, but I knew I had to learn how to adapt to the unanticipated situation.
     When it comes to creating an original piece of media I never expected it to be easy, and because this is something new to me, I didn't expect to be perfect either. When I first learned about this project I knew that I would need to develop skills to help me execute the film opening properly. I didn't want something I could control to stop me from doing the best that I could. From week 1 to now I feel that I have learned so many skills that has helped me continue.
     One thing I had to learn was to manage my time better and stay organized. I'm not the worst at time management, but during this process I knew it was really important for me to plan accordingly in order to be able to finish on time. When I started I really wanted to figure out how to produce a simple opening that didn't bore the audience. I had no idea how I can make it interesting and I thought maybe dialogue would help add texture to the film. Now I have learned that diegetic and non-diegetic sound elements are far more important than I thought, and dialogue isn't the only solution. I decided that a way for me to make my piece realistic and interesting is through mis-en-scene elements and costume design. Although the setting changed, I was able to create props and use colors to show personality in order to express the main character based on how her room looked and her style.
     From when I first began this process I didn't think outside the box, I didn't think about what different elements of composition and camera angles would help make the piece flow smoothly. I was so focused on the idea rather than how to execute the idea like a filmmaker would. I didn't have nearly as much resources or help behind the camera as I thought I would but I had to be more independent and self reliant. This skill was something that helped me in everyday life. When challenges come my way I know that I can handle them and still make things work out even if it wasn't what I planned. As far as casting goes, my sister played the main role and I had to guide her and make sure the acting was as realistic as possible. I had to motivate her to stay patient with me when we had to reshoot the scene until we got a good enough clip. During the research, planning, and execution of the film opening process I learned a lot of skills that helped me make this a success.