Filming Day 2

 Filming Day 2

The second filming day was one of immense progress in the actual filming process. The filming done today was the stuff that we needed to really tie the whole opening together. During the filming day, we decided to get all the cleaning scenes that we would need to really close out the opening. we used a lot of mid and close-up shots to really show that the character was stressed and just to capture the emotion of the character in the scene. 

During the day, we took time to have time to get the scenes and then gave ourselves enough time to clean up the scenes. With us having to film in different areas of the house and not wanting to have so many open cans and broken cups and confetti. Every time we took a shot we would clean up and then take all the stuff and transfer it to another place in the house. most of the cleaning shots were us actually cleaning and us actually cleaning up Aarons house.

Class Group Meeting

 Group Meeting

Today in class we had a group meeting in the group meeting it was a process of giving and getting feedback. In my group, the main topics of conversation were aspects of post-production and talks about script writing for our CCRs. I talked with my group about how I should go about my CCRs because in past blogs I talked about how I was still a little unsure about my ideas however my group really made me think about my ideas I told them I had the idea of doing one of them as a podcast talk but with no video and they told me that videos are the more fluid way to go so I decided to scrap the podcast idea and go back to the drawing board. my other idea of it just being a PowerPoint with a voiceover was well received by the group and is something that the other members of the group are going to do as well.

In the talk which was mostly about post-production, we talked about certain editing techniques and certain camera shots and angles that we all used and the reasons to use them then one of the members asked for feedback on her project as she was editing it in class, we all gave good feedback on the project and I personally really liked the way she used certain close up shots to show the surrounding environment to the main character to show the characters personality as well as show the environment she lives in. 

CCR Update

 CCR Update

as the time to complete this project begins to run out I have begun thinking about my CCR and how I want to have it set up for it to flow as smoothly as possible and avoid the very likely obstacles that one would usually come across while beginning a filming process. I have begun to plan out things such as the script for it and the location in my house that would be most suitable for the focus to be placed on just me and nothing around me.

In my CCR I want to have it be a script read but I also want to practice the script so the speech doesn't come across as unnatural and robotic, I want the speech to be heard as conversational and not as if I'm reading off a script I'm still scouting out the filming location but I do want it to have a change of scenery as to add an aspect to the video. I'm still not fully set on that idea as the functionality of the script would then be completely useless and it would be way harder to memorize the whole CCR. 

As for the actual idea of the CCR, I am not fully set on it. I don't know if I want it to be a director's commentary if I want it to just be me speaking or if I want to make it different not sure yet but one thing is for sure I need to start coming up with good and fleshed-out answers for the questions.

- 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?

 

I have ideas in my head but I want to go deeper into those answers so I'm going to need some time to brainstorm.

Filming day

 Filming Day 1

On our first filming day, we finally met up after many pushbacks due to crazy schedules with work and trips but we were able to finally meet up and get some filming done. we changed the plot of the film opening a little just fleshing out the introduction of the characters a little more than we had planned before. Still, we really liked the way it came together in the end and we feel like it really does an excellent job of giving the characters a little bit of background info and just shows the audience who they are meeting and how they have come together.

During our filming day, we decided to really focus on the use of different camera angles to get the best outcome for the overall look of the film opening. We heavily used many close-up shots and over-the-shoulder tracking shots due to the movement involved in many of the introduction scenes. We already have many ideas in our head to really accentuate the great idea through many techniques used in post-production but that comes at a later date. 

The filming process and shot selection for day 2 has already been agreed upon and is being finalized by our group through our group chat and facetime calls this allows us to show up to our filming location on the day and have a quick and short meeting about the schedule set out for that day and have our time used wisely and not be spending crazy amounts of time on the planning process for that day.

spring break filming

 Spring Break Filming

During spring break filming was nothing like how we would've expected it to go it was way more chaotic to get together and finally get some filming done. during the break we had so many things going on like trips and work that filming became nearly impossible. for example i had work every single day of the break until closing time which happened to be very late at night but one day we overcame the late night push back and got some filming done. 

At Arron's house we got some filming done in order to get the ball rolling. The filming process was extremely productive. we decided to  up our idea a little and just get most of the shots the days that we could our film is gonna be a little different most of the party scenes are going to be cut down because we decided to expand upon the set up of the party and to give the story line a little more plot and flesh it out a little more.

We have already decided on another day that we are all free to get the rest of the scenes and really get the editing process started just to be prepared and not leave everything to the final minute. We are going to meet up and finish the filming on Monday right after school to be able to take advantage of the sunlight due to most of our scenes being shot being set during the morning or the day.

A Break

 Spring Break

Spring break is a huge relief for our group the break off most activities such as school sports and just school work, in general, is an amazing break that our group really needed with all our crazy schedules meeting up to get some filming done has been difficult and with the scenes being difficult to shoot it has become even harder with the schedules not lining up but now with the break, it is a huge chance for us to finally get some filming done after not being able to for the longest time but now with the break, it takes the time strain of our filming days off our shoulders and it creates so many more chances to get more filming done in one day and not having to split up what would be a good day of filming into three or maybe even four days of mediocre filming. 

our group decided to add to our forms of communication. we decided that it would be a great idea to add google calendar to the forms of communication this is perfect due to how we won't be getting the text messages lost in our chats about when we are going to film and what to bring to the set the day of filming. with google calendar, it becomes so much easier to locate that information and get accurate updates on certain information for example, if on a certain date let's say march 20th the group needs Javi or Juan to bring a certain object or have certain clothes on we would place that information on our google calendar and then it would be easy and accessible for javi or juan to find the information 

My Role in the group

My Role

 In the group, we have decided to give each other individual roles to split responsibility and have checks and balances for each other. My role in the group is the designated Filmer. While I might appear in some scenes and have some screen time most of the shots of the other characters such as shots of Aaron and Juancho who are going to be our main characters in the story are going to be filmed by me.

The split responsibility is something that the group decided on to have a system where we all have each other's backs and can hold ourselves responsible for our designated tasks. This has been really helpful lately due to sometimes us not being on our game and having other things for school and extracurriculars it is completely understandable but this system helps keep us in check because if one of us fails to do our part we all fail so it is a 100 or nothing process.

As the Filmer/ actor of the group, I have a big role to play in the creation of our project. As an actor, I can bring my own taste and creative input to the shots that I am in and this leads to our project having personality and being dynamic. Also, as the designated Filmer of the group, I can have a more technical role to play which can also affect the opening tremendously. With the knowledge, I've acquired in this class about lighting, camera angles, different types of shots, the many layers of mise-en-scene, and the ability to change a piece with the sound due to the many projects that we have completed leading up to this one I am and a lot to a scene playing with those aspects of our film.

Filming spots

 Filming Spots

This weekend we decided to meet up and finalize the filming locations that we would use for our project. We decided previously that Arron’s house would be the place used for filming. We all went to Arron’s house in order to decide where in the house we felt were the best spots for shooting the scenes that we have in mind there.

We felt like the movie room in Arron’s house would be a great spot to have the scene where all the character relax and take in that they have just completed the difficult task of cleaning up a mess from the night before. 

We thought that this area in Arron’s house would be the best area for the common party scenes that we would be getting along with some of the clean up scenes as it is where most of the focus will be when thinking of the party scenes.

This area isn’t the most open but we feel like it could be used for a character introduction or something important to the plot so decided to include it in our blogs but things change over time if we don’t end up using it we feel like it is fine to leave in or out, not much bias for the spot.

This outdoors area along with the the common area shown further up in the blog is going to be one of the main areas that the party scenes are going to take place in as we fell it really just fits the feel and vibe that we want to have the Severn encompass. This area is going to be used crucially to build the plot.

Group call

 Group Call

This week we decided to talk about our project through our Group chat in which we talked about all the stuff we would need for our first day of filming. In the chat we sent ideas of certain things that we would like to have in the opening of our film in order to help build the plot a little.  The ideas began to get voted on in order to really close out on the ones we all want to have.

We also choose a new schedule due to some unforeseen circumstances that occurred throughout the week which led to us pushing some of the filming days back. We decided to really have a new filming schedule down in order to be able to finish with enough time to spare. This new filming schedule would be one that we would follow in order to get the project done with enough time to edit but there is always those days where as seen before unexpected circumstances happen and so we left a couple filler days in order to try and plan for those down times. 

Group meeting

 Group Meeting

In class this week we decided to sit down with our teacher and really discuss the actual filming plan for a certain scene of our scene which really helped decide a split we had in the group. For a scene in the opening, we were undecided between shooting at an actual party we would throw or if we would try and emulate the environment but have it way more controlled. 

In the end, we decided that we would imitate the environment due to the careful setup that we need for the scene and if any retakes would be needed then it would facilitate the process as well as keep the continuity of the opening by doing all of the filmings at an actual party would be almost impossible. 

During the talk with our teacher, we brought up how we would like to match colors to each one of the characters but she ended up pointing us in the right direction by telling us that while it's not a bad idea to have a color set for each character it shouldn't be determinative of how a player acts of how they dress. 

setting up filming schedule

 Filming schedule

this weekend my group and I decided it would be the perfect time in our project timeline to set up a regulated filming schedule that worked for all of us, after all with all of us being full-time students and some of us have very demanding extracurriculars this is not the easiest of tasks to set up and coordinate. We all decided that next week would work for all of us to start filming some shots for our film and get the ball rolling on the production side of the project.

With our filming schedule taking shape we decided what days of next week we would be available to shoot some footage. during our talk about our availability, we discussed how we would plan the shooting days one of the days next week would a focus only on location scouting and focusing on stuff that wouldn't be shot directly like props and stuff, and then the rest of the days would consist of around one hour to an hour thirty of getting suitable footage for our film opening. 

We as a group still need to discuss further extras for our film opening and other aspects of it such as certain plot elements and the ways that we would like them to go down as well as finalizing a list of props and take care of the musical aspect of the party scenes as well as making sure the lighting is sorted by the shooting dates. So with a lot on our plates it is time to lock in and get to work.

CCR inital Ideas

 Creative Critical Reflection Ideas

For my CCrs I had thought to maybe do an Instagram live type of video where I would be reading the questions from people in my chat but then it would've been way too difficult to try and throw on an Instagram live overlay into some high-quality footage but you never know maybe Ill try it and maybe it will work out.

Another idea that I had for the CCR would be a podcast sort of like the Joe Rogan Experience but without the actual footage because I feel like it doesn't add anything to the actual response to the questions and just does nothing but take away from the actual podcast but I will ask in class.

Lastly, the sure idea that I know that I am doing is a voice-over PowerPoint because I know how to do them and it will be quite easy for me just to be able to put a lot of effort into the podcast or Instagram live one and just have my safety in the PowerPoint with a voiceover.

Intro to CCR

 Creative Critical Reflection 

today in class we took notes on how we should do our creative critical reflection when it came down to finally doing it for our Cambridge portfolio project. The note-taking really got split up into two parts firstly it was the explanation of the topic and then it was certain tips and examples that our teacher gave us.

For the creative critical reflection to be considered adequate it has to contain these 4 questions 

- 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?

if the CCR video doesn't contain those 4 questions it would be considered incomplete and the point value given to the final grade would be significantly lower than if all questions were to be answered. general tips were given to us as a collective today in class one of the most emphasized tips given was to avoid the floating head and to incorporate movement to the camera meaning that the whole video shouldn't be your head and you talking and that in your video there should be variety on what the audience is seeing.

Another great tip given was to write a script and not just wing it since it will add needed structure to your video to make you seem way more knowledgeable on the topic than it would seem if one would wing the video. When dealing with a script though always make sure that the script isn't too far off-screen as that will make it way too obvious that you are reading off a script and will cause some points not to be given on the presentation aspect of the video. In our responses, we got taught to always incorporate our research well into the responses not be giving way too general of a response to the question and to always answer creatively as this is a creative critical reflection.