CCR

I wrote my script after editing the film opening and it's not as long as others i've seen i'm trying to make each one around 3 1/2 minutes. 

It's really just me answering the questions and I altered them when filming. For the fist two questions I decided to do a video picking questions out of a box. I took this idea from celebrity interviews. For the second one I did a get ready with me while answering questions. It’s a more modern format, but I think it’s interesting since I’m moving around rather than just talking. I'm also editing on Imovie for the CCR. As much as I love adobe my computer can't handle it so I'm letting it rest and working off my phone instead. I was going to post some snips but you’ll be seeing it soon enough so see you then. 

Final week schedule

 It's the last week and I decided to post more blogs than I was originally planning. I want to give a more in depth look into the process because I feel my past few blogs have been pretty vague. That's because I've been putting work into the project, but I feel bad neglecting this. 

Today, you'll be getting this blog post and another about my ccr process. It's been briefly mentioned, but I want you to see my thought process. Tomorrow I want to talk about the editing that went into the film opening. I didn't really blog about the process so I'll walk through everything. Friday I want to reflect on the project and what it did for me. The final posts will be the ccr and film opening. It's crazy how fast time goes and I think thats partially due to how crazy these past few months have been. I'm forever grateful because even if this is a complete fail I at least tried and I'm proud of that.  

group meeting & ccr update

 

Today was relieving but stressful. At the same time going to class to have a group meeting and hearing that no one was done with a project was very relieving to me, but also stressed me out a lot. I have a lot of other responsibilities this week and this project is obviously number one but finding the time in the energy is really stressing me out. Hearing all the feedback was helpful and I’m glad we got to talk because it was a well needed session for me to just talk with people I know who are doing the same thing as me. 

I did start my CCR today and completed a lot of the editing for the project so I answered the first two questions and have plans to film it tomorrow. In the morning I’m going to answer the second question and figure out what format I want to answer them in. I'm a little bit unsure at the moment. It’s all OK though. It’s going to work out. I know it will be fine. Thanks for listening to me through these past few weeks. There’s not many blog posts left and it’s kind of sad saying goodbye to this, but it also brings a lot of relief because as you know it’s been a ride for me so thank you. 

Editing pt.2

 I started editing today and while it is my favorite part it doesn’t mean it’s easy. I filmed on my camera so I just transferred the videos onto my phone and thank god I had enough storage. I let them upload onto my google drive and then moved them to a flashdrive because I’m not sure my computer can handle all the files and Adobe premiere. I really just put the videos in order today and tomorrow I’m going to start the real editing. I’m glad that this week isn’t a crazy one for me because I also have to do the ccr. I’m planning to be done with editing by Wednesday latest so I can use the rest of my time on the ccr. 

 

Here’s a sneak peek of the shots I kind of hated them but looking back on them now I think I was just being too harsh. I also found a track that I like, but I’m not sure if it’s the right fit. I’ll look into it a little more tonight. I also looked at some fonts on Canva.

I really like these and in the film, the title will be white, but for this purpose it is black. I wanted a kind of western font like the middle, but I wanted it to be more 3D so I'll have to play around and see if I can find something closer to what I'm imagining. It feels really good blogging when I actually have the stuff to say. See you soon!

Editing pt. 1

 Sticking with my whole complete transparency thing I didn’t edit today. I’m still really sick and it’s not going away but it’s all going to be fine. Tomorrow I have a free day so I’m going to edit. I’ll also update you on the decisions I’ve made about the music if I find the one I like. 

Here’s what tomorrow is going to look like. I’m gonna wake up and probably contemplate my life decisions, but it’s okay. I also changed computers since the last project and need to download adobe onto my new computer. I’m worried that I won't be able to handle it but let’s just say some prayers. 

When that’s happening I’ll be looking at font options and music. I have a specific vision for how the title is going to look so I need to spend some time on that. Then I have to figure out how to get the videos off my camera. I bought an sd card attachment and I’m praying it works. Once everything is done I’ll begin editing and hopefully make significant progress. I’ll update you tomorrow on how it’s going. See you then!

finally filming!

 I filmed Thursday and Friday of the past week and thank god I did because I had no clue what was coming for me. I filmed Thursday's at-home scenes and the talent show on Friday during teacher planning. My camera died filming after filming the beginning portions and I thought I was going to have to film at a later date, but thankfully I had packed the charger so I just sat around for a while. The camera quality also wasn't living up to my standards. It's a pretty old camera and working alone made it challenging because I could focus the camera. I think it might help add to the dream-like state though. If I don't like how it looks then I'll probably reshoot it Monday after school. 

Filming on Thursday was fine other than the fact that I hated all the shots I got. Eventually, I fixed it and got what I was looking for. My issue was my face most of the time. I thought I could be more dramatic, but apparently not. It's okay though I kind of got the hang of it and anyways these are the easiest shots to redo, so I'm not that worried about them. 

Friday filming was kind of awkward because I was in an empty cafeteria that echoes. My issue was everything I said could be heard through the halls so I think I'm going to have to replace most of the audio. It was also kind of scary because I was alone, but I eventually got all my shots after the little dead battery fiasco. I'm worried about the quality, but if anything I'll find a filter.

Thank god I got all of my shots because the next day I woke up feeling sick again. The cold I talked about in earlier posts hadn't fully gone away as I still had a runny nose, but I didn't think too much of it because that normally happens to me. Then I woke up Sunday morning and went to urgent care and they said they didn't know what was wrong and that if it got worse to come back. It got worse and now I'm on 5 different types of medication that all cure different things because they aren't really sure what I have. You won't be hearing from me for a while because I'm going to Nashville tomorrow and then Disney till Friday, so I'll be back on Saturday with an update. 

Thanks, bye!

I watched black swan...kinda

 With complete transparency, I’m a scaredy cat. So I tried to watch black swan, but I was home alone and with my own deteriorating mental state, I found it best that I only watch the opening. Which, funnily enough, is really similar to my idea which is why I think in the group discussion it was mentioned. My opening is obviously more light-hearted in a way. Black swan is clearly resembling impending doom and a clear issue arising. From their use of sounds to shots the message they are trying to get across is clear and I really value having an example like that. Having never seen the movie, watching the opening was really shocking because it’s so similar but I’ll just take it as a great mindset think the alike situation. I would love to finish the movie, in order to do that though I will need many people around me and a lot of melatonin so I can fall asleep without thinking about it. I’m glad I saw the small portion it was very interesting and really took you straight into the story. 

Schedule

This is the schedule that goes all the way to the end of the project. It's referring to the blogs I want to post want what I want to talk about in them. Some have a lot and some have a little, but it's a way to wrap up everything that's important in the project. Of course, everything is subject to change, but I would really like it if I'm able to stick to it. 

I've found myself having the urge to update more on here, so if there is a significant increase in blogs that is why, but I'm trying to not put too much out that will take away from the project. It feels really good to be back. 

The next two days

 It's been a rough road, but it's going to get better I know it. Today when I home from school I plan to block out exactly what I want to film on Thursday. I wasn't able to film the past two days because I was trying to get all my work done so this could be my focus. I won't be in school tomorrow so I have time to film in the morning and then in the afternoon at the school. I will also have Friday to reshoot or add shots that I missed. I also want to watch Black swan tonight so I can get inspiration from the film. It's available on Hulu which I have to do later today I'll get around to that. I also want to go shopping and get a better white dress than the one I have. The one I have has oranges on it which kind of distracts from its purpose, but if I can't find one then I'll just use it. I'm glad to get back into this and I'm really excited to film because my favorite part is editing. I'll have future blog posts on my choices. Next week they may be a little sporadic since I'll be in Nashville and then Orlando, but the days I have in between will be used for the project. I'll be back for more blogs hopefully tomorrow but if not Friday and then Sunday or Saturday to talk editing. 

Thanks for the patience it's going to get so much better I promise.

updates!

 Since I'm sick I'll be staying home tomorrow. This will allow me time to watch black swan and film some scenes. I tried to film today but slept most of the day. This also helps me because I forgot to film my camera so I would have to use my phone, but now I can use the camera. I'm almost glad this happened this way because I feel like being sick almost adds to the look. I want to film at golden hour almost but in the afternoon because there is no way I can wake up early enough to film in the morning. I moved my theater filming date to Thursday and Friday of this upcoming week. It happened for the better even though it set me back a bit. I plan to edit during the week if I have time and get most of the end done and then edit the beginning and mesh them together. I really want to use the last week of march for my ccr so getting most of the project done over break is crucial. 

Thanks for reading, see you soon!

well...

 I wasn’t able to film today. I woke up really sick and had to go take the SAT so by the end I was just exhausted. I plan to film my home scenes tomorrow afternoon. Sorry for the short blogs next week I should have more time to talk about the project in depth. 

filming tomorrow!

 Tomorrow I start filming. I’m filming at the school my mom works at after I take the SAT. It’s been a jam packed few weeks so I’m excited to actually get started on something. I wanted to film as soon as I could to be able to have some assurance. I didn’t want to film too late and get stuck with a bad video. This allows me time to reshoot if necessary. I still have some last minute things to plan but I’ll update you on them later. I have to get to a play and go to sleep early for the SAT but hopefully I can get a blog up in between.

filming soon...

 As of right now, I plan on filming this upcoming weekend. My past weeks have been very unpredictable and have caused me a lot of issues with my project, but I’m confident that I can film this weekend. If I follow this schedule I will be able to begin my editing the following week and use our time off to perfect the project and film my ccr. I want to use the last week of March to ensure my project is good and I’m all set to turn it in. I remember learning about this project at the beginning of the year and it’s crazy how fast time goes. I would never have believed we would arrive at the end so quickly. I am a relatively anxious person so I am pretty scared of how the project will actually turn out, but all I can do is try my best and hope it is received well. I don’t want to stress myself too much right now because I have a lot of homework to do but I’m excited actually to get this project in motion.

ccr thoughts

 Yesterday we learned about the creative critical reflection in class and it made me really excited. I hadn’t paid much attention other than seeing some people talk about it in past blogs. Learning about it made me realize how important it is to the project. 

    As of right now, I’m leaning toward the director's commentary and a slideshow with a voiceover. These seem like my best options because if I get tight on time they won’t require much editing. Learning about all the creative places we can take it have made me start thinking but I haven’t come up with anything good enough yet.

    I’m going to take a look at past blogs later and gather inspiration because I want to make something I'm proud of. I want the amount of effort I put into it to be noticeable. I plan on filming this upcoming week and then using spring break to do my ccr and final touches. I don’t want to rush on this project because I want it to be my best. 

Group meetings & feedback

    We had an in-class group meeting the other day and I had begun typing up a post but wasn't able to finish it because life really got in the way. I'm really glad to be here today though because I felt like real progress was made and it really did help me overall. 

    We went through each group member's projects and discussed what we thought each other could do to improve their project. The first thing my group told me to do was to watch Black Swan. I haven't gotten around to it because it's been a tough week, but I plan to watch it before I film so I can then finalize my plans. If I get the chance to watch the movie I'll post about it later on here if it helped me develop any ideas. 

    My original idea had my main character in a situation that needed a large audience, which would be complicated for me to obtain. We can up with the idea that it should be an audition, so it could only be a couple of people that I can easily source. They also suggested I add a shot from behind the judges. Almost like a double over the shoulder showing the main character in between them. I really like the idea and hope I'm able to find a way to incorporate it. 

    The rest of the ideas they presented would be complete add-ons to the production, but I really like them. The first would be to add classical music to the theatre portion that would transfer into the real world. This works well with my idea of her dream world and reality meshing. They proposed having it play on a record player which I have so that'll work well. 

    The last two suggestions would happen right after each other. The main character would scream making the screen go black which they suggested should be a fast zoom-in. I'm not sure how I feel about it but I will definitely test the shot and have it as an option. The last suggestion was to have an extreme close-up of her eyes when we enter the real world which is another shot I'm iffy on, but will of course consider it. 

    Thanks for reading, see you soon!