Portfolio Project: My CCR!!

Hello everyone! Long time no see! For some reason this took forever to upload but regardless, we made it! Here is my Creative Critical Reflection for my film opening Karma's Messengers! I hope you enjoy!

Click here to watch my CCR!

Portfolio Project: My Film Opening!

The Final Product

The time has arrived! I can not believe that we are here right now! We've reached the end of this journey and now you're going to be able to see the result of everything that I've done and worked so hard for! I gave this project my all and I hope that you like it as much as I do, anyway here is my film opening Karma's Messengers! Enjoy :)

Click here to watch my film opening: 
Karma's Messengers

Portfolio Project: Project Reflection!

I'm not crying, you are! 

I can not believe that we are at the end of this process! We've finally made it to the finish line! It has been a crazy journey but it was honestly worth it. I am so glad that I am able to look back on this experience and be genuinely proud of how far I've come because it was not easy getting here.

I was so hopeful and determined in the beginning, oh how naive I was (just kidding!). I knew that I wanted my film opening to be in the crime genre but I was still trying to solidify my concept so I started researching. Researching other films and taking note of how they were filmed really did help me when it came to coming up with my film opening concept. I struggled with this a lot at first because I'd have so many ideas that were so left field and I tried to make them work but sometimes simplicity is key. I wanted to overcomplicate things and cram as much content into my opening but as time went on I quickly realized that this is not the best way to go.

I remember being stuck on what concept to choose. I remember not knowing what my film opening was even going to be about. I didn't know how my schedule would align with the actresses that I selected. I didn't know if we'd be able to film or if what I filmed would come out well or not. I didn't know if I'd have to change my entire film opening concept once the virus hit. Once I knew I wasn't going to change my concept, I had no idea how I was going to film it because we were quarantined. I wasn't sure of A LOT of things but I knew that it would all figure itself out in time.

At first, I was so upset about being quarantined because of the coronavirus and not being able to film my opening the way I originally wanted to. I hated the fact that I would have to film an opening that looked completely different from what I wanted and had in mind. I knew I couldn't continue throwing a temper tantrum so I calmed down and started working. During this process, I felt panicked because I felt like time was against me and stress and anxiety were becoming more prevalent. I was scared and unsure of what to do next but I just knew I think of something fast or it would become too late.

There were plenty of moments where I doubted myself and my abilities. I questioned myself, my creative process and my talent. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or if everything I had done up to the final product was even going to be worth it. I put so much effort into my blog postings because I enjoyed blogging and I thought I was decent at it.

I was so motivated to finish it that I completely missed the purpose of this project which was to have fun! This project wasn't about coming up with the most brilliant idea, filming a professional film opening with state of the art equipment, and getting an A. This project was about finding your passion and letting that be your main motivator. It was about letting your creativity drive you to create something original and authentic. I worked myself so hard by staying up late trying to figure out my next move when I should have been enjoying the process. I had to trust the process and once I did that, my project started to flow better and the pieces were finally starting to fit. Like they say, it's about the journey, not the destination and that's what I had lost sight of while in production.

There were so many obstacles faced that seemed to come one after another but every time I thought I hit a dead end, I'd find a way out. The determination and perseverance that I had to get this project done is something that I haven't witnessed in myself in a while. I had to have a couple of "come to Jesus meetings" but they were all worth it because I was put at ease and reassured that everything I did and all of my efforts would pay off. I'm not 100% certain if my film project is going to be good in the eyes of those critiquing it. I did my best, gave it everything I had and now all I can do is hope that my production is perceived well. I'm proud of what I've done either way.

It's bittersweet for me to say my final goodbyes to this project because I have put so much time, energy and effort into it! I will truly never forget this process and all of the valuable lessons I've been taught during it. I've learned so much about myself, my talent and my ability to handle and cope with stressful situations. I have left this experience a stronger person and I am proud beyond words. I have a new respect for myself as not only a creator but as a human being as well. I am so thankful that I've gone through this process and have matured as a result of it. This isn't the last so, I'll see you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: So how is this all going to end?

Originally when I was still trying to figure out the direction of my opening and I still had my mom narrating I was going to have the shot be of Zora on the phone with the rest of the girls and she'd say "Hey, have you guys seen the news on tv today? Yeah, they're calling us the Daughters of vengeance now. I know right, I hate it." This line was supposed to be a revelation to the audience that she is apart of the vigilante group that the entire opening was talking about. But since I decided to not use my mom's narration and go in a different direction, that ending wouldn't work with the new opening concept. This means that the ending is going to have to change too.

I still wanted the ending of the film opening to have that shock factor so that the audience feels compelled to watch the rest of my hypothetical movie. The opening is going to end with a shot of a bad guy tied up in a dark room and Zora approaches him. The final comment in the entire opening is “hello sister”. The goal is to leave the audience gobsmacked and wanting to learn more about this alleged brother and his role in the group's life. I’m going to be playing the criminal so I’m going to have to make myself look like a man... fun!

I know adding this is to the end is very last minute but better late than never! I’m going to blog about the process of turning me into a man so I’m excited about that! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: It's the final countdown!

It's getting down to the wire!

I've been working on my CCR answers and it's going great! I'm actually able to relax a lot more because we were given an extension on the due date which I am so grateful for because if not I'm going to be 100% honesty with you, I would've thrown my CCR together last minute just to get it done. This also gives me time to actually breathe and focus on finishing the opening. This may sound crazy but I'm actually excited about completing the CCR because I can have fun by being myself and telling you what my personal experiences were during this entire process!

I started writing my answers two days ago and then I came back to it today and continued to answer the rest of the questions. The one question that I'm putting off is the second one that asks about how your project appeals to your target audience and how you'd market your production. The question isn't a hard question it's just that I'm going to have to think about my answer and find a way to effectively communicate my thoughts. I guess I'm just having trouble articulating my answer but I'll figure it out.

I'm not going to post what my answers are because it's a surprise, you're gonna have to watch my CCR. The script is coming along great because I have my answers and all I'm doing is adding in some notes for me to include certain images and adding commentary. I'm doing this to make my CCR interesting and engaging. I know I wouldn't want to watch a 10-minute video of someone just answering questions while a slideshow of images accompany it. I like to spice things up and make enjoyable for me to edit and for you to watch.

I'm going to continue finishing my CCR answers and the script for it. I'm so excited to see how this comes out and have fun editing the footage together! It's about the journey, not the destination! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Editing!!

Now it's time for the fun part! I already started editing all of the footage together and really wrapping it all up! I found this awesome video editing app called Videoleap and I loved all the features in it and how easy it was to use.

The only con about Videoleap is that it wouldn't let me add the preexisting voice-over recording from the audio file Keira sent me to the video so I had to use iMovie to edit the voice over in but that wasn't a big issue. I'm used to having to use different editing apps to edit a video to get it the way I want it since some apps have features that others don't.

I found the perfect song that I had been looking for but it was too fast and high pitched. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to use foul language in blogs so I'm just going to say that it had to sound kick butt. So I slowed the tempo down and pitched her voice down to give off a more grungy, rock star vibe instead of the high pitched energetic vibe.

This is what editing my film project looked like in the beginning stages. As you can see all that I had at that point was the first opening credit introducing the production company. I was trying to find which font I liked best and I ended up picking this font because it looks likes a superhero font, I don't know if that makes sense but it looks like a font you'd see in the Marvel universe. The font name is Orbitron, come on that totally sounds like something out of Marvel or DC Comics.

I had so much playing with different filters and editing the tone, saturation, and opacity of the coloring. Lighting was a very important aspect of the opening because different moods needed to be conveyed at certain parts and the lighting had to be edited just right so that the right mood was felt by the viewer. For example, in the very beginning, the coloring of the shot of Zora's mother walking is completely different compared to the rest of the film because the time period of that shot is the 80's. Editing the lighting in the opening shot was a lot more complicated because I had to make it look like it was filmed in the '80s but I think it looks pretty believable. The lighting plays a key roll in assisting the narration to tell the story.

      

The first picture is what my point of view was while I was editing. I zoomed in so that everything wasn't so congested while I was editing. I don't like things being so close together and overlapping because I get confused and I loath confusion. The second picture you see is an overall view of what my entire film project looked like in the editing app. Every edit, filter, text, shot, etc. and that's not even including the voice over.

If you notice in the second picture the credit is in black and the shadowing behind it is a bubble gum pink. To get that shadowy effect I had to edit the text of each individual credit so that effect remained the same throughout the opening.

 I think the credits look so cool and figuring out the placement of credits was strategic and all based on what was happening in the shot and who/ what was being credited. For example, when the credit "Song title: Because I am a girl" in the opening the song says "because I am a girl". Those are little details that I pay attention to because it could really enhance the experience the viewer has watching your production.

 

I wanted to show you a little bit of what the editing process looks like for me and how it's going so far! When I first started the editing process I'd ask my sister if it looked okay and if there was anything that looked wrong, if I should change/ add anything, basically just asking for constant reassurance because I really want this to look the best it can. I saw a post somewhere that said that when an artist is editing or reviewing their work, they tend to over-analyze and criticize their work because they've looked at it so many times that their eye is trained to see flaws. When it comes to creating things like this, I'm my biggest critic. I'm not saying that I don't like my opening it's just that I've re-watched it a million times and I can't really tell if it's good or if I'm just being biased because it's my project. When someone else watches your production for the first time they're seeing it with a fresh perspective so that's why I was asking for her input. She said it looked good so hopefully she's right. See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: The riveting filming process

Are we still rolling?

I'd say I had a love-hate relationship with this filming process. Since we're quarantined I had to get very creative with coming up with new shots for the opening and it wasn't easy at all. There were so many moments where I said to myself "I have no idea how I'm going to film this". I was lucky enough to have friends that were willing to send me videos of them doing things that I asked of them and I'm so grateful because I couldn't have captured the desired essence of this film opening without their help. In the beginning stages of production, I had absolutely no intention of including myself in the shots at all but life has a funny sense of humor so here we are! Unforeseen circumstances, gotta love em.

Filming with my sister was fun but also a pain because it felt like I was pulling teeth just to get her to film with me since we're quarantined, her sleep schedule is out of wack and she has online classes that she complains about all the time. Since I didn't feel like begging her to film with me, I just took over at some points and shot scenes by myself. Everyone thinks we're twins for some reason so I figured why not since I could pass as her and her face wasn't revealed so the viewer probably couldn't even tell the difference. Being both the director and an actress in your own film can be stressful and overwhelming but somehow it managed to work itself out. I've learned a lot about my abilities and how I'm able to handle stress and pressure. I'm honestly proud of what I've accomplished so far!

Since I already had the shots my friends sent me days before filming the rest of the opening, I guess you could say I had a head start on the filming process. It wasn't the ideal situation for filming but I had to work with what I had so I figured it out. There were definitely days where I had no idea what I was doing or how I was going to pull this off but after I took that break and I eased my way back into the swing of things, I got my creative rhythm back. Being forced to think outside of the box and do things that are out of my comfort zone (like acting/ being onscreen even though you couldn't see my face) helped me realize that I'm able to overcome any obstacle because where there's a will, there's a way!

None of this was planned. I didn't think I'd have to change the entire visual concept of my film opening, ask friends to send me videos of themselves, shoot with only one actress who was my sister and feature in my own film but that is exactly what happened. Life is unpredictable and we never know what to expect but one thing I took away from all of this was that you have to be ready and willing to keep going and persevere no matter what. I didn't get through this filming process alone and even though it was rough for me and I had a creative mental block for a while, I got through it with my friends and loved one's encouragement and support. I love creating and this entire process was a roller coaster but it's finally coming together! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Bloopers!!!

I know bloopers are usually posted post-production but as you can probably tell by now, nothing about this project or the way that I create is usual! I love bloopers because they're usually hilarious and it gives you an inside glimpse into what the production process was like for the cast and crew so I thought it'd be fun to do the same for you guys!

Filming can be hard especially when you're the actress and the director at the same time. You have to film multiple takes, pick the best take out of those takes, edit it just right and then repeat that process all over again. It can be brutal sometimes but it also can be hilarious especially when you're filming with the people you love around. My sister and I are always having fun and playing around so I wanted to share those moments with you! Enjoy!

Here is the blooper reel from my production Karma's Messengers!

Portfolio Project: Storyboard with a twist! PART 2

I'm going to be taking everything that I wrote on that dry erase board and putting it in a blog so that you'll be able to see and understand what my shot compilation will look like. Again, I am fully aware of the fact that this is an unusual way of figuring out shots but this is how my brain works best.

OPENING CREDIT

The opening is going to start with a black screen with the production company showing, TSW Productions, which are my initials! This will then be followed up by "proudly presents" because you can't have a film opening without stating that the production company is proud to present it, obviously. The voiceover is going to be playing over this beginning part and the lines are "My mother always said we were destined to do great things. I just never understood exactly what she meant."

REST OF FILM OPENING

"My mom was the leader of her division back in the 80s when she was around my age. She’s the one that took us in as her own and taught us everything we know about crime-fighting."

Camera tilts up to me, the "mom", walking down the street in a road coat. The music starts at this point and the movie title "Karma's Messengers" pans across the screen.

"There’s 4 of us: Luana, Bria, Valencia and me."

The videos of all four of the girls will come on the screen. Claudia's video of putting on a necklace is first then Aneesa's video of her putting on sunglasses, Valeria putting on eye shadow, and me applying chapstick.

"We all have different backgrounds but we were raised together so we’re like sisters."

1. Claudia getting up in front of the camera and walking away 2. Me putting on black high heels and walking offscreen 3. Me using my hands to imitate the black combat boots walking offscreen (I had to do this because the boots were way too small for me so I couldn't fit them. It took 4 takes just for me to get a shot that looked authentic!) 4. Me getting out of the car and walking away

"After our mom passed away I took over and started the current division that the news seems to be so interested in lately."

Aneesa will be looking through her closet for the red coat, pull it out and then put it on (low angle).

"Everyone is so fascinated by us and the identity of the anonymous heroes, they gave us nicknames. My personal favorite, the daughters of vengeance. I hate that nickname with a passion."

Close up of computer screen with the words "Who are these mystery heroes" then pan over to the words "Will we ever find out who they are?". The next shot is a pan across the words "Daughters of vengeance" when the voiceover mentions it. Then when it says "I hate that nickname with a passion" a hand comes from behind the camera and slams the computer screen shut.

"When law enforcement was first made aware of our existence they believed we were an extreme feminist organization with malicious intent but they soon realized that wasn’t the case. If anything we help them do their job fighting against bad guys so they don’t have any reason to worry about us."

This whole scene is going to be of Zora in her lair. The first thing seen in her lair is her wall that's filled with highlighted documents and sticky notes on a case. This will be a pan that shows the content on her wall. From a high angle, the camera is going to move towards Zora working on a computer in the lair and then she's going to be be shown standing up comparing a document with some of the other documents on her wall. The last thing seen in this part will be a zoom in on the light-up letters "KM" in her room standing for "Karma's Messengers".

"But it’s not exactly legal to beat up people even if they are criminals so we’re definitely on their radar."

Folders and envelopes will be dropped on a table from a POV shot. The files will say "CASE FILE
#4016", "CLASSIFIED INFORMATION", "EVIDENCE, and "SUSPECTS". I'm hoping with the lighting changing from purple back to normal and the narration, the implication that the perspective has left Zora's lair and transitioned to that of the police who are investigating the group is understood. Fingers crossed!

"We keep our identity a secret for a reason. We lay low, blend in, we’re just normal girls during the day, but at night let’s just say we’re not the nicest towards the criminal element."

This is when Zora puts in her earbuds (low angle), starts running on the sidewalk (long shot), and waves at a neighbor (over the shoulder shot). Then the color transitions to black and white and the first shot is a close up of her putting on black gloves, a high angle of her zipping a duffle bag, a midshot of her washing off a knife and then a low angle of her closing a car trunk.

"People say we’re a new generation of a feminist vigilante group continuing the legacy of those before us and they’re right. My mother always said we were destined to do great things. And I guess I know what she means by that now."

There's a low angle of Zora looking at herself in the mirror followed by a POV of her closing a chest and then her walking away. Zora walks into a dark room and there's someone tied up in a chair. The last thing seen is the criminal she caught looking up at her grinning sinisterly. Either Zora or the criminal will make a remark and that's the last thing seen or heard in the opening. It ends this way because this foreshadows what will happen next in the film. That's the final scene of the opening!

And that's my film opening! I may add somethings just in case I don't hit the 2-minute mark but I'm hoping that's not the case because I don't want to take away from the opening by adding too much in visually. I've already filmed and started editing so I'm going to do a blog posting next about how that's going! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Insight on project direction

This blog has nothing to do with the current direction of my film opening but this was a draft that I started after posting about my unorthodox way of coming up with shot ideas. The purpose of me posting this is so that you can see how uncertain and unsure I was about where I was supposed to go from that point. I had no idea what shots I wanted and I ended up stopping midway because I was frustrated and gave up. This post is just some insight into what the creative block looked like that caused the change of direction in my opening:

There are 9 sentences in my script but some are shorter the others so I may split the sentences up of group them together depending on what ideas I come up with. But for now, let's get into it! 

FIRST HALF OF SCRIPT:

"Good morning this is Ava Dior from the WFX news station in Miami here to give you an update on the vigilante group referred to by many as the Daughters of vengeance."

This is the first sentence in the entire opening. I don't think I want any action to be happening on the screen at that time. I want to force the viewer to listen and be aware of the fact that it is a news broadcast that they're listening to. I'm probably thinking of having this part of the voice over playing after the production company credit goes off of the screen so that it's just a black screen and the beginning of the audio.

"These anonymous heroes have been able to save lives and keep the streets of South Florida safe while somehow managing to keep their identities a secret."

The first shot will be of one of the characters getting out of there car

"They live in plain sight and are said to live normal lives during the day, but at night, they become fierce justice seekers."

For this shot, I want to get a shot of Zora at her mailbox waving to her neighbor. I want it to be made clear that they are normal human beings so showing this small interaction between her and someone who is unaware of her true identity. Then for the fierce justice seekers part will have

"Even though the identities of this crime-fighting group are unknown, it is believed that there are 4 of them and they are all female."

"When law enforcement was first made aware of the group's existence they believed that it was an extreme feminist organization with malicious intent but they soon realized that was not the case."

Portfolio Project: It's starting to come together.. finally!

I'm probably going to sound crazy saying this but I'm going to change my opening a little bit. I know, it's a little late for changing things but the voice-over wasn't what I thought it was going to be and it was over-complicated in my opinion. I felt stuck because I was trying to make it work and it just wasn't. Instead of using my mom's voice over, I'm going to have my sister who's playing Zora do a voice-over like I originally intended her to.

I feel bad not using my mom's voice over because she tried so hard to get it right and she was so excited to be in it but I just wasn't getting anywhere with that concept.

The whiteboard in the picture and the video probably isn't the clearest since I was writing fast and it looks cramped but I promise it all makes sense. I still used the same method when writing the "storyboard" for this new script like I started to for the old voice over and that's what's written on the board

I had so much fun writing the new script because I was finally able to think clearly. I'm happy I was able to come up with another concept that flows better and feels a lot less forced. I think this version is more fitting for this project and because of that, I'm going to be more motivated to do my best because I'm no longer frustrated and that was a huge issue before.

NEW AND IMPROVED VOICEOVER SCRIPT

I typed the script out because I'm not sure if you can see the text in the picture well enough.

"My mother always said we were destined to do great things. I just never understood exactly what she meant. My mom was the leader of her division back in the 80s when she was around my age. She’s the one that took us in as her own and taught us everything we know about crime-fighting. There’s 4 of us: Luana, Bria, Valencia and me. We all have different backgrounds but we were raised together so we’re like sisters. After our mom passed away I took over and started the current division that the news seems to be so interested in lately. Everyone is so fascinated by us and the identity of the anonymous heroes, they gave us nicknames. My personal favorite, the daughters of vengeance. I hate that nickname with a passion. When law enforcement was first made aware of our existence they believed we were an extreme feminist organization with malicious intent but they soon realized that wasn’t the case. If anything we help them do their job fighting against bad guys so they don’t have any reason to worry about us. But it’s not exactly legal to beat up people even if they are criminals so we’re definitely on their radar. We keep our identity a secret for a reason. We lay low, blend in, we’re just normal girls during the day, but at night let’s just say we’re not the nicest towards the criminal element. People say we’re a new generation of a feminist vigilante group continuing the legacy of those before us and they’re right. My mother always said we were destined to do great things. And I guess I know what she means by that now."

Portfolio Project: Interventions are fun!

NOTE: I know this blog is sort of long so I thought I'd insert pictures of me and my sister so that it's a lot more entertaining for you to read! And because we're the most adorable dynamic duo you'll ever see! Enjoy the pictures, onto the blog! :)

My sister had a little intervention with me yesterday that was very much needed. That morning my mom noticed something was wrong with me. She asked me what was bothering me and I told her that I was frustrated because I still didn't know how I was going to film this project. She said that she was willing to help me come up with ideas but of course I tried to figure it out on my own because I like being independent which later came to bite me in the butt. I can be stubborn sometimes when it comes to asking for help because I like to solve it myself rather than have too many people get involved in the situation.

I was in my sister's room trying to film something and I told her how frustrated and upset I was because I wasn't able to come up with anything. I also told her about how that morning I woke up and the very first thing on my mind was the project, I just laid in bed thinking about how I was going to film this and how stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed I was feeling. She told me that she could tell how much this was taking a toll on me and how stressed I looked in general. She would see me working on blogs at crazy hours of the night and was concerned.

It wasn't until she explained to me how my brain was probably overworked and exhausted from how much energy I was putting in trying to finish this project that I realized I needed to take a mental break. She was right, ever since we've been quarantined I've been working on this project every single day for hours at a time. She explained to me that there was no harm in taking a break to just calm my brain and regroup. I was trying to function and get work done with a brain that was drained of creative power. I didn't physically feel tired but doing the same thing nonstop was not healthy and my family was able to see that. I guess I just got so caught up in producing a good opening and getting it done that I didn't even notice how it was affecting me and my well being. She recommended that I not work on my project or even think about it for the rest of the day and that's exactly what I did. Obsessing over the project wasn't going to help me progress, it was holding me back.

Coming up with concepts and ideas is something that I usually have no problem with doing. She knows that I was frustrated because I'm so used to being creative and things like this come naturally to me. But again, because my brain was so tired, nothing I did was working and I was upset with myself.

She reassured me that I'm doing an amazing job, I've done my best and my dedication will show through my work, I just have to relax and have fun with the process. This project started out fun and then turned into me overworking myself to the point where my other family members noticed and I had to be told to stop working. When your body is telling you to rest and you ignore it and keep forcing yourself to work, you'll eventually crash and burn. I don't want to continue down that road or experience that feeling again because it's not healthy.

I'm so glad I have an amazing sister that was able to sit me, her older sister, down and be honest and tell me things that I definitely needed to hear. This was a lesson that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life because it's a lesson that some, unfortunately, learn the hard way. We are so close to the end of the project! I started strong and I intend to finish strong. I hope the pictures helped make it more interesting to read! I'll see you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Storyboard with a twist!

If you've looked through my earlier posts where I uploaded Bria's storyboard you're probably aware of the fact that I am not the best illustrator. So to make it easier on both of us and because I'm not particularly fond of storyboards I'm going to go through and give an in-depth description of what shots I would implement at certain points in the voiceover since the script is what I'm going based off of. I know it's unorthodox in the film world not to complete a storyboard in the planning phase but honestly, drawing a storyboard doesn't help me in terms of the creative process. I know for some having a visual picture to show them what to do next when filming helps and I am a visual learner but when it comes to filming, notes help me better. I know what the shot looks like in my head and using words and giving details of shots is better for me compared to a picture with a brief explanation. My mind goes against itself sometimes because my mind can have a million ideas coming in at any given time but if I don't write it out, I'll forget what that idea was so this method works better for me personally.

I'm going to be breaking down the sentences of the news report script and seeing what ideas come to me in terms of what will be displayed at that moment. I may have to break the blog into two sections because that would be a lot of reading for just one blog, so it's going be a two-parter. See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Lights, Camera, Action? PART TWO

This blog is going to be showing you the videos I plan on using for the part in the narration where it says "There was a similar group like this in the late '70s and early '80s so some speculate that this group is a new generation of a feminist vigilante group continuing that legacy." I'm taking this approach because I think this will really help me with figuring out what shots I'm going to film for the rest of the opening. As you'll see, these videos are in different colors and tones, some in color or black and white, I'm testing them out to see what will work best with this specific part in the opening.

Here are the shots that I have for this specific part of the voice-over:

This is another video Claudia sent me and I know she's walking away from the camera but I like the attitude displayed in this simple action. It speaks volumes while remaining simplistic and I liked that element of the video a lot.

This is one of my clips! Woo hoo! I'm featuring myself a little bit in the opening because there were some shots that I wanted and the only way I could get it to look the way I wanted was to film it myself. 

I filmed this in my bathroom but I'm going to refilm this so that it's cleaner for the opening but I liked the concept because it's a leather jacket with a black fur collar. That's pretty hardcore if I do say so myself. I love mise-en-scene so much haha.

I took my mom's sunglasses and walked out to the car with a long red trench coat on. I looked like a complete mess and my neighbors were probably concerned but I honestly just wanted to get the shot. I was in that car for a good 3 minutes with that heavy trench coat on and I thought I was going to overheat. It was midday in South Florida and I was wearing a trench coat, of course, it'd be blazing hot.

Remember how I mentioned my sister was being somewhat helpful with this project, well she decided that she'd come outside with me and shoot this clip of me getting out of the car. I was wearing sweatpants but I honestly like the look. I think it's the boots paired with the red trench coat because the sweatpants aren't that apparent to me when I watch it back.

The black leather jacket with fur has made a comeback! I liked this clip because the action displayed is subtle but still fierce. I'm trying to pick between this clip and the other one with me in this jacket. I'm not sure which one to pick yet.

This is my friend Valeria and this video just gave me 80's vibes for some reason so I thought it would work perfectly with this part of the voice over.

I loved this shot because it's sophisticated and possesses a business-like undertone. 

I was washing a knife in the kitchen and at first, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to show knives in my film opening but I emailed Mrs. Stoklosa and she said that I'm allowed to! I'm glad she confirmed that because now I know I can incorporate this into my opening during this part. Most of the other parts are glamour shots of the vigilantes and this one is very to the point.

I had this idea with the glove ever since I came up with the concept of adding these videos at the part where the 70's and 80's vigilante group is mentioned in the voice over. I filmed this shot with my sister's color guard glove in her room and she was so confused but I filmed what I needed and it looks pretty cool in my opinion.

I'm going to redo the shots that I'm in because I want to make them better quality but I wanted to film these first just to make sure I liked the idea that was in my head and it turns out I liked them all a lot! I'm going to figure out the color and lighting situation soon so that I can start compiling the videos into a complete shot.

The point of all of these shots is to show the vigilantes getting ready to do what they do best, avenge victims. I wanted these clips to be sassy, fierce and feminine. I know that women can sometimes be timid about showcasing their confidence and femininity because it's often perceived the wrong way by society but I wanted to celebrate all elements of being a woman. Yes, they are women and they are relentless and proud of who they are. Too many times females working in male-dominated industries like law enforcement, the military, health professions, etc. are made to feel like they need to sacrifice their femininity to be taken seriously and seen as equals by their peers. I feel that women who are seen as "too masculine" are viewed as outcasts but women should be seen for who they are as individuals and that is why I wanted this part to honor women from all parts of the spectrum. At the end of the day, you're still a force to be reckoned with, whether you're putting on heels and makeup or working out and defeating bad guys daily.

SIDE NOTE ALERT: Maybe when it says that they're a "new generation of a feminist vigilante group continuing that legacy" Zora can put on and kiss a ring from her mother's jewelry box. I don't know yet I'm just typing all of my thoughts because I tend to forget if I don't and that was just an idea that came to me. I'll read through the script later and really dissect each sentence and see what comes to mind in terms of possible shots. I think that'll help me a lot.  

I know this blog was long but I wanted to explain why these shots were being implemented and what the purpose of each one was. I want to tie everything together nicely and to do that I have to go into detail so that we both understand what the meaning behind it all is. See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Lights, Camera, Action?

As stated in the last blog I asked my friends for their help with getting certain shots and I'm so grateful that they were able to help me out. Here are the specific clips that I want to use when the voiceover says "it is believed that there are 4 of them and they are all female."

This is Keira who was originally going to be playing Valencia in my film opening! My sister was on Facetime with Keira when I told her to send me a video of her doing this and she agreed. She was confused about how to film it at first so I told her to think of it as a clip from the opening of the TV show series Pretty Little Liars and she immediately understood what I meant. 

This is Claudia who was going to be playing Luana in my film opening! She was one of the very first people to help me by giving me suggestions and sending me videos like this! I'm thankful to have her as a friend because she's always willing to lend a helping hand to whoever needs it. 

This is my little sister Aneesa who is still playing Zora and she's still the leader of the group. She's been helping me, to a certain extent, with filming and once she saw Claudia's amazing videos she sent me she felt threatened so she agreed to put on sunglasses in a sassy way. I guess this is how I'm going to get her to film with me, guilt-tripping. She can be a drama queen sometimes so we'll see how this goes.

This is Jordan! I met her on the first day of pageant orientation and she's really genuine! She isn't one of the original cast but I liked her video a lot so I'm going to use her video as one of the 4 in the group. Caroline who was originally playing Bria was not able to send me a video but it's okay because I like this clip a lot.

None of these videos were edited or trimmed, I just uploaded what they sent me but I do plan to go through them and edit/trim them.

I'm so glad that I was able to still incorporate some of my friends from the original cast in my film opening, even if it is in a different way than I anticipated. I know using this method to figure out shots is sort of different but I think I can come up with a way to pair the voiceover with the shots and not be generic. The next blog is going to be showing you the other clips that I got and where I'm planning to incorporate those clips in the opening! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: It truly takes a village

My friends came to the rescue

Yesterday was a very reassuring day. I was trying to come up with ideas for shots and I was honestly not getting anywhere. So I thought of the most logical thing to do and that was to ask my friends on Snapchat for help. I know it probably sounds crazy asking your friends to help you on Snapchat but a lot of them messaged me with good ideas for shots and different directions I could go in with the visuals.

I sent a message out earlier yesterday asking if people would be willing to help me figure out where to go with my project and a lot of people were! They know that we're quarantined right now so filming outside with other people would be hard so they helped me try and brainstorm ideas to find a way around this hurdle. I'm so thankful that they did because they've helped me calm down and see that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Not every idea or suggestion I received was a good one but I still appreciate the fact that they were willing to make an attempt to help me.

I sent them the rough draft of the script just so that they'd understand what was going to be heard in the scene and I explained how I wanted the shots to correlate with the voiceover. They all said they liked the script and my idea so far which I was glad about, it was just figuring out how I'm going to bridge the gap and deliver visually.

I had one major problem that I felt obligated to solve, I wanted to film with multiple people and get specific shots but I wouldn't be able to do that because of the quarantine. I'm the type of person that will not let an idea go if I really like it or think I can get it right so that's when took matters into my own hands. I started filming different shots by myself because I remember Mrs. Stoklosa saying that we can feature in our own film openings. All of a sudden I had an epiphany and I realized that even though I can't go out and film with people, I can still use my friend's help with filming certain shots. I don't have to do all of this on my own. They may not be able to physically film with me but I can still get the shots I need while still practicing social distancing and being safe.

I sent another message and asked if they could send me a video of them doing something simple like brushing their hair, putting on makeup, etc. but without their faces showing because they're "mystery ladies". I got a lot of videos that I couldn't choose from at first because I wanted to use them all because there are only 4 vigilantes in the group. Then I realized that I didn't have to choose at all because in the audio it mentions that there was another vigilante group in the late 70s and early 80s so I thought, why not use all of the clips I received but utilize color and lighting editing so that you can distinguish the 4 girls in the current vigilante group from the past. I'm going to try to use VSCO to edit the footage I have for the 70s-80s vigilante group shot. We'll see how that process goes because I've never used VSCO to edit photos or videos but my sister has so I'll ask for her help.

It truly does take a village and I'm so glad that I was able to depend on my friends to help me generate some ideas and not remain stuck in the same place. In the next blog, I'm going to post some of the videos that I will be using in the film opening. See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: My moms final takes!

My mom took this first take yesterday after I gave her some direction about how I wanted the voice over to sound. Since she's giving a news report I thought her voice should resemble the stereotypical way that news reporters give the news on television. They have a certain tone and this cadence when they speak. It sounds almost like a monotone robot talking and at first, I was a little upset because she wasn't able to get that voice down but then after this take, I realized that this is actually good. Everything has to match, the voice over and the shots, and if the news report was boring and monotone that contrast would most likely take away from the shots because that's too much of a difference. That's like saying "I'm so excited" while having absolutely no expression on your face, it's contradictory. The way she's delivering the report is good and sets the tone and energy for the shots which is exactly what I wanted.

The only other issue besides the way she gave the report was that it was under to minutes. It was exactly 1:47 so either way, we had to retake it because it was under time and this voice-over is what I'm basing my shots off of.

TAKE 1 FROM YESTERDAY

TAKE 2

The second take she took was much better with the way she delivered but she got a little tongue-tied in the middle so we tried again afterward.

TAKE 3

The fourth take she messed up a little bit towards the end but she started another video and finished where she left off and that was my favorite take of hers so I'm going to use the fourth take from yesterday in the final piece! It's 2 minutes and 17 seconds but I'm sure with editing I can cut a few seconds out. I really hope you'll be able to listen to her first or third takes because you can hear the change in cadence and delivery. I'll keep you guys updated, see you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Final news broadcast outline

FINAL NEWS BROADCASTING SCRIPT (outline)

Here is the edited version of the first script outline I posted. After my mom did a few more takes we edited some things out and changed the wording of some sentences just to make everything flow better. I wrote the rough draft at 2 in the morning because I wanted to get my ideas down but I'm actually happy with this final edit. I'm going to use Celtx to construct a proper final script and then I will post the final script in another blog posting.

I wanted to save you the time of going back and trying to find the edits so I thought I might as well just highlight the edits I made from the original outline to the final!

FIRST ROUGH DRAFT

Good morning this is Ava Dior from the WFX news station in Miami here to give you an update on the vigilante group referred to by many as the Daughters of vengeance. These anonymous heroes have been able to save lives and keep the streets of South Florida safe while somehow managing to keep their identities a secret. They live in plain sight and are said to live normal lives during the day, but at night, they become fierce justice seekers. Even though the identities of this crime-fighting group are unknown, it is believed that there are 4 of them and they are all female. When law enforcement was first made aware of the group's existence they believed that the group was an extreme feminist group with malicious intentions but they soon realized that that was not the case. They seem to be targeting those that have broken the law or hurt innocent people. They've taken the law into their own hands but the local police department assures the citizens of South Florida that this group is non-threatening to the innocent but not so forgiving of criminals. There was a similar group like this in the late 70s and early 80s so some speculate that this group is a new generation of a feminist vigilante group continuing that legacy. Law enforcement has confirmed that they are working on discovering the identities of the group members so if you have any information on this group and who they are please contact the local police department at 754- (audio cuts off)

FINAL DRAFT OUTLINE 

Good morning this is Ava Dior from the WFX news station in Miami here to give you an update on the vigilante group referred to by many as the Daughters of vengeance. These anonymous heroes have been able to save lives and keep the streets of South Florida safe while somehow managing to keep their identities a secret. They live in plain sight and are said to live normal lives during the day, but at night, they become fierce justice seekers. Even though the identities of this crime-fighting group are unknown, it is believed that there are 4 of them and they are all female. When law enforcement was first made aware of the group's existence they believed that it was an extreme feminist organization with malicious intent but they soon realized that was not the case. They seem to be targeting those that have broken the law or hurt innocent people. They've taken the law into their own hands but the local police department assures the citizens of South Florida that this group is non-threatening to the innocent but ruthless against the criminal element. There was a similar group like this in the late 70s and early 80s so some speculate that this group is a new generation of a feminist vigilante group continuing that legacy. Law enforcement has confirmed that they are working on discovering the identities of the group members so if you have any information on this group and who they are please contact the local police department at 754- (audio cuts off)

Portfolio Project: Mom's first cold read (video)

This is a video of my mom doing a cold read for the first time the day after I finished writing the script she's going to be reading from. She was so excited because her dream was always to be a news broadcaster and work with journalism because has her degree in communications so this is definitely her forte. I told her that the audio has to at the maximum, 2 minutes and 10 seconds because I can't go over that because her voiceover is the narration of the entire film opening.

This was an impromptu cold read and I wasn't planning on recording it and doing a blog about a cold read at all, but here we are. All I did was hand her my computer with the rough draft of my script on it and she was so enthusiastic about it she goes "can I do a could read?" and I agreed because why not! I grabbed my phone and recorded this take. I'm going to have to record more takes because this was the first one and because the tone in which she's giving the report is not the right one I'm envisioning for the voiceover. The way she read it was very upbeat and energetic but that's because that's how her personality is so she's used to speaking that way and because I gave her no direction at all, it didn't sound the way I'd like it to. I'm going to work with her on it more so that she knows what I'm going for and we can do this together!

I asked for her opinion on somethings like if I should film her giving the report and have her news broadcast playing on the Tv screen to portray a real news report but she said she liked my second option. My second option was to have her news report audio playing as a voiceover only and use this as the narration of all the shots that are occurring during certain parts of the opening. I'm not sure if I phrased that correctly but it makes sense to me and it will make more sense once I draw the storyboard.

This is only the first take of the voiceover and I have to actually direct her and let her know how I want her news broadcast to sound. We're going to meet and spend a lot more time figuring out her tonality, inflections, etc. so that the overall tone of the voiceover and the visuals don't clash together. I'll keep you updated on how this process goes! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: News broadcasting script

NEWS BROADCASTING SCRIPT (outline)

Good morning this is Ava Dior from the WFX news station in Miami here to give you an update on the vigilante group referred to by many as the Daughters of vengeance. These anonymous heroes have been able to save lives and keep the streets of South Florida safe while somehow managing to keep their identities a secret. They live in plain sight and are said to live normal lives during the day, but at night, they become fierce justice seekers. Even though the identities of this crime-fighting group are unknown, it is believed that there are 4 of them and they are all female. When law enforcement was first made aware of the group's existence they believed that the group was an extreme feminist group with malicious intentions but they soon realized that that was not the case. They seem to be targeting those that have broken the law or hurt innocent people. They've taken the law into their own hands but the local police department assures the citizens of South Florida that this group is non-threatening to the innocent but not so forgiving of criminals. There was a similar group like this in the late 70s and early 80s so some speculate that this group is a new generation of a feminist vigilante group continuing that legacy. Law enforcement has confirmed that they are working on discovering the identities of the group members so if you have any information on this group and who they are please contact the local police department at 754- (audio cuts off)

Portfolio Project: And the academy award goes to....

Give my mom an Oscar Award! 

My mom volunteered to be an actress in my opening which at first I was apprehensive about but the more I thought about what I could have her do in the opening it actually was a good idea. I want to have her act as a news broadcaster that is reporting on the vigilante's defeat of another bad guy. My mom has tons of experience being in front of the camera, being an emcee, and working in a plethora of productions like this so I think this will be a really good touch to add! I'm going to write her script and film her doing the report as if she was an actual news reporter then I'll add in all of the effects to make it looks like a real news broadcasting. After coming up with this idea I realized that it would probably be cool if the film opening opens up with my mom's new broadcast and then have Zora make her entrance. I'm going to do a whole blog on this soon because I have a lot of ideas that I'm so happy about because I was having a creative mental block for a while hence my mini-breakdown video posted two days ago...

Anyway, this is blog posting is going to be me writing the outline of my mom's script that she's going to be reading for the news broadcasting clip. For a moment I was thinking about just having my mom's news report substitute Zora's narration, and I'm not entirely hating the idea. Having the news report play in the background of the film opening is actually a cool concept. Instead of having Zora explain their story, I'm going to let my mom, the news broadcaster do it. The visuals would all match up to what my mom would be saying on the TV and the way it looks and sounds in my head is really good so I'm hoping I'm able to get it right.

Since the script is acting as the narration in this opening, I have to write the script so that I know what kinds of shots I need to film. In the next blog, I'm going to be writing out the rough draft of the new report script! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: I think I've figured it out! (sort of)

I think I've decided on how I'm going to film the majority of my film opening. Eureka! I still haven't figured every single detail out yet but I think I want the characters and the overall plot to be introduced through a gradual pan and then incorporate shots that give the viewer hints about the character's lifestyle, their individual personality traits and what life is like as a vigilante group.

I know that the sudden coronavirus outbreak and us being quarantined made my film opening progress turn completely in the opposite direction but after thinking about it and trying to overcome this hurdle, I think I have come up with a solution. I wanted to figure out a way to maneuver around not having my 4 main characters in my project anymore while still incorporating them in my opening if that makes sense. At first, I was thinking of just having Zora mention each of them briefly in the narration (yes I'm still planning on having a narration, I made up my mind finally) but then it hit me, I can introduce them in a different way while still revealing them.

We've already established that I want to film part of the opening with a pan of Zora's living space but I wanted to still have the other 3 characters involved in it somehow. The whole purpose of the pan is to give the audience an inside look into the life of the characters so I'm going to use this pan to my advantage. Since I can't physically film with 3 of my actresses I can use the pan to infer the existence of them. Zora is the leader of the group and they're all sisters so they'd all be living in the same house. The focus is on Zora mainly but this pan is going to be the tool I use to bridge the gap.

My idea for using the pan to introduce the other 3 sisters is by having the pan show pictures on the wall of all 4 of the girls as young children. I'm friends with all of the actresses so I have plenty of photos of them from their early childhood years that I plan on using. While the camera is panning around the girl's home there will be shots implemented that are meant to let the viewer know more about their lives while still keeping the other girls a mystery in a sense. One idea I had to give a hint about their living situation is having a shot of their bathroom and all 4 of their toothbrushes so that the audience gets an idea of what each girl is like.

Here are just some of the pictures in my camera roll of my gorgeous actresses! :

Bria (Caroline)

Valencia (Keira)

Luana (Claudia)

Zora (Aneesa) 

This blog really assured me that I've got this and I'm going to do just fine in this project! I have the pieces I just need to put them together to complete the puzzle and that's what I plan to do. I'm going to get started on all of this ASAP so I'll keep you guys updated, see you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Project update (video)

Hello again! This video is me having a very tiny mental breakdown in my bedroom while trying to figure out what I specifically want my final product to look like. I promise there are no tears or anything like that, I'm just explaining what my thoughts are on my current dilemma. I take this project so personally because this will be a creation of mine that I'm sharing with others. I know it's for a grade but this is something that I want to genuinely be proud of. I don't want to just pull something randomly from thin air and hope it gives me a passing grade, I want to do my best and surpass my own expectations. When things like this don't turn out the way I intend them to, I get frustrated and become unmotivated but I'm trying my best not to let that happen. I'm going to remain as positive as I can and film the coolest film opening I can!

So without further ado, here's my mini-mental breakdown video, enjoy ;)

Portfolio Project: I have no idea what's happening right now

Mid-project crisis.

Trying to figure out how I'm going to shoot this is honestly so hard for me because it could be so simple but I'm over complicating it. I tend to overthink so in my head bigger is better and in terms of this project that translates to "the more complex it is, the technique and visuals, the better". I struggle with the "less is more" concept so trying to brainstorm a new storyboard for the opening is frustrating me.

I have no idea what I want the concept to be or if I even want my sister, who's playing Zora, in it. I'd love to have her in it but right now I don't know how I'm going to make having Zora in the opening fit cohesively with the rest of the opening. I don't know if I'd have her revealed in the beginning or towards the end of the opening, I don't know how much or what she's specifically going to say in the narration or if there's even going to be a narration. A lot of stuff is up in the air right now and this part of the process is the worst because everything functions in sequential order so without having the key element that determines literally every decision you make regarding your production (the concept/ main purpose/ intended message), you really don't have anywhere to go. And this is where I am right now. I don't have that much time left to still be in the brainstorming stage so I'm hoping writing all of my thought out in this blog will help me think of a solution to my mid-project crisis!

When we had a conference meeting with Mrs. Stoklosa she was saying that our openings did not have to have actors and there doesn't even have to be people in it. There are so many unique ways to film an opening but I just have to get creative and think until I have some sort of epiphany. I researched a few examples of film openings that I liked and most of them didn't incorporate people in them but I still don't know how I'm going to introduce Zora, her sisters, and the fact that they're a group of vigilantes. I like the film opening concept where the camera is just panning around the living space of the character. The film example from Back to the Future was so cool and I learned a lot about the character without physically seeing them or being introduced to them through a narration. A pan is a very simple camera movement but with editing techniques and engaging shots, I think I would be able to execute this concept well.

I'm planning on drawing a storyboard and having somewhat of an idea about what I'm going to film soon. I was hoping that I'd be filming and editing by now but that's unfortunately not the case so I have to come up with something good and fast. I really think I can do something cool with the panning idea but I still don't know if I'd include a narration or not. Hopefully, I'll figure that out soon but like always, I'll keep you guys updated! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: film opening examples: Honorable mentions!

HONORABLE MENTIONS!

These two film openings are not necessarily exactly what I'm looking for in terms of my production but I really liked the editing techniques used in them and the transitions used in them, especially the transitions in Shaun of the dead.

Shaun of the dead (2004)

Shaun of the dead

Short Circuit (1986)

Short Circuit

Source:

“Shaun of the Dead.” YouTube, YouTube, 2009, www.youtube.com/.

“Short Circuit.” YouTube, YouTube, 2011, www.youtube.com/.