CCR

Here it is folks, my creative critical reflection on my film opening To Rose, From Eden.

LINK HERE

The One Where I Show You My Final Project

 It's finished! 

  Sooooo happy!

  (P.S. That Friends reference though)

A Reflection

  What a journey! Honestly, as much planning and hard work went in to this project, I had such a fun time getting to be creative and put tgether something that I'm super proud of. Although my idea changed a lot from when I first started, the changes were necessary to build and grow upon my original draft. I would like to thnk my amazing actresses, Megan and Fabi, for taking the time to help me out and act in my opening (the improving skills on these two was amazing!). This project has hoenstly been so rewarding and I'm so happy I get to share it!

A mini journey, from an idea to conception :

It's All Coming to an End

   Today in class I showed my project to the world! I'm very pleased with the reception I got, but there are some things that I want to fix before I finally uoload it onto YouTube. For one, the audio seems to be very low and almost mute. I figured I'll go back and fix it to be louder in iMovie and listenone last time to mka sure it's all good to go! Other than that, and some minor coloring issues that honestly are only bothering me, I've pretty much comlpleted my opening. Now onto the CCR which I have no idea what I'm going to say. I dont want to make a whole script, but I do plan to split it up into multilpe parts and write down different points I wnt to touch on. 

Some CCR Points:

• My inpsriation for my idea 
• Audience and genre 
• Shots, Angles, Composition
• What would happen in the whole movie?
• Pre and Post Production 
• The editing process 
• Underlying themes and meaning 

This all has to be done in ten minuetes or less. I'm. Very. Scared. Alas, like the rest of this project, I'll push through and get it all done! 

Lil Update

   Monday in class Ms. Marchetti went over some project information as well as briefly showing us what questions need to be answered in our CCR (Creative Critical Reflection). With only a few finishing touches left to complete my opening, I decided that now is probably a good time to start thinking about what I need to address. There are numerous ways to go about creating my CCR. I thought about doing a podcast but as my project is based on visuals I think it would work better to a "director's commentary" video followed by a slideshow with me doing a voiceover afterward. In one of my earlier posts, I attached a video of Whiplash director Damien Chazelle doing a commentary on his opening scene and explaining why he went with some of the choices he made. I really liked how while he was explaining you could see what he was talking about. So, I'm thinking of doing that.

I also found this article talking about how to create one of these commentary videos.

Things to Note for the CCR

-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?

Editing my life away :)

Things are happening!

Considering the last minute switch for my whole opening, I'd like to think I pulled it off quite well!
In keeping with my original idea about two best friends, I changed mainly just the location and some plot points around. I decided not to showcase Eden going missing, but instead left a couple hints at it here and there. Also, I ended up filming at the park instead because it was not only way easier but fit with the tone I was trying to set. I did attempt to write a script, but in the end played around with improvisation for my two main actors. I'm very happy with the results! Obviously, it's not perfect, but I did as much as I could and I'm thrilled. Editing is my biggest endeavor right now. I'm playing around with a lot of different techniques and structures for my story line. I'm also thinking of adding music in the background but am not quite sure yet.

Here are
some stills/behind the scenes of what happened yesterday:

Fabi as Eden

Megan as Rose

Filming 

Editing

Me: is stressed

Filming!

Uh Oh

   A while ago my lovely friend Cassie asked me if I would act for her in her final project for Aice Media (A Level). Today I met up with her so she could show me her storyboards, ideas, and things she would like to convey in her film. While dropping her back at her house, we got into a talk about my film opening and how everything was going. To say the least: I hope I don't regret what I'm about to type. I'll admit, I was not very happy with the footage I was working with when I was editing Monday, and I honestly felt like my original idea had no other purpose than to have some nice shots and a voice over here and there. It felt like no meaning was being conveyed through what I was trying to do. Alas, through a very creative talk with Cassie I've created an outline for a new idea based on my old one.
   I've always dreamed of escaping. I like to say it's in my genes, as both my parents worked for an airline and my Dad still does (fun fact: my parents met on a plane hehe). The idea of going to places completely blind of what to expect, to get lost and explore things out of your comfort zone is something I dream about all the time. Most people my age are thinking just to go out of state to college is a big step, but I want to go out of the country. I think I've always felt a bit out of place with reality, whether that's good or bad I'm not really sure. This is something I want to touch on in my film opening, the idea of a character escaping their life to live a completely new one because they feel out of touch with reality in a way . Rose and Eden are closer than ever but don't really know each other. It's the kind of friendship that doesn't dwell a lot on the past and lives in the now. I imagine they know each other as people, the characteristics that both have and habits. But not really what the other has gone through or is going through in their lives. Both are really closed off from each other in that way, not because they are hiding anything but are disconnected from life. Eden is out of touch with reality. She dreams of escaping to a new location to find connection with people around her. Rose is not concerned she won't live a full and happy life at some point in her life.
   I'll be back soon with more information on this new outlook I have :)

See ya
IM

Who Knew Choosing Fonts Would Be So Hard?

   Hi! Tonight I started to sort through some of my footage and edit to save myself some time once I shoot over the weekend again. I have some good shots from last Saturday, but now I think I have a better idea of what shots I want and how I'm going to achieve them. I hate to admit it, but I spent way to long looking at different text options for my opening credits (which ironically, are going at the end). I'm going for a simple and minimalistic look, as my opening is pretty understated and subdued.
     To make sure I stay on track for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to use my Google calendar to create some deadlines for myself. I also want to story board a bit more if time prevails, and create one final to-do list for myself!
    I did get around to getting that free trial of Adobe Premier, only to find out it's only 7 days when I was under the impression it was 30! Though I'm quote happy it worked out that way, since I could not figure out how to use it at all. I literally had an anxiety attack trying to find out how to put clips together. Right now, iMovie is my best option as i'm comfortable with all the features and know how to work my way around it easily.

test #1

test #2

test #3 (added a color on this one)

editing!

   Next Up: The Screenplay and Music (So. Nervous.)

Wes Anderson Saves the Day (Sort of)

Spring Breakers (dir. Harmony Korine)

Grease (1978 dir. Randal Kleiner)

   In light of my setbacks on Saturday, I'm thinking I need a more clearer vision of what tone I'm trying to set. I want it to contrast between the happy times of the two girls, but also be sad and dreary of the single scenes with Rose. Today I looked into some scenes from movies with a beach location. Some of my favorites I found was the one from Spring Breakers (dir. Harmony Korine) that I linked in my last post, Grease (1978 dir. Randal Kleiser), and Moonrise Kingdom (2012 dir.Wes Anderson). Wes Anderson uses the camera so beautifully in this beach scene with the two main characters of the film. I love the contrast of steady shots with more unsteady ones. Also the use of color is so cool. Its dark and gloomy, why still having the vibrant pops of color need to keep the shots upbeat.

See ya 

IM

Some Setbacks

The day was going so well, my actors and I got to the beach and got a good bit of filming done. But, it was bound to happen. Filming was cut short by an unexpected hailstorm/tornado/thunderstorm at Dania beach. Though I did get some good shots, there is still much more to film for my opening. I got a lot of the flashback scenes done as you can see by the screen caps down below:

  Next Saturday I will venture back down to the beach with Megan and Fabi to film everything else I need. I'm almost a little thankful for the rain, because when I looked back on footage, there is a lot I still wanna film. Also, I want to have a voiceover somehow of Rose speaking. Though I'm not sure how I'm going to pull that together, I've stored it in the back of my mind for post-production. I want to get some more shot with emotion and setting the tone of what would be my hypothetical movie.

  While I was searching thought the footage with Megan at my house, she mentioned a clip from Spring Breakers (2012 dir.Harmony Korine), that had some beach shots into very similar to what I'm trying to do. Also, it coincidently has a voiceover in it as well. I'm sure this will come in handy next Saturday for filming, as well as the voiceover. 

Till next time

IM

The Game Plan

   Hello again!

   This Saturday I will be filming my opening that I have officially titled: To Rose, From Eden.
I've decided on this because hypothetically if I were to make this film, it would deal with Rose dealing through this tragedy of losing her best friend, and how she learns to cope with it. Along he way she starts to realize things about her own life, and how fast it could be taken away from her. Flashbacks would be a great part of how she would do that, particularly ones where Rose looks back on things that she has learned from Eden. So I guess you could say the flashbacks are "from Eden" (God, I hope this made sense).
   After critiquing blogs and ideas with my fellow classmates, I feel confident that not only me, but the rest of my group are on the right track and will create some amazing projects!
 

To keep myself organized, I've created a checklist for things that need to get done before and on Saturday:

• Gather props 
• Gather filming equipment 
• Put together looks for both my actors 
• Decide on the location (what beach we are filming at)
• Get a free trial of final cut pro (what can I say? I'm a #struggling #artist 😌)

Crossing my fingers this all works out 

IM

Props, Places, and Pretty People.

    Good news! Thankfully my good friends Fabi and Megan have agreed to be in my opening. Megan will be playing Rose, and Fabi will be playing Eden.

Fabi (courtesy of Fabi)

Megan (courtesy of Megan)

  I'm planning to film the majority next Saturday, and then plan from there if anything goes wrong. As I said in my last post, I needed to figure out how to give more context to the fact that Rose has just come from Eden's funeral to the beach. I came up with the idea to create a fake memorial pamphlet for Rose to put into the sand at some point in the opening (which I will then do a closeup of). I think this is an easy and quick fix to my crisis (woohoo!!).

  Since I've done a good amount of research on the technical aspects of filmmaking, I'm gearing my attention more towards aesthetics and mise en scene. I came across an article about color psychology that though did not have a lot of text, provided many screenshots from movies with different color themes. As I'm hoping to evoke a sense of youthfulness, I'm thinking I'm going to use colors like pink, orange, and yellow, with undertones of blues and gray for a dreary, melancholy tone.
  As for my location, I'm thinking Dayna beach is my best option, as it's not as crowded as some others on the coast. Although, Megan did tell me about a cool beach with a lighthouse that I'm going to look into.

I'll be back
IM

About NathalieNathalie Is a Story Fabricator and Storyteller at Heart. She Created Mentorless.com in 2011 to Share Content She Thought Useful to Craft and Nurture Her Storytelling and Creative Skills. To See More about What She Does When She Is Not Here,. "The Psychology of Color in Films: 17 Colors and Their Associated Concepts."Mentorless. N.p., 12 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

The (Almost) Final Plan

   Hello, all! This weekend I'm in full prep mode, as I plan to film next weekend. I've decided I'm going use the beach as my main location for filming. I'm leaning towards using a non-linear storyline switching from flashbacks to present day, but filmed all in one location. This is not only easier for me but also I think will aid in the story "coming back full circle", if you will. There will be a short conversation at the beginning of the opening, between Rose and Eden, overlaid with different clips of them having fun on the beach. It will then switch back between Rose and Eden, to just Rose. In my head right now I'm thinking that the clips of just Rose will be occurring in the moments following her funeral. As it's easy for my actress to wear just black, I'm thinking there needs to be more for the audience to be fully aware that this has happened. I'll be thinking about that some more this weekend. Though it's hard for me to put into words what my detailed vision really is, I've attached some very horribly drawn storyboards (that probably won't help to visualize one bit.)

Obviously, my artistic talents cannot be matched.

Are these helping? At all?

12 Years a Slave (2013 dir. Steve McQueen)

    Even though I did construct some storyboards to help me when I start to film, I wanted to research more into how to convey emotion through my shots. I came across a video by CineFix that analyses three clips from various films and goes into immense detail about why they are so impactful and evict so much emotion. I was particularly interested in learning about contrast and layers in the film when the narrator was discussing a very heartwrenching and uncomfortable scene from the film 12 Years a Slave (2013 dir. Steve McQueen). Somehow, I plan to try and utilize this skill in my opening.


Talk soon,
IM

   

The Coppolas strike again!

   As I have now solidified my idea of having two characters in my opening, I think the next best step is to figure out who they are and go from there. In another post on my blog, I mentioned how the two characters in my opening with being named Rose and Eden. Recently I rewatched Palo Alto (2013 dir. Gia Coppola) and got very inspired by some of the characters in the film (and cinematography). In my opinion, Palo Alto is one of those movies that depicts teenage life in a more accurate perspective than some of the others (I'm looking at you Mean Girls). Its slow pace, minimal plot, and interesting characters make for a very entertaining hour and forty minutes. The characters are all so different from one another, yet so the same. It's a tale, if you will, of misunderstood youth and mundane life. After viewing the film for the second time, I took note at some of the characters a bit more, particularly the two main female characters: April and Emily.

April (still from Palo Alto dir. Gia Coppola)

April (still from Palo Alto dir. Gia Coppola)

   April is the more subdued of the two, she's on the soccer team, smart, shy with a little bit of a dark attitude, but innocent (and engaging in an affair with her coach outside of school). But besides that, I'm hoping to use some of these qualities for one of my characters, Rose. There's a scene in Palo Alto that is one of my favorites, where April,  alone in her bedroom tries to embody this tough, cool girl exterior and talking into the mirror saying things like “Well I don't wanna talk to you either, because I don't give a …” I think you can fill in the dots from there. I imagine that if I were to create a full feature film, I would have a similar scene involving rose. The reason being is that I think like April, rose has tried to embody someone who she is not, Eden. And if I were to create the whole movie I would have her figure out along the way that she is the person she was always meant to be.

Emily (Palo Alto dir. Gia Coppola)

  As for Eden, she's the one in the film who ends up dying. She's impulsive, confident, and a little manipulative. I guess in some ways Emily from Palo Alto could be compared to Eden. I think Emily was supposed to be a more realistic version of a mean girl of sorts in Palo Alto, the one that's always all over guys and smoking cigarettes. Just a bunch of angst and more angst. Although Eden is a lot more wild than rose, she's not the type to go out and party whenever she has a chance, she is still reserved in her own manner. In one scene from Palo Alto, there's a great montage of close-up shots of Emily, with a monologue from a male character in the background. Also, the cinematography in the shot is so beautiful. I love the dull tone and lighting, combined with the close ups of this reserved, yet seductive character. This small part of the movie really embodies and established Emily as a character. These are some of the characteristics I would like to incorporate into my opening.

Emily (still from Palo Alto dir. Gia Coppola)

Tribecafilm. "PALO ALTO -- April in Bedroom (Tribeca Film)." YouTube. YouTube, 29 May 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

Filmlincdotcom. "Palo Alto | Clip: "Emily Didn't Have Any Friends" | New Release." YouTube. YouTube, 05 May 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

We're getting somewhere...

  Yesterday, I took a nap. But not just any nap... the nap. I woke up and instantly reached for my journal and wrote down what is now my rough draft for my film. The basics of what my film is that it revolves around two best friends, Rose and Eden (I have no idea where these names cam from, somehow they won't leave my thoughts). Before the film starts Eden unexpectedly goes missing, only to be found a couples weeks later dead. Rose, dealing with a lot of grief tries to not only put together the pieces of what happened to her friend but evaluate her life with different people from her past and present. Right now it sounds a little cookie cutter/cheesy/potentially just another angsty teen drama but I've come up with some different ways to help combat these assumptions.

  Recently I was talking to my friend Cassie about media studies and our final projects for the year. Since she's in A Level she gave me tons of insight into the process and her experience making a film opening last year. While telling her about my idea and what I had in mind visually, we ended up in a conversation about Barry Jenkins and his inspirations for his critically acclaimed film Moonlight (2016). Both the videos attached to this post were mentioned in the conversation have really inspired me to film my opening as artistically and abstractly as possible, almost like a visual poem. I think with such a simple plot and minimal dialogue, I need to really create something visually to draw in audiences and make them want to know what happens next. 

  As you can see in the video above, Moonlight has some beautiful cinematography. The shots and angles are all so meticulous and all serve a purpose in the particular scene. Before viewing both of these videos, I had no idea who Wong Kar-wai was. After watching these shot-by-shot comparisons, I'm definitely interested in watching some of his past works, particularly Chungking Express (1994) and In the Mood for Love (2000) as they were major inspirations for Jenkins when filming Moonlight. I'm  in love with the closeups of characters, frame within a framework, and interesting perspectives and angles. All things I hope to incorporate when filming. In another video I viewed with Jenkins actually going into detail on why he's so inspired by Kar-wai, he talks about non-linear storylines and juxtaposed images. I'm definitely going to look into these things a bit more when it comes time for me to film! Planning for my film starts next week, so stay tuned for lots of interesting posts.

                     Over and out

                          IM

Criterioncollection. "Under the Influence: Barry Jenkins on Wong Kar-wai." YouTube. YouTube, 29 Nov. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

"Moonlight and Wong Kar-wai." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Jan. 2017. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

Damien Chazelle is a genius (& other ramblings)

   After browsing Youtube for educational videos on how to produce the best film opening I can, I came across this video on youtube by 'Now You See It'. In it, the narrator discusses the importance of opening shots. I'm thinking this will come in handy when trying to map out what shots are needed for my idea of choice.

Here are some of the main points I took from my viewing:

• opening shots are used to convey main ideas, premises, or character arcs
• its the first bit of information we get about a film whether it be a person or a computer screen
• sometimes they reflect the entire movie 
• shot from behind a character's head = signs of weakness that will be prominent throughout the film
• its the first thing your audience will see, so make it count

   I've been looking into some notable film openings, particularly regarding the drama genre. Whiplash has always really stuck out as one of my favorite openings. It's super simple with nothing very "in your face" but instantly introduces you to the main characters and the conflict that's yet to come. I love the way the Chazelle describes the process of creating the opening in this video from the New York Times. He talks about how he thinks many filmmakers waste their opening minutes of the film, while he believes it's the most important part of the movie because of you "haven't lost the audience... yet". He uses elements of intense drumming noises and interesting lighting to establish right away what his tone is: "an undercurtain of dread". One thing he says at the end of the video will definitely stay in my mind as I go along with this project "I like movies that give you the entire movie in a microcosm of the opening scene."

                Bye for now,
                      IM

TheNewYorkTimes. "'Whiplash' | Anatomy of a Scene W/ Director Damien Chazelle | The New York Times." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Oct. 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

"Opening Shots Tell Us Everything." YouTube. YouTube, 31 July 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Let's get this show on the road

Manchester by the Sea (dir. Kenneth Lonergan 2016)

And so it begins... After a long couple of months learning techniques, tips, and tricks, the day has finally come to start working on my final project of the year for AICE Media Studies. Through this blog, I plan to record my process of creating a short film opening. So many things are running through my head right now; I've had numerous ideas throughout the year but none of them have really made complete sense. My many years of watching movies will hopefully come in handy now that this project has been given to me. It's exciting yet completely scary that I'll have the opportunity to create original content. I'm very nervous about how this will all come together, but I have faith that it will all turn out alright. Most of my ideas are drama related and involve some sort of character going through a personal tragedy. I'm thinking of doing something very character driven, with less plot importance and more on how I can develop a character in two minutes or less. Mainly, I'm thinking of doing something in the scheme of Manchester by the Sea (2016 dir. Kenneth Lonergan), Moonlight (2016 dir. Barry Jenkins), Whiplash (2014 dir. Damien Chazelle), and Blue Valentine (2010 dir. Derek Cianfrance). All of these films, though completely different in location and plot, are all very much based on the characters and how they interact with the people around them. I'll probably solidify my idea very soon this week, and get started planning exactly what I'm going to do.

Until then,

                   IM

MovieclipsTRAILERS. "Manchester by the Sea Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Casey Affleck Movie."YouTube. YouTube, 24 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

A24Films. "Moonlight | Official Trailer HD | A24." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

MovieclipsCOMINGSOON. "Whiplash TRAILER 1 (2014) - J.K. Simmons, Miles Teller Movie HD." YouTube. YouTube, 25 July 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.

Hollywoodstreams. "'Blue Valentine' Trailer HD." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2017.