CCR and Film Opening submission!

 

Finally, we've made it! These are my final submissions! What a bittersweet feeling. 

CCR Questions 3 and 4:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1V4nqMd1m4mRB8oj7Hs7IVkwLrBLCd9eH?usp=sharing

CCR Questions 1 and 2: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zxqkg-pPu8Yh0h34KBHRhdqGsTHiRYFI?usp=sharing

Film Opening:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-TCsrNPMj9r2E9vdtAzDS-7acTkTURG4?usp=sharing

Here I am on my spring break trip and I'm just reminiscing the whole process of this project! I am eternally grateful I was offered this opportunity!

Editing my CCR'S!

    Hey blogggggg! For today, I'll be showing you all the process in my editing so far for my CCR'S! For questions 3 and 4, I answered by making a podcast episode with me as the host. In order to do this, I had to film myself speaking and answering the questions being asked to me by my audience. 

First, I had to find a catchy and fun audio to have in the background. I searched through Epidemic Sounds and Artlist on google to find the perfect audio. Ultimately, I landed on an audio from Artlist and had it playing in the background the entire time. It's calm enough for it to not distract listeners from my actual responses.

Here is me looking for an audio:

When it came to actually editing, I used Canva to create a cover page for my podcast. I also used ClipChamp to edit in my speaking clips and connecting them to the clips of the audience asking me the questions. With the combination of the two, I was able to also add in the intro music and the background music for the rest of the video. 

This is my cover art!:

I chose a red color scheme and all-caps font to match the elements I used in my movie intro! Just look at the font in it:

I incorporated the use of red in both my CCR and my movie intro because red hints at danger, fear, and the main character’s mental state starting to spiral. It’s kind of like a visual clue to the audience that something isn’t right, even before the scary moments actually begin. I liked the idea of using color to subtly build tension instead of just jumping straight into something creepy.

Ultimately, I finally finished editing my CCR podcast for questions 3 and 4 and I'm almost done with the editing of my Director Commentary CCR for questions 1-2. 

^^This shows my completed editing process with my CCR podcast for questions 1 and 2!

Production of CCR's!

 Hi Cambridge peeps! For today's blog, I'll be focusing on the production of my CCR'S! 

 Production for my project is officially underway, and I’m really excited about how it’s starting to come together! So far, I’ve filmed all of the scenes where I appear on camera explaining my movie opening. These are my “me” scenes, and later I’m going to edit clips from the actual film intro into them so it feels like a fun director’s commentary, where I talk about the scenes while they play. 

  

The image of my camera roll is my proof of production! 

My movie opening follows the psychological thriller genre, so the beginning looks normal at first but slowly starts to feel unsettling. It starts in a therapist’s office where the main character explains that she’s been seeing things and feels like she might be going crazy. Instead of starting with action or something scary right away, I wanted to build tension in a more psychological way, so the audience starts questioning what’s real. Small details, like the therapist asking about medication and the character hesitating before answering, help hint that something deeper might be going on. 

When the scene switches to her house, things slowly start to get stranger. Normal sounds like the fridge humming or cereal hitting the bowl become louder, which helps make the scene feel more tense and quiet. Then weird things start happening, like the TV seeming to talk directly to her and a spoon appearing bent in different places. These moments are meant to make the audience curious and a little uncomfortable, so they want to keep watching to figure out what’s actually happening. 

Overall, I wanted the opening to feel mysterious, suspenseful, and just a little bit creepy!

the FINAL reflection :,)

 Hello hello my Cambridge peeps! This feeling is soooo bittersweet! As much stress as this project caused me, it really showed me what I was capable of doing that I hadn't known before. Truly, I didn't even choose this class to take for the year. I had put AICE Media Studies AS as a backup for a class I really wanted but at the end of the day, I think it worked out exactly how it was meant to. No matter how hard I tried, switching out wasn't working out or in my favor, so I realized from the very start that I had to "deal with" this class and couldn't fool off. Now, reflecting on the early months of the school year, I realize that my "hatred" for this class wasn't truly hatred; it was fear. I was so scared to be in an important class full of students who aspire to do something in the field of cinematography and such, because I never had those same interests or interests of my own to be passionate about. Now, my independence has allowed me to be a more confident person in and outside of the class. I truly would recommend this class to any student. It's unique and one like NO OTHER AICE class is. 

Now, to realllyyy focus on my portfolio project, I'll start of by saying "FINALLY!", as we have reached the end of an era. If filming the movie intro taught me anything, it's how hard it is to make everything actually look and sound good. To elaborate though, I found it so hard to make all the scenes flow together to make one whole project. The cuts seemed choppy and I felt stuck as if I couldn't find a solution. Fortunately, I fidgeted with the angles and lighting and it honestly fixed my main issue of choppy cuts. 

I think this project was a massive learning experience. Not only do you take on a responsible role and are given 8 weeks to complete a half of your final project, but you learn a few things about yourself as well. Although my editing and color scheming got better, there was so much more to it. This project showed someone's potential reality, so creating the product really haunted me with that thought. I had to put myself in "Ava's" position to see how exactly she would react and answer to things. I 100% think this project allowed me to be as creative as can be, which meant I had full responsibility for choosing a genre and everything else required for the Portfolio Project. Fortunately, I love a good horror movie. So, I took Psychological Horror as my genre and ran with it. My ideas were all over the place, but I ultimately decided on my favorite plot. Long story short, my main character Ava is a young adult living alone with a mental illness that lives with her on the daily where she hallucinates. Or at least she thinks she's hallucinating. 

I am super grateful to have been offered the opportunity of making this project! I'll forever reminisce this class. It's an AICE class like no other! If only I could tell myself from the beginning of the year how much I would love this class. 

Just to look back on the start of the year, here's a quit clip I recorded from an earlier project we had to do for my AICE Media Studies class. For the project, we were told to make a music video for an already existing song. We had to choose from 3 songs that our teacher offered us, and it was SO HARD to pick just one because they were all so good. Ultimately, our project was what sparked my love for this class. I'll never forget this class or the projects!

CCR PRODUCTION IDEAS !

 Hi blog!!! IM SO HAPPY I finally finished my movie intro! Today, i'll be figuring out how I want to answer my Creating Critical Reflection questions. There are 4 questions:

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text? 

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project? 

4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

For my first and second question, I wanted to do something a little more fun instead of just answering it normally. My idea is to turn it into a director’s commentary, kind of like the behind-the-scenes commentary you hear when directors explain their films. I’ll play my project and talk through it while it’s happening, pausing at certain moments to explain my creative choices and the thinking behind different parts of it. As the video plays, I’ll explain things like how the product engages with audiences, why I made certain design or storytelling decisions, and how it could realistically be distributed if it were a real product. Also, I'll talk about how my project challenges and uses conventions while also talk about about how it represents social groups or issues. It’ll basically feel like a fun, behind-the-scenes explanation of how everything came together.

Inspo:

For the third and fourth questions, I decided to present my response as if I’m recording a podcast where I talk about my project and reflect on the process. Instead of just answering the questions normally, I’ll basically be talking through them like I’m explaining the project to listeners. I think this makes it feel more natural and fun, almost like I’m telling the story of how everything came together while answering the questions. During the podcast style recording, I’ll talk about how my production skills developed throughout the project. I definitely got better at planning shots, filming scenes in a way that builds tension, and editing clips so the opening flows smoothly. I also became more confident using editing software and thinking about pacing, sound, and visuals together to create the right mood for a psychological thriller opening. I’ll also explain how I used different technologies while making the project. I filmed using my phone, edited everything together using clipchamp, and used online resources for things like inspiration and sound effects. Even though it’s just me talking through the questions, presenting it like a podcast makes the reflection feel more creative and engaging while still clearly showing how my skills improved during the project.

My inspo was from a previous student in this class:

For the other two questions, I'll answer them like I did in the last few blog posts. Until further notice, I'll be working on my CCR!!!! I'll be updating this blog with my process suppperrr soon! 

Researching for CCR questions #4!!

Hello people of Cambridge! Another little update about my project and this time we're answering the last and final CCR question: How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

For this project I used a mix of tools to bring my idea to life. I used my phone to film all the scenes . It made filming really easy because I could quickly adjust angles and record multiple takes until the scene looked right. I also used lighting in the room to help control how bright or dark certain shots looked so the mood felt right for a psychological thriller. 

For the editing part, I used editing program called ClipChamp where I could cut clips, adjust the timing of scenes, and add effects. This is where a lot of the storytelling actually came together. I used a filter called Filmic for the flashback scenes so they look softer and more like memories, while the present scenes are brighter and more saturated so the audience can tell the difference between past and present. 

I also worked with sound editing, which was super important for my intro. I layered different sounds like heavy breathing and a phone ringing to build tension. When the sounds overlap it makes the scene feel more intense and helps the audience feel the character’s anxiety. 

Online tools were also really helpful. I used them to research psychological thriller conventions and get inspiration for editing styles and sound design. I also used online platforms to share updates and reflect on my progress during the project. 

Overall, combining filming hardware, editing software, and online resources helped me turn my original idea into a full movie intro and really helped bring the suspenseful atmosphere to life.

Researching for CCR questions #3!!

 Hellooo my Cambridge people! I want to say it's been a good day, but unfortunately it hasn't been. For the past two days, ClipChamp has been buffering on me and acting up. I've tried EVERYTHING but it's still so slow and glitchy. I edited a ton of work but it deleted overnight with the glitching of the system. I'm going to be honest, it's really starting to get on my nerves. It's extremely frustrating. Here's an example:

Apart from this obstacle though, today's blog post will be focused on answering one out of the four CCR questions! I've answered two already which means I only have two more left! I'm halfway there! Today's question is: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

So first, my intro engages the audience by creating a lot of mystery and suspense right away. From the very beginning the viewer sees the main character telling her therapist that she has been seeing things and might be going crazy. That already makes the audience curious because they want to know what actually happened to her.

Then the story cuts to the flashback at her house, where everything starts feeling uncomfortable. The small sounds like the spoon clinking and the fridge humming feel really loud, which helps build tension. When the actor on the TV suddenly says “you weren’t supposed to hear that,” it becomes even more creepy because it feels like the TV is talking directly to her. Moments like the spoon appearing outside and then back in the bowl also make the audience question what is real. This keeps viewers engaged because they are trying to figure out what is actually happening.

The intro also engages the audience emotionally because it shows the character feeling confused and scared. Viewers might feel sympathy for her and want to keep watching to see if she is actually experiencing something supernatural or if it is connected to her mental health issues.

If this were a real movie, it would most likely be distributed through platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime because psychological thrillers perform really well on those platforms. It could also be released in movie theaters first and then later move to streaming services. Trailers and short clips could be posted on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to build hype and attract viewers.

Overall, the mystery, suspense, and emotional tension help keep the audience interested, while streaming services, theaters, and social media promotion would help distribute the film to a wide audience.

https://ew.com/best-psychological-thrillers-streaming-now-11827606

Overall, the mystery, suspense, and emotional tension help keep the audience interested, while streaming services, theaters, and social media promotion would help distribute the film to a wide audience.