Researching for CCR questions #1!

 HI BLOG!!!! 

For today's post, I'm gonna focus primarily on researching one of the questions I have to answer for my CCR: "How did your production skills develop throughout this project?" 

For starters, I would like to say that I am very much of a noobie when it comes to filming and editing. I'm pretty new to editing on apps apart from CapCut, which makes everything so easy and accessible. Since we don't use CapCut in my class of AICE Media Studies, I would like to say that being introduced to ClipChamp has easily been a life saver. ClipChamp is super easy to use and I am starting to find my way with the app. As for filming, the lessons we have been taught in class have been super helpful. For example, us students have learned different shot, angle and composition techniques which has allowed me to really capture an image vividly and collect the emotional side of it as well.

With time, I know my editing and filming will be much better with more practice and knowledge. To acquire this skill, I plan on watching video tutorials or read articles. For example, I can watch a tutorial on how to make my content have better quality: 

Also, if I want to learn how to truly capture character emotion in cinematography I can figure it out using articles such as this one.  

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10352452/

I ultimately hope that my product satisfies my expectations even though it'll be a difficult task to complete. Im just kidding, but seriously I do truly hope I take what I've learned and will continue to learn and put that into my project! BYE! Until next time, :)

Pt. 1 Editing Process!

 Hello people of Cambridge, welcome BACK to my blog! So to recap, I started filming on Tuesday of this week and got a lot done, but there is still much to be filmed. So, for now, I'm leaving blanks in between scenes that have and haven't been filmed yet so then I can fill them in once they've been recorded. So far, we've filmed the "living room" scene where my lead role is serving herself dinner. Tonight, we plan on recording the "therapist office" scene and the "front door" scene. 

I've been toying around with the coloring and seeing that warmer tones are fitting best with my film opening.:

I've also been checking out the effects to see which ones I wanna add to my project. I really like the "zoom in" feature because it makes the scene feel more ominous paired with the silence. 

Ultimately, I am a little stressed with the project due date coming up buttt I know I'll feel much more relieved once I get all my filming done this week. I'll be updating back on the blogger very soon! 

Obstacles and Issues i encountered!

 Hey Cambridge people! Today is Wednesday, my birthday! I am so pumped because I started filming yesterday! My vision is finally coming to life and all I want to do is film the rest. We started filming a week later then I had originally planned on because me and my lead role, Reese, have had extremely busy and colliding schedules with dance and school. Yesterday though, we were able to meet and film at least a bit. I feel the stress because the due date for the portfolio projects is ONLY. 20. DAYS. AWAY. My biggest obstacle has been probably time management. Although we filmed a good chunk of the scenes yesterday, we still have a LOT missing. I plan on being more organized for tomorrow, because we're gonna film more. My goal is to finish filming tomorrow but if that isn't possible, I'll for sure finish on Sunday. Here is a teaser scene from what we've filmed so far: 

Another obstacle I went through was purely due to stress and trying to get my filming done without it looking rushed; we filmed everything vertically. I started freaking out after this BUT I knew that my only option was to redo the scenes and record them horizontally. Thankfully, we managed to get these horizontal scenes done much quicker since we already had an idea down. Here is an example of a vertical scene that quickly made us realize the mistake we had made:

Meeting with groups PT2!

Group Meeting number two! 

Alejandro

-Fast and Furious inspired skit. It's an action comedy where Ale is the main character (Pauley), Felipe is being another character (Mr.Clutch), and Sebastian being the main characters best friend (Jay). Costuming is like streetwear for the racers and for the dealers, suits. They plan on using real cars for their film and they want to film behind the AMC Weston 8 for that dark alleyway. In all, Jay is a troubled guy who loves cars. Mr. Clutch sells special car parts to Jay that are illegal, so it's super sketchy. The biggest obstacles have been that his two partners work so scheduling times is complicated. His group plans on starting to film today as well. 

Julian

-His story is about an 18 year old boy. He had an opportunity to go try out for a professional club but he wakes up late and drives to tryouts rushing. On the drive there, on the radio, they  announced that a 16 year old made his debut on a pro soccer team. This made him feel jealous and wanting of what the 16 year old has. His older brother is gonna be the main character, while he films. He plans on starting to film this week. 

Lina

-Project is a coming of age film about an anti-social girl who gets hallucinations of a "better version of herself". Eventually, she becomes envious and jealous of this other entity. The two entities will never be in same frame. Lina plans on using color scheme to emphasize the bright colors in the "better version" and darker colors for the "lesser version" of herself. Her biggest obstacle so far has been her lead role quitting. For her CCR, she came up with an idea of the "better version" interviewing the "lesser version". Fortunately, Lina came up with a new lead and plans on starting to film today.

Kiarmary

-Secret agent where she has to do an exchange with briefcases with a super bad entity kind of evil, but the secret agent is a baddie. The agent takes what the guy promised her but she didn't exchange her side of the deal. The film ends with a chase and the title pops in after a car drives by. Their biggest obstacle so far has been the setting for the location. They wanted to film either at the "Weston Diner" or "Lesters" but ultimately decided to film behind the town center buildings. They plan on using spy music for the chase scene, but haven't decided on what song exactly. They plan on starting to film today at night. For her CCR, she wants to have her dad or brother interview her using papers out of the briefcase. 

Character background

Hey Cambridge peeps!  I wanna start off by introducing my my main character better because you'll be seeing a lot of her very soon !!!!! 

-Ava Lopes is a young woman in her early 20's living on her own in the home her parents left her in their will. Her parents were lovely to her and unfortunately died in an abrupt car accident when Ava was 16. Since Ava is an only child and had no family to take her in, she was put into foster care and wasn't able to inherit the house her parents left until she was 18. For the two years she was in foster care, nobody wanted to take her in. She spent two years watching people come and go from her life, so she learnt not to let anyone in. In those two years though, Ava developed a mental illness that she is later diagnosed with in which made her believe she was seeing and hearing things. She was stuck in this mental block and ultimately had to get a therapist and prescribed medicine. She now lives in her family home alone and has been doing better with her medication. But, if she forgets to take a dosage even for a day, It'll all come racing back to her. It is suuuper important that Ava takes her pills for the day. And although she's been struggling with her mental illness for years now, she'll never be used to her hallucinations, unless they aren't hallucinations and they're actually real...? I guess we'll never know!

Ava has long dark hair and blue eyes. She doesn't go out much to avoid social interactions, which is why she is so pale. She is very off the radar and wants to stay that way. 

This is my inspo above! My actress, Reese Eisen looks very similar to her. 

Until next time cambridge peepppss! You'll hear from me so soon! Next up, we're finally starting to film tomorrow! I'll make sure to include behind the scene clips!

Creating my props!! Yay!

     Helllooooo Cambridge people, I hope you're all having a blessed day! For today's post, I want to focus primarily on the making of my props that I plan on using in my project! I want to keep all my props minimal and simplistic to maintain the eerie yet modern effect so viewers can linger and think about how this could happen to them to. For example, the pouring of milk and cereal into a bowl is a common thing people do in their every day lives. Also, mental issues have become more common through teenagers these days so the prescribed pills for their diagnose is something that may seem relatable for some. 

This is an example of my prop of the bent spoon:

My ultimate goal with this spoon is to make my viewers feel discomfort.

Another prop I have is the pill organizer showing one pill left in her dosage:

EEEEEKKK I'm so excited!! Im starting to film THIS. SUNDAY. I can't wait to finally execute all my fun ideas and see my imagination in film!

 

FOLEY SOUNDS!

 Hey Cambridge people! I hope you guys are having a great day! For my project, I want to make sure to realllllyyy emphasize my sounds but specifically my diegetic ones. I want them to be loud and messy, kinda like to remind viewers that my film opening is gonna be very psychological and very much " in her head". 

For the scene in the therapists office:

-Scratching of the pen against the paper 

-Chair fabric creaking when she shifts

-Clock ticking slightly off rhythm

-Paper rustling louder than it should

-Swallowing

* I wanna make sure the pen is the loudest thing in the room to kind of in a way show judgment 

Back at her house:

-Rattling pil organizer

-Refrigerator sounds : 

-Spoon clinking echoing

-Cereal hitting bowl:

-TV faintly playing in background 

-Milk pouring overpowering everything else 

-Watching TV, spoon clinking loud as she eats 

-"You weren’t supposed to hear that" comes from TV

-Sudden static crackle

Door scene:

-Doorbell rings loudly behind the static

-Loud wind 

-Spoon from cereal sits on her doormat

Back inside:

-Static is louder 

-Spoon scraping when she touches it

-Remote buttons clicking rapidly

-TV powering off (loud button click and abrupt TV turning off)

-Phone keypad tones

- Phone ringing lightly 

-Fabric rustle as she presses phone to ear

-Cut to black on the ringing tone 

IM SO EXCITED to get to execute my idea fully!! I plan on starting filming next week :)

Logo Production

 Hi blog!!! Today I'm making my logo. I wanted the meaning behind the name to be like two faced and idealized, so I chose "Eidolon". In Greek Mythology, eidolon refers to "an image, phantom, shade, or apparition, often signifying a spirit-image of a living or dead person." Because of this, I wanted to include the use of masks in the production logo. There was many options for me to choose from;

But in the end, this is the template I decided on:

I was in between 4 different fonts, 2 of them were "Ahsing" and "Skin & Bones". I also wanted to change the background to be a non solid color, so I chose an ombre black and white background.

Ultimately, I decided to choose this font to include in my final production company logo

Audio!!

 Audio focus in my film opening!

Welcome welcome BACK to my blog my Cambridge friends! On today's post, I'll be focusing on the use of audio for my film introduction! My intro is gonna rely heavily on audio as I want as little as possible talking or script to be used. I wanna do this because it adds to that eerie vibe of my main character living lonely and in fear constantly. 

For my specifics:

-I want the pen that the therapist is using to write down the main characters symptoms to be loud as she writes.

-I want the pill bottles to be shaken and be loud 

-I want the opening and closing of the fridge to be loud

-I want the sound of pouring milk and cereal to be loud 

-I want the sound of the spoon clanking against the bowl to be loud

-I want the faint TV noise to be in the backround, while the eating is louder

-Then, i want the TV to grow louder when the TV actor speaks to her

-The doorbell must be extremely loud and sudden to break the tension from the main character and the TV actor

-The static from the TV has to be super loud and enunciated 

-The dialing of numbers on the phone to call her therapist must be loud 

^^Her heavy and shaky breaths must be loud as she dials the numbers

Overall, I want background noise to be the main focus of my film intro to really enunciate and indicate the silence of the main character living alone and enhance that creepy vibe. OMG!! I'm super excited to get the project started and I'm very glad to have many outlines and resources to follow for my project to reach it's full abilities!

Mise-en-scene (lighting)

 Mise- en-scene Focusing on Lighting

Hi Cambridge peeeppss! For todays blog, I'll be focusing on how I'll be incorporating mise-en-scene through the use of lighting in my project! Since my movie intro begins in a therapist office, I wanna use lightning that is very cool toned to give off the vibes that something is wrong because instead of feeling comfort in a therapy room like most do, I want to give off the opposite vibe of discomfort.

-This is a great example because even all the walls are white and not much is going on for the characters to focus on, and that's my goal. 

-The main goal is for the characters to seem uncomfortable and unsettled. 

I plan on recording my film introduction in a modern house to give off that eerie materialistic vibe. For example:

-Using this lighting will allow me to execute my film to have the exact vibe i want it to give off, which is eerie. 

-It's funny to me because the whole thing is ironic since a big modern house at night all alone can't be too scary, or can it? It looks so comforting so how is that even a possibility?

Mise-en-scene (props & set)

 Mise-en-scene Focusing on Props and Set

Hi blog! On today's post, I'll be focusing primarily on the mise-en-scene of props and set for my film intro. I plan on recording the intro at a very modern house to make it seem more eerie and up to date. I'll either use my house or my neighbors house. For reference, my house has white and black colored walls and marble floors, adding to the modern feeling. For the therapy session, I plan on using a plain color walled and tight room so like it builds up tension in between the main character and the therapist. I want the therapy room to look very uncomfortable and i hope I'll be able to achieve this with the use of props. For the therapy session, I plan on using a clip board sort of thing for the therapist to be jotting down the main characters symptoms, something similar to this below! :

For the other scenes, I have many props too. For example, in the scene where she is taking her daily dose of medication for her mental illness, I'll need a few pill bottles as props, preferably 7 bottles (one for every day). I want to have them all lined up in order of day to show perfection, just how my main character likes it. The pill bottles symbolizes her mental health problems and her want to be rid of them. I'm not completely sure if I want to do pill bottles or use a pill organizer, here are my two options:

A pill organizer or,

The actual pill bottles

I also want to use the bowl and the spoon for her dinner because she's eating cereal. The spoon is extremely important as it disappears to re-appear "in her imagination" from the bowl of cereal to her door step and back to her bowl. The spoon symbolizes specifically what is wrong with her, as it shows signs of her hallucinating. I'm not entirely sure yet, but I want to alter the spoon in a way after it reappears to indicate that it really was outside and she's not just imagining it. For example:

 

Character Development

~Character Development~

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!  

In this movie's intro, there are only two characters being shown; the therapist and the main character. The TV actor is mentioned but isn’t considered thoroughly as the actor's scene is very quick and eerie. 

The therapist is barely shown at the start, but we know she is a reliable person the main character can go to. We see this at the end when the main character calls her therapist in distress after her scary encounter with her own “imagination.”  

The TV actor is shown once and once only but makes a terrifying impression on the main character as they quote, “you weren’t supposed to see this” in a very creepy voice. 

The main character is developed throughout the introduction. For example, she is first shown at a session with her therapist, which tells the audience a little something about her mental state, especially since she does say that she’s been “seeing things.” Then, she is shown at home at night all alone which also tells the audience that she lives alone and is very kept to herself, probably due to her mental illness. When the TV actor starts “talking directly” to her, the main character is in fear, telling the viewers that she is a paranoid and scared girl who can’t identify what’s real and what she’s just seeing to herself. Then, when there’s a ring at the door, the main character opens the door to nobody but just to the spoon from her dinner cereal. This scene is important because when she rubs her eyes to double check if her spoon really was on her doorstep, the spoon disappears back into her bowl which increased her anxiousness. We know this because of the main characters facial reactions and because at the end of the introduction, she calls her therapist as fast as her shaky hands can. Ultimately, the main character is developed to be shown as a girl who is in a state of confusion as she cannot identify if what she’s seeing is real or fake. She is in a state of constant fear and can’t even feel safe in her own home. 

 

~ Project Script ~

 -Since my project is relying heavily on audio, the script will be more audio and sounds than actual words. BUT the sound is so crucially important for my project to maintain that spooky vibe.

SCENE 1- THERAPIST ROOM

-The room is very plain and white. A camera stays still, showing the MC (main character)  sitting in a chair. She looks nervous, holding her hands together very tightly under her thighs.

-MC (In a shaky voice) : "I’ve been seeing things. Sometimes… I feel like I’m going crazy."

-The THERAPIST stays calm and gentle and she doesn't look shocked. 

-THERAPIST :"What do you mean by that?"

-The Therapist starts taking notes but he words look way too official which makes MC even more nervous. 

-THERAPIST:  "Are you taking your medication daily?"

- MC hesitates and she doesn't answer. Instead she just stares at her hands while the Therapist’s pen keeps moving. (while the pen moves, emphasis on the loud scratching)

SCENE 2- APARTMENT AT NIGHT 

-The apartment is quiet except for a low fridge hum. 

-On the counter, a pill organizer shows today’s slot is empty but every other day is still full. 

-MC pours a big bowl of cereal for dinner. Every sound is exaggerated.

- The cereal hits the bowl like falling rocks. 

-The spoon clinks against the bowl and makes a loud CLANG. 

-The TV is playing in the background, but MC isn't really watching. She's kinda just dozed off into the distance

SCENE 3- LIVING ROOM

- While watching TV,  random actor on the television speaks in a strange tone. 

-TV ACTOR : "You weren’t supposed to hear that. "

-MC freezes

-A drop of milk falls from the spoon, but it moves in extreme slow motion, stretching out forever before it hits the bowl.

- Static starts to creep into the audio as the TV continues.

- On the screen, the actor stops acting and stares directly into the camera. Their mouth isn't moving either.

-  A loud burst of static and the doorbell ring at the exact same time.

SCENE 4- AT DOOR 

-MC rushes to the door and opens it

-To her surprise, there's nobody there

-She looks down to see her cereal spoon is sitting right there on the doormat

-It’s covered in milk from the cereal and a leaf is stuck to the spoon

 -She rubs her eyes in confusion but when she looks back down opening her eyes, the spoon is gone

SCENE 5- LIVING ROOM PT 2

-MC walks back into the living room breathing fast

-She looks at her bowl to see the spoon is back inside the cereal but now the metal is completely bent out of shape and the leaf is still stuck to it

- The TV static gets heavy and loud, filling the room as she stands there in confusion 

-The title appears inside the TV static

- MC grabs the remote and clicks the TV off and silence fills the room

-She grabs her phone and frantically searches for her therapist's in her contacts in a number

-She pulls the phone to her ear, her face pale and her hands trembling

-Annnddd the screen goes black

INSPO FOR THERAPIST'S ROOM: 

This picture is from the movie Smile (2022) and it's just very ominous and mysterious throughout the whole scene. The only thing I would change is the colors of the walls because I personally think the white's and basic colors in rooms are more simplistic and scary.

Project Idea & Major Inspo!

 Project Idea & Major Inspo!

-For my project, I want my main character to have some sort of mental illness. 

-I want it to start in a super plain therapist’s office with white walls, quiet air, everything perfectly still. 

-The main character would sit a little off to the edge of the couch, hands squeezed together under her thighs like she’s trying to hold herself steady. 

-She tells the therapist in a shaky voice that she’s been seeing things and sometimes feels like she’s going crazy. 

-The therapist stays calm and gentle, asking her what she means and taking notes that look way too official which only makes the girl more nervous. 

-When the therapist asks if she’s been taking her medication daily, the girl hesitates. She doesn’t answer right away instead she just stares at her hands while the therapist’s pen keeps moving. 

-Then the scene cuts sharply to her apartment. At er apartment, her pill organizer shows that today’s dose is missing, but all the others are untouched. 

-the apartment is quiet except for the fridge humming. 

-She pours herself a big bowl of cereal for dinner, and every tiny sound like the cereal hitting the bowl, the spoon clinking feels louder than normal. 

-The tv is on, but she’s barely paying attention. 

-Suddenly a random actor on the TV suddenly says “you weren’t supposed to hear that” like as if they were talking straight to her. 

-She freezes and even the milk dripping from her spoon seems to stretch out forever in a dramatic way.

- Static comes from the TV, and an actor from the movie or show she is watching is staring directly at the camera without moving their mouth. 

-A burst of static hits, and the doorbell rings at the exact same time. 

-She opens the door to nobody there but her cereal spoon is sitting on the doormat, covered in milk with a leaf stuck to it. 

-She rubs her eyes to confirm what she saw, but the spoon disappeared. 

-When she goes back inside, the spoon is suddenly back in her cereal bowl, but now it’s bent, and the leaf is still there. 

-The TV is full with loud static, and the movie’s title appears inside the noise. 

-When the title disappears, the girl grabs the remote to turn off the tv and calls her therapist frantically. 

-The scene should end when the girl puts her phone to her ear.

MY MAIN INSPO!!!

I'm inspired by the movie Don't Worry Darling because I want my project to capture that same mysterious feeling where nobody can tell what is real and what is fake. I love how the story makes both the characters and the audience feel confused about their reality, creating an intense and trippy experience and leaving viewers on the edge. My goal is to use that same mysterious vibe to keep everyone guessing since the the movie intro would end and viewers wouldn't be able to see more.

Media Theory Incorporation!

 Media Theory Incorporation!

For my project, I want to use Stuart Hall's Reception Theory of Negotiated reading which is where  audiences are active consumers of media and can perceive a media text in one of three ways: 

-Dominant or preferred reading: audience with accept intentions of content creator 

-Oppositional reading: audience will reject intended meaning of content creator and will make their own reading 

-Negotiated reading:  audience will blend the two - accept some intentions and reject others

A negotiated reading fits my scene really well because I’m setting it up so the audience will agree with some of what I’m showing them but still question other parts, which is the whole point.  People will probably accept that my main character is dealing with mental health struggles like when I show the plain therapist’s office, her shaky voice, and the way she hesitates about taking her medication all allow audiences to believe so. But once she gets home and the weird stuff starts happening, like the TV talking straight to her or the spoon showing up outside and then appearing back in the bowl, the audience won’t be totally sure everything is just in her head. 

Instead, maybe they’ll mix the two ideas together like "yes, she isn't mentally okay but maybe also something strange is actually happening around her too and she isn't really just seeing things." That blend of “i believe this part” and “i’m not so sure about that part” is exactly what creates a negotiated reading, because viewers accept some of my intended meaning while still forming their own interpretation of what’s real and what isn't. I hope I am able to achieve this sensation of confusion and mystery for the audience because I want to keep them on edge at all times. To achieve this, I want to emphasize her emotions on specific parts but not all parts so then audiences are confused as to how or why she feels a certain way when something "real" or "just in her head" is happening. 

For example, the movie "Don't Worry Darling" uses this theory because the audience understands the main message but still adds their own ideas to it. Most people agree that the movie is showing how the Victory town is controlling and fake, and that Alice is trapped in a world that looks perfect but really isn’t. But at the same time, viewers question different parts of the story. People accept the basic message, but they also mix in their own thoughts about what the movie is really trying to say. That mix of agreeing with some parts and rethinking others is exactly how the movie uses negotiated reading.

Don't Worry Darling (2022)

Group meeting #1

Group Meeting Discussion!

Bella's group takes inspiration based off spider man as her main characters get the job done but aren’t very serious, she wants to create an action/comedy film opening. They want to film in Town Center for the chase and film in a fancy restaurant to exchange a briefcase that’s light blue as her story is meant to be a heist. I think her idea may need to be thought out more for further expansion but her idea has the potential to be executed greatly. 

Isabella wants to do a romance move intro, like an enemies to lovers trope. In her story, two family friends have to spend time together because her parents love each other’s parents but the kids hate each other. It's an arranged marriage and the kids have to get married. Both families are wealthy. The only critique I have for her is to manage her time wisely as her idea is great but it is very broad and needs to be simplified in order for it to fit as a movie intro. 

Felipe's idea includes a character named Paulie. He is the main character and Jay is the racer. Paulie buys a new car and he modifies it with illegal parts. Paulie goes to a meetup spot to race with others and others realize he’s using illegal parts. His genre is action/comedy . It seems like it will be executed good but it requires a lot of work to make it look as good since it is gonna require crazy visuals.

 Payton's idea is based on a boy who has a mental illness and is very introverted. He is a very focused and aggressive boy who is very meticulous and needs everything to be precise. It is a psychological horror inspired by Alice Sweet Alice. For color theory, she should include lot's of grays and blacks.  She thinks her biggest obstacle may be the portraying of the idea as she doesn’t have so much film experience, but she believes she will power through it. Since we are working on the same genre, I am interested in watching the movie that inspired her idea.

Me! (other’s feedback to mine): "Maybe start with a therapist over the shoulder shot to show what the clip board is stating for her symptoms. Explain more thoroughly on idea and expand ." 

Chase wants to do a psychological thriller/horror where a killer is chasing a girl down, when suddenly there's a cut to the title screen. Then a new girl is shown where she is doing an everyday task and then the screen distorts to “flashback” to actions from her past life of things she doesn’t remember doing and this happened throughout the entirety of the day. She basically got passed down the murder role but they are still unsure on how to establish the actual “how” of how they passed It down to them.