Final CCR

 Hey guys!! This will be my final post. I am so happy to have shared this experience with you guys and I am super excited to show what I have been working on!

Here are the links to my CCRs:

CCR #3 and #4

CCR #1 and #2

Final Film Opening

 Hi guys!! The day has finally come and all my hardwork is finally going to pay off. I am super excited to be showing you guys my finished project!

Here is the link to my final film opening:

Film Opening

CCR Production

 Hi blog!! Today I filmed my CCR posts. Unfortunately due to the weather I could not do my original scavenger hunt plan and since I was in a bit of a time crunch since I am going out of town so I decided to change my idea up a bit. I did one CCR post with fan mail where I would answer questions sent to me by my fans. The other was a powerpoint in which I did a voiceover. This all took a total of 3 hours which was honestly not that bad editing these was really easy. I recorded the mail one on my phone and I memorized the script I created in my previous blog.

Here is a sneak peak of the footage I got...

Editing process

    Hi blog!! I started editing today and am honestly getting a lot done. It was not too hard since a lot of my clips were setting the scene for the film. I should be done editing in like 2-3 days since I am consistently working on it. I’m really starting to see the story come together now that the clips are in order. It’s cool seeing how the beach setting looks with the music and the dialogue. I can’t wait to finish the final cut and see the whole thing finished!

Editing is actually kinda tough because it takes a lot of work to time everything perfectly with the dialogue and the cuts. I have to make sure the pacing feels right so the story doesn't move too fast or too slow. It was tricky at first, but I’m definitely starting to get the hang of it now.

But anyways here is some of my clips from my process

Filming Redo

 Hiiii!! After my filming disaster last week I finally got finished with all of my clips! I am a little behind, but am I super locked in now. Filming went perfectly and I have all the clips I need to begin editing!! I did need to redo a few of the clips I did before since the lighting was not exact but luckily it was super easy. I just need to filter the rest of my clips and figure out how to edit the credits into it, and fit them all smoothly but other than that I am back on track! I am going to begin editing tomorrow since it is late and I am tired. But I am really excited to see how this ends up turning out because I got REALLY sunburnt filming this.

Script for CCR #3 and #4

   Heyy its me again! Today I am creating my scripts for my CCR questions 3 and 4 since I did 1 and 2 yesterday. SO lets get to it!!

Here is my script for question #3: How did your production skills develop throughout this project

So, being totally honest, when I started this class, I knew literally nothing. I was a complete beginner. I didn't know how to frame a shot, I didn't know what color theory was, and I definitely didn't know how to use a camera to tell a story. I was just kind of winging it at first. But as I worked on this project, I really had to step up and actually learn how to be a producer. I went from just pointing a camera at stuff to actually thinking about composition and how different camera angles change the way the audience feels. Like, I learned that a simple close up can show so much more emotion than just a basic wide shot.

I also really dove into color theory and lighting, which I never even thought about before. I realized that the way a scene looks, like the warm colors of the beach can actually tell the audience about the mood of the film without anyone saying a line of dialogue. My skills developed a ton because I put in the work to fix my mistakes and keep practicing. I’m definitely not a pro yet, but looking at my finished project compared to where I started, I can see a huge difference. I actually understand the why behind my shots now, and that’s a massive jump from where I began.

Here is the question #4 answer: How did you integrate technologies into this project

For the tech part, I used a mix of hardware and software to make everything look better. For hardware, I used my iPhone and these tiny clip on mics. The mics were a huge help because they made the talking sound way clearer than just using the phone's built in mic.

For software, I did all my editing on Clipchamp. I didn't really know how to edit that well before this, so I had to teach myself how to make the editing process easier. I also used an app called Tezza for filters. The raw footage looked a little boring, but the filters really changed the mood and made it look like a real movie instead of just a video on my phone. Learning how to use all these tools was a big part of the project, and it's what really made the final film look good.

The main obstacle I had with the hardware was the wind at the beach. Even with the clip on mics, the wind was so loud it kept hitting the audio. I had to learn how to shield the mics and position them better so you could actually hear us over the waves. It was a challenge, and it still isnt perfect which is something I wish I could still improve on but I still think I overall did very good.  

For this section of my CCR, I am gonna do a like time jump from the scavenger hunt to a year later, since the person will find treasure, this will be their lives after the money and how much it has improved!!

I used the notes I took in class to guide me again when making this script.

Script for CCR #1 and #2

    For my CCR process, I want to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible, so I have decided to create a script. 

Script for questions #1: How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

-starts with me grabbing the notecard with the questions

So, for the conventions, I wanted to stay true to a classic Teen Drama. Usually, these movies are all about the vibes and the friendships, but I mixed in some action andadventure because of the treasure hunt. I used handheld camera shots to make it feel like you’re actually there with us on the beach, not just watching a movie. I also stuck with natural lighting because I wanted the beach to look like a place where we actually hang out every day, not some fancy vacation spot in a commercial.

When it comes to social groups, I’m representing gen Z and the reality of being a teenager who’s totally broke. I used mise-en-scene, which is basically just the stuff in the frame to show our background. Like, instead of expensive brand name clothes, my characters are wearing old, thrifted stuff to show their financial situation. The main issue I'm talking about is the wealth gap. For these kids, finding the treasure isn't just a fun game, it’s a way to actually change their lives. I wanted to challenge the idea that teenagers are just lazy. My characters are taking a huge risk and going on this massive journey because they’re driven to make something of themselves.

That is what I will be saying the first couple of minutes with my first notecard I find!!

The next question I need to answer is: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text

So, for my target audience, I mostly just looked at myself and my friends. Since I’m a teenager, I wanted to make something that I’d actually want to watch and would relate to on a real level. A lot of people deal with money issues and the stress of trying to figure out our lives, so making a movie about that felt real. I went with the treasure hunt idea because it’s that dream of finally getting enough money to change everything and leave your isolated hometown behind.

Now, for distribution, I have to be realistic. I’m an amateur filmmaker, so I’m not exactly calling up movie theaters for a worldwide release. Instead, I’m going where my audience already is... social media.

I’m going to put the movie on YouTube because that's where everyone can see it for free. To get people to actually click on it, I’ll use TikTok and Instagram to post short clips and teasers. That’s how things go viral now, so I’d use those apps to build a following. I also want to send it to some student film festivals just to get my name out there and show people what I can do.

SOOOO... these will be the answers to my question that I will be saying in my video for my CCR

Here is an article I looked at to help me identify my target audience and figure out really what a target audience truly is.

https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/target-audience

In addition to this, I also reviewed my class notes of what I need to include in this response

Fonts and Filters

    While beginning the editing process, I need to find fonts for the title and the credits that match my films aesthetic. After spending about an hour tweaking the filters and finding the perfect fonts and font sizes I finally found something I felt fit perfectly

  My name will not be in that location when I finish editing I just put it there so you guys can see what I am using for the additional credits. Anyways... I really like the fonts I chose and think they perfectly match the film vibe, now its time to edit :(

Filming Day 2 and 3

   Hiii! I decided to put filming day 2 and 3 into one blog since it was mostly the same scenes I was filming. Day 2 went super well I got half of my filming done!! Today which was my day 3 was literally a NIGHTMARE. I was stalking the weather app all week and it said it was not going to rain... wellll my app lied...and now I still need to finish filming. Luckily I am able to finish the last 2 scenes this week and I am going to begin editing with what I have starting today. Other than the super unfortunate event of the rain, my day 2 filming was successful and I got some really good shots!! Thankfully I got my difficult scenes done so the ones I need to do still will not take me long at all and I'll just put them into what I am already editing. In addition to the film, tomorrow I am filming my CCR questions 1 and 2, since I already have them all planned out. Stay tuned to see how that process goes (hopefully it is better than today).

Here are some pictures I took while filming!!