Creative Critical Reflection

Click here to listen to my Creative Critical Reflection for AICE Media Studies (AS Level)

Final Project

Here is my final film opening for my original film Little Boxes. This was created for Media Studies AS Level.

 

This is the End

This is officially my final blog post (besides my final film opening and CCR). This is a bittersweet moment. It feels like breaking up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, it may be tough at first but you will get over it eventually. It is going to be strange going about my life and not thinking about my blog and what to post, but life will return to normal as time goes on.

I am practically done with editing my film opening and simply need to record my podcast and then I'm done. The posts containing my final products will be up in a day or two, so stay tuned for those.

And for those of you viewing this blog who are aspiring film makers I suggest you definitely check out this and this. They are wonderful articles and a great source of inspiration. After having gone through this entire project I've learned a lot. I've made some mistakes, but I've also learned from them so I guess they aren't all that bad.

I can't wait to share what I have been working on for these past 6 weeks. I am so proud of what I have accomplished and hope everyone who watches it enjoys it. Maybe in a few years I can look back on this blog and see how much I've grown. So unfortunately, this is goodbye for now.

Sources:
http://flavorwire.com/345062/20-brilliant-filmmakers-on-why-they-make-movies?all=1
http://www.fastcocreate.com/1679472/martin-scorseses-film-school-the-85-films-you-need-to-see-to-know-anything-about-film

Working on My CCR

I have decided to create a podcast for my creative critical reflection. I was conflicted whether to do a screencast or a podcast. I ultimately chose a podcast because I thought it would work better for me. A screencast may look cool but I thought it would be too difficult to do, as you have to sync the onscreen actions with the voiceover which just seemed like too much to worry about. So a podcast seemed like the best option for me. I am able to speak clearly and freely and not be limited by a visual.

To record my podcast I was considering using Audacity, a free audio recording software. It seems optimal for beginners, like myself, and it seems simple to record and edit. After some deliberation I decided to go with GarageBand instead. I already have the application on my computer, so I won't need to download anything else, and I already know how to use it.

GarageBand

For my CCR I've created an outline for what I want to say. The outline is like my storyboard for my podcast. It will help me make sure I talk about everything I need to talk about and cover all the necessary points. I plan to record it this afternoon and edit and have it all done by Thursday.

Sources:
http://www.audacityteam.org
http://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/

Some BTS

So as I am finishing up my film opening and creative critical reflection I thought I'd share some extra background information, specifically on the origin of my main character's name. The name I chose for her was Violet. Now it may just seem like a name chosen at random but I was inspired by a song of the same name.

The song is by a band called Hippo Campus. Now I am a bit biased because they one of my favorite bands, but the song is truly fantastic (you should definitely check it out). The song Violet comes off their South EP. I was mainly inspired to choose this name by the song's music video, which I will include below. The video depicts the destruction of classic American symbols (ex. a football helmet) by destroying these objects it represents breaking the norm, they want to "break" the common American standards. This is what I feel connects directly with my character and the plot of my film.

It is a small little detail that may not seem significant at first, but contains a deeper purpose. It's the little things that make the big things. Now it is back to work. Just under a week till crunch time! I can't wait to share what I have been working and I hope you all are as excited as I am!

Sources:

http://hippocampusband.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/south-ep/id1023481885

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfFjEkSs8Ps

Foreshadowing

A key component to my plot is the realization by my main character that beyond her small suburban town lays land untouched by man. Although my opening is going to be focused on setting, I want to foreshadow the plot. I spent a lot of time thinking of ways to do this and integrate into my setting shots. I finally came up with something.

We have all seen "Made In..." labels of all types of products. This label identifies where the product was made. Common labels include "Made in China" and "Made in Mexico." Even though they are made in a certain country, they appear in countries all across the world. This shows the global scale in which products are manufactured. For my film I want all the labels to say "Made in Weston," the name of my town. I am going to incorporate these labels all throughout my intro so that the viewer begins to question why everything was made in that town. The reason for this would be that everything must be made in the town, because they are the only town in existence, there is no one else to make it for them.

I feel that by incorporating these small details I can hint towards the plot without explicitly stating it. A common quote I've seen when referring to good film-making is "Don't give the audience 4, give them 2 plus 2." - Andrew Stanton, from his Ted Talk. This basically says not to give away everything to the audience, make them figure it out. Audiences like to figure things out for themselves. I want to make my audience think. I don't want to give them all the information, I want them to work for it. It is a small addition that I hope will make a big difference.

Sources:
http://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_stanton_the_clues_to_a_great_story

A Small Road Block

As I am wrapping up filming my project I've encountered some issues, that main issue being the weather. I'm almost done filming but I still need some key outdoor shots. The weather and the atmosphere are really important for my film opening. The setting is my main focus for my film opening, so the look of everything has to be just right.

Living in Florida poses a challenge when concerning the weather. It can go from blue skies and sunshine to torrential downpours in 20 minutes. With this in mind it has been difficult to get consistent lighting. Some days the weather is perfect and the lighting is just how I imagined it. Other days its rainy and cloudy, which is an issue because of lighting. It has showed me just how difficult filming outside can be. You are at the mercy of Mother Nature. I have to take advantage of the weather when it improves so I can finish filming. According to The Weather Channel, Friday looks like the perfect day to finish up filming. The forecast is partly cloudy and 0% chance of rain, I just hope it's accurate!

Beside that one issue, filming is going really well. I'm really excited to share the final piece. With just a little over week left, there is a lot to be done in a small amount of time. It's going to be a busy, hectic week to come.

Sources:
https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USFL0590:1:US

Action!

One of the main components of this project is the film opening. I am at the point where filming is my main priority. This is simultaneously the easiest and hardest part. It is easy because I have been planning it for weeks and know exactly what I want to do, but hard because I want it to be absolutely perfect. As I'm filming I'm learning that it won't be perfect. Accepting that is important for me, as a perfectionist. I'm not a professional, and not even professionals make perfect films, but I can try my hardest to produce the best opening I can.

Since my setting is a suburban neighborhood, it was fairly simple to find a location to shoot in. The city I live in is the perfect backdrop for my film. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a movie. All the house are very similar, and they are all colors within the same color palette. Everything here is very standardized. Everyone shops at the same places, eats at the same restaurants, and goes to the same schools.

I mainly filmed in and around my own neighborhood. I had easy access and it worked for what I needed. For my opening I want to focus on introducing the setting so many of my shots relate to that. Here are some stills from things I've shot so far.

Now I know these may seem simple but these are stills of shots I plan to use for the film opening credits. It will be a way to incorporate credits while creating that sense of setting. I don't want to give away too much of what is being filmed, so I'm just going to leave off here for now, but expect some more behind the scenes looks soon.

A Change In Plans: Genre

As I've worked through the process I realized that I didn't quite nail the genre. I originally claimed my film to be a drama, but upon reflection, I would say it is a fantasy/drama. Why the change? Well, some of the aspects of my film aren't truly realistic. In my previous post I talked about the premise of my film. One of the main plot points is the main character discovering that beyond her quaint, suburban town lies absolutely nothing. Beyond the town the Earth is unmarked by man, her town being the only source of life. Now you can probably see why this isn't exactly realistic. Actually, in reality, there are few parts of the world untouched by mankind.

The main reason I made it a drama/fantasy and not just a straight fantasy was because I wanted the film to focus more on the main character and her developments throughout the film rather than focus on the fantastical aspects.

Some examples of fantasy/drama films include:

Big Fish
The story follows Will, who attempts to understand the truth behind his dying fathers tall tales. The film brilliantly combines fantasy into reality, weaving them together in a believable way. The film, like mine has elements of fantasy mixed with real life situations and problems.



The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The film is about a man named Benjamin Button who ages backwards. The film presents this bizarre feature in a very realistic way. This film leans a little more drama than fantasy, like how I imagine my film to be.








Sources:
Big Fish. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney. Columbia Pictures Production, 2003.
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/bigfish/index.html
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Dir. David Fincher. Perf. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Warner Bros., 2008.
https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminButtonMovie

What It's All About

Before going on I feel like I should tell you all what the film is about! Here we go.

The film takes place in a small suburban town. Life is very quaint and picturesque, the definition of perfection. The story follows a young girl named Violet, whose dreams are larger than life. She doesn't fit in to the cookie-cutter society. She is different in every way. Her intelligence exceeds all, but this also causes the townspeople to view her as mentally handicap. They see her intelligence and wild imagination as a disability rather than a gift. This perception of her allows the town to overlook her oddities. They let her dress and act however, because they feel that she is handicapped. But her differences allow her to question life and thrive for more. At 17, Violet makes a startling discovery while exploring, beyond her little town lies a barren wasteland. Her world is turned upside as all her hopes and dreams of leaving and making a new life for herself are destroyed. Now Violet must find a way to give her life meaning within the confinements of suburbia.

When creating my concept I wanted to keep it traditional with a twist. I referred to a little chart on how to create the perfect story. This helped me map out the storyI am very pleased with the end result and think it would make an excellent film. I'm excited to share my film opening and hope it does the concept justice!

Sources:

http://sco.lt/6hBbpR

The Art of the Storyboard

One of the most helpful tools used when creating a film is a storyboard. A storyboard acts as a guideline of the production. They let you know what needs to be filmed and how. It is the perfect way to translate your thoughts before going to film.

When I was beginning my storyboards I was self conscious about my art skills. I wouldn't say I'm a horrible artist, but I'm also not the best. When conducting my research I looked at storyboards from popular films. Upon looking at them I began to panic. There was no way mine were ever going to look as good as those. I them stumbled across something that calmed my nerves. It was a video how to create storyboards, even if you can't draw! This video restored my hope for my own storyboard.

Now it was time to create my storyboard. What was important wasn't my art skills, but my ability to interpret my drawings (I even added notes for extra clarity). Creating the storyboard proved to be more challenging than I anticipated though. I didn't anticipate to difficulty of translating my wild thoughts into legible drawings. I knew what I wanted to do, just not how to show it. Eventually I figured it out and was able to piece together my film opening together. Here is the first nine shots of my opening.

Under (or above) each box I included a short description of the type of shot or any movement so that when I go to film I will know exactly what needs to be done. Also the little scribbles on the first 6 squares symbolize text that I will add in later. Now I understand this isn't my complete storyboard, but I wouldn't want to give the entire opening away. I'm excited to get filming!

Sources:
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/12/sketching-out-psycho-production-storyboards-from-15-beloved-films/265785/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux_Em1lVsjI

My Inspiration: Wes Anderson

For the style of my film I was greatly inspired by Wes Anderson, a critically acclaimed creator and film maker. Some of his most notable films include Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.

I will admit, his films aren't for everyone. You either love him or you hate him. Personally,  I have been a long time fan of his work. There is something about his films that are so intriguing and unique. His style is easily identifiable with his robotic movements and quirky aesthetic.

The opening scene to Moonrise Kingdom is the perfect way to introduce Wes Anderson to those who have never seen any of his films.

This opening has very few cuts and utilizes stable, geometric movements. It is the robotic movements that I find very unique. My goal is to successfully incorporate it into my own film opening.

The way I plan to achieve this is with use of a camera dolly. This will help me achieve the fluidity I'm looking for. I also recently viewed a video documenting the creation of the hotel featured in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Within the video you can see the use of several dollies used to film the movie. Although I don't have access to a camera dolly or track, I'm sure I can think of something to create the same effect.

Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2ux1RSaeKQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYMfEKELveQ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_dolly
Moonrise Kingdom. Dir. Wes Anderson. Perf. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. Indian Paintbrush, 2012.
The Grand Budapest Hotel. Dir. Wes Anderson. Perf. Ralph Finnes and F. Murray Abraham. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2014.

Character Design

This is just a quick update to my last post. Since then I have sketched out some ideas on how I picture the wardrobe of my characters.

The first drawing represents my main character. Her clothing is a bit more odd and fun than others in the community. Her wardrobe is full of bright colors, loud patterns, and funky fabrics. In this sketch I drew her in a striped shirt and tulle skirt.

The next drawing is representative of the community, plain clothes and lackluster colors. I picture khaki or black pants with a collared shirt. The only variation being the length of the sleeve and different neutral colors.

The Star of the Show

My main character is probably my favorite part of my film. My main character is going to be a female around the age of 17 in high school. I have not yet decided on name for her but I promise to update when I find the perfect one.

She is quirky and extremely intelligent. Her intelligence is her greatest strength, her IQ is beyond that of Einstein. Despite her intelligence she doesn't do well in school. Not because she doesn't know the material, but because it is so rudimentary that she doesn't bother to try. She is bored with life bored of school.

The way she dresses also differs from the norm. Instead of wearing the traditional khaki pants or pleated skirt and plain polo top, she dresses more ostentatiously. She loves bright colors and fun patterns and the occasional tulle skirt. She is the black sheep of her community.

The community around her is very plain and uniform. Everyone dresses in a similar way and acts as their society has told them to. The reason the community allows her to dress this way and act this way is because they believe she is mentally handicapped. They see her failing grades and sense of fashion as side effects of her disability. What they don't know is how incredibly wrong they are.

I had two main film inspirations for this choice: Rain Man and The Imitation Game.

The film Rain Man stars Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. The film is about Charlie Babbitt, who discover that he has an estranged older brother after his father dies. He learns that his father left his $3 million dollar fortune to his other son Raymond. Raymond lives in a mental institution because he is an autistic savant. This means that although he is autistic, he is extremely intelligent when it comes to a specific skill, in this cause math and spatial ability. In one particular scene Charlie and Raymond are in a diner. The waitress then drops a container of toothpicks on the floor. As she picks them up Raymond shouts out a number, that number being how many toothpick were in the container.

The Imitation Game is about Alan Turing, a revolutionary mathematician who helped break the Nazi code, Enigma, during World War II. There is a specific part in the film where it shows Turing when he was in school. The scene involves him and his friend Christopher who get caught passing notes in class, but they wrote their notes in code. The teacher saw the note and thought that Turing was stupid because he was writing gibberish. He automatically assumed that he was stupid when in reality he had a far superior intelligence.

Alan is shown on the left, his friend Christopher on the right.

Sources: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677584/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqbXPfaN_VM

The Imitation Game. Dir. Moten Tyldum. Perf. Benedict Cumberbatch and Kiera Knightley. Black Bear Pictures, 2014.

Rain Man. Dir. Barry Levinson. Perf. Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. United Artists, 1988.

It's All About Location

A major component to my film is the setting. I plan to set my film in an idealistic suburban neighborhood. This decision was inspired by the city I live in. While it may not be as quaint and picturesque as the ones commonly seen on television. I plan to go for the ultimate suburban neighborhood, I'm talking minivans, soccer moms, and white picket fences. I think of my city as a little bubble, no one comes in, no one goes out. It is a perfectly balanced ecosystem that does not tolerate change.

When thinking about how I want the setting to look I often think back to the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands. If you have ever seen the film you will know exactly what I mean. It is a textbook suburbia set in the 60s, which explains the bright colors and old-fashioned look.  I plan to exemplify these characteristics in a more modern way than the film.

A suburban neighborhood is often displayed as very uniform. All the houses are relatively the same style and structure. Also all of the colors are usually within the same color palette.






There are also many stereotypical people you would find in this setting. One of the most well-known is the housewife/soccer mom. Housewives devote their lives to their homes and family. They spend their days, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, and gossiping with other housewives.

This ideal suburban neighborhood is also shown in the film Pleasantville. The too main characters of the film end up in Pleasantville, a fictitious town from a 1950s sitcom. The town exemplifies a stereotypical suburbia.







Sources:
Edward Scissorhands. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1990.
Pleasantville. Dir. Gary Ross. Perf. Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. New Line Cinema, 1998.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Suburbia

The Official Start

This post marks the spot in which production begins! Although of course it my take some time until something is actually produced, at least the ball is rolling. This is going to be an exciting six weeks to come.

Lets jump right into it.

Step 1: RESEARCH
Research may be one of the most critical components of any production. It forms the foundation for all that is to come.
Lets start with genre. I have decided to make my film opening under the drama genre it offers a lot of structure and freedom to me as the director.
I started with some case studies so I can better understand the genre.

Drama:
For this category I choose Titanic (1997) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) . Now while these films seem not at all related, they exemplify the diversity of this genre. While researching the genre I stumbled upon a slideshow presentation detailing the characteristics of a drama film. Most dramas include a realist setting and storyline with characters the audience can relate to. They also include an obvious protagonist and antagonist. In my film I plan to include a definite protagonist but a more mysterious antagonist, no set "hero" and "villain".

Titanic: Titanic is one of the most well know films of the last century. It would be categorized as a historical drama. It follows the main character, Jack Dawson, as he embarks on a trip from Ireland To New York on revolutionary ocean liner, Titanic. The movie is happy, sad, action-packed, emotional, and so much more. The film added a romantic storyline to a real life event with a tragic ending.



Grand Budapest Hotel: This is a film directed by Wes Anderson. It would be categorized as drama/adventure film. This film is
centered around Gustave H. who is the concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel and his lobby boy, Zero. The two grow close and adventures ensue.


The films in this genre are quite diverse and offer a wide variety of possibilities. This is the reason I choose this genre.





Sources: http://www.slideshare.net/libbyannjones/research-into-drama-film-genre
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/ Titanic. Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Twentieth Century Fox Film Production, 1997.
http://www.grandbudapesthotel.com/

And So It Begins...

For this portfolio project I must create a two minute film opening using all the knowledge that I have learned throughout the AICE Media Studies course. Sounds easy enough right? Well, it is actually a bit more complicated. Within two minutes I must create a story, introduce characters, introduce setting, establish tone, and possible establish conflict. Now that sounds a bit more complex. My job as a creator is to capture the audiences attention and make them feel something. Whether it makes them happy, sad, or even uncomfortable.

I recently viewed a Ted Talk in which filmmaker Andrew Stanton breaks down the art of storytelling. A good story doesn't just tell the audience whats happening, they lets them figure it out for themselves. I also read about what makes a good story. The information was originally intended for writers, but I feel like it applies to film as well as all methods of story telling. There are generic rules for things like the structure of a story. You might remember this structure from your middle school english class: setting, characters, plot, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. That structure is pretty basic and simple though. Stories are far more complex but that just dumbs it all down.

This project allows me complete freedom to create anything I can possibly imagine. Although the realm of possibility is a bit constricted because I am an amateur and this is a process that is entirely new to me, I am prepared to give it my all. In order to learn and improve it is going to be a lot of trial and error. Some things are going to work and some things might fail miserably, but that is just how life goes.

Within the current school system you rarely get an opportunity like this to create something you want to create. Projects either tell you exactly what you must do or give you few options. I am prepared to take the freedom I was given and turn it into something I can be proud to call my own.