"Daybreak"

Creative Critical Reflection

Reflection

     Hello and welcome back to one of the few remaining postings with the due date of this Sunday, April 7th, approaching. It has been a journey, to say the least. So much has happened so far this year, and I am not just talking about this project, I am speaking of life in general this year, my senior year. It has been filled with many ups and downs, and twists and turns, with this project being no different.

     Ryan and I have had our ups and downs, and twists and turns, along the way to completing this AICE Media Studies portfolio project. We have not agreed on everything, but we have worked through our disagreements to get to the point we are at now, nearly finished and proud of our work. We have learned a lot along the way, leaving us feeling more skilled and capable for future media work. 

     Having a partner for this project had its pros and cons. As previously mentioned, Ryan and I did not agree on everything and had to come to compromises on things such as the genre, settings, and source material. Also, having to stay in touch with a partner proved to be a job that we had to stay on top of or else we'd fall behind, which was a lesson learned for us. This helped us learn how to better work in groups though, and so we feel more equipped to do so in our future studies. On the plus side, having a partner for this was good once we formulated a well-structured plan of action for each of us to follow. This included Ryan specializing/focusing on the foley sounds, and me focusing mainly on the filming. Then we edit together, combining both of our work in a collaborative, and effective, way. This resulted from good communication that we developed along the way working together. Overall though, I am glad to have had Ryan as a partner for this, we get along well and so we had fun in the process of this project.
     At first we were unsure of our filming location. Then, we decided on Chase's house & garage, and either the airport (where he works in real life) or the Everglades (on his speedboat). Issues arose, however, and both of the latter pair were unable to be utilized in our filming. Chase's job as a TSA agent in the airport prevented him from filming there. As for the Everglades and his boat, well, I was advised against it by many people for safety reasons, and Chase's boat is not operable currently. Perhaps it was a sign those people were right. Our settings, though, are perfectly suitable for a film opening.
     I am close to finishing, and looking back on this I have learned a lot. I am better prepared for bigger projects like this in college now, the ones that span over months like this one did. I learned how to pace myself, sometimes the hard way by falling behind, but the hard lessons are the ones learned best usually. Over the past months I have grown not only as a student, but also as a person. I am coming out of this as a better person, someone I am proud of.  I am excited to turn in the finished product. I am excited for life (:

     

On Track

     Welcome back to the blog, there's much to report, so let's get right into it. I filmed more shots tonight, and began the editing process throughout the course of the day today with the shots I already had. Now, with all the shots taken, I can see what to cut and what to keep since I have an abundance of media material to utilize for this film opening, which is intended to be only two minutes. I am starting to put the intro credits in on the scenes shot, which supports the idea that this is a film opening rather than a trailer for a film. These are important things for me to remember and consider whilst wrapping this project up to ensure it meets the requirements in place for this film opening project so that I can earn a high score and be proud of the work I turn in with it being my best. I am happy with how it is coming along, and believe that I am on track to complete it by the due date this Sunday, April 7th. We shall see. As the week progresses, and I make progress on this project, I will update this blog with fresh postings, talk soon!

Planning = Success

     Hello and welcome. Although our progress was stalled a bit, we are back on track. Ryan is working away, and as am I. We plan on meeting after school a few times later during this week, like Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I plan on taking more shots of Chase tomorrow night when he gets back from work, and should be close to finished with shooting. When Ryan and I do meet up we will compile the clips into a coherent video draft, then whatever shots we feel need revision we will reshoot, edit, or replace with new shots. So far, so good.
   

The royalty free spy background music my partner and I decided on

Partnership & Planning

     Welcome back to the 'richblogdog!' My partner, Ryan, and I have been unable to meet up since he lives in Hollywood and neither of us can drive because he doesn't have his license and my car needs a new front tire, therefore, through the beauty of technology, we are working together while apart.  I am filming Chase, my sister is taking behind the scenes shots, and Ryan is working on the foley sounds filming his foley stage. This is the plan we both came up with over the phone since we have been incapable of meeting up lately due to many valid reasons. It seems to me to be a good plan, we shall see. Hopefully plans will work and schedules will cooperate.

My sister as the behind the scenes helper

Filming and Overcoming Challenges

     Hello there and welcome back. I filmed some more yesterday that I didn't get the chance to fill the 'richblogdog' on. So, to film the morning wake up scene of Chase as a spy getting ready for his day upon waking, we need it to be dark outside, it needs to be 'daybreak.' Well, the day I filmed I was not there early enough to be shooting before sunrise, daybreak, and so I had to overcome this challenge.

     To overcome this hurdle I taped up black garbage bags with red tape to his bedroom window. This not only completely darkened the room, but also gave a red tint to the room, which is the desired effect I wanted to achieve to emulate sunrise hues of color peeking through the window.

Filming and Making it Work

     Hello and welcome back to another posting on this special 'richblogdog,' made especially for your viewing pleasure (and mine). Let's get right into it.

     Ryan and I have been communicating about meeting up and it has been without success since our schedules are not syncing up. We will keep trying though throughout this week break. This is one thing I was worried about going into this project with a partner rather than going at it alone, but each has its pros and cons and I cannot change it now, so going forward we will try our best to work together however it works, whatever it takes. 

     So, onto the more important stuff, the main reason for this posting. This morning at around 9 I went to Chase's house to film. Chase is excited to be filmed as a spy since he sees himself as one already, in a way. I say this because he owns several weapons, knows how to responsibly use them and has handled them for years, and so he is trained with experience, like a spy would be. This could be something we could utilize in our film opening with shots of him shooting at a gun range since that fits the conventions of my genre as a dramatic spy movie. One should not forget or discount the comedic relief that will be present in this film opening. 

All great dramas have bits, some less and some more than others, of comedy, which is why Ryan and I thought of including some in our's. One example of this comedic relief is the inclusion of a coffee mug showing "old ass" instead of "World Class" from fingerprint wear. Little bits like these, I believe, make a world of difference in production value. This brings me to a point of the importance of utilizing props as a student on a limited budget. I used a blank, white coffee mug and wrote on it with a blue dry erase marker, then I dabbed my finger on the letters to fake the natural rub away of fingerprint wear-and-tear that occurs from daily coffee drinking from the same mug.

Continue

     Hello there, I have made plans with my sister and her boyfriend, Chase, to begin filming. His work schedule and her schooling schedule have been quite hectic, and mine has too until this Spring break, but now is the time to continue. So, tomorrow morning I will film Chase getting ready for the day. I am ready for the day ahead, and excited for what's to come. It is the time to continue.

Let's gooooooooo

     Spring Break here we comeeeeee. Ryan and I must work during this break, however, it is a well-needed break since we need a break from school as the hectic third quarter just ended. It is a break that will boost productivity because it is needed rest that will leave us refreshed and ready to go, ready for whatever will come our way. Ryan and I will be filming next week during our break though and want to be editing by the end of the week break.
     I am in contact with my sister, her boyfriend, and my other friendly helpers in order to make sure the collaboration will be possible and when. We shall see how successful this proves to be in the coming posts.

R&R Productions begins producing...

We finally have begun to take some shots to test and begun the production process. 

These are the test shots taken of my sister's boyfriend, Chase, on his motorcycle. We talked about mounting his "Go Pro" on his helmet to add some POV shots. I liked the angle of these shots and how he zoomed by. My friend Miguel will also film drone overhead shots soon! Excited for what's to come and with how it's coming along.

Being Attentive for Inspiration

     Hello and welcome. It's me, Richard, again. I am always on the lookout for inspiration, not just for this but in general in life. I thirst and hunger for inspiration. It can one found anywhere, anytime. I am always attentive for it, and now with this film opening that is what I am focused on. I have told my partner Ryan to keep this in mind and try to do the same, but I don't know. We need to get going already... In any case, here are some pics of color inspiration I had.

My friend, Luke, matching color (purple) incidentally, good inspiration for color choice

     As a student, on a limited budget, I must make use of unique color choice and color utilization techniques. I am thinking of using colored binder dividers that are plastic to put over a lamp as a light filter to alter the light to the color I wish to project.

"Pan's Labyrinth"
Blue sets the tone, and red stands out to send a message

     I will continue to be vigilant.

Insight and Plans

     Hello and welcome to yet another posting. Life has been going, going, going, and I have been trying to keep up with its pace, but I am tired. However, I must keep on keeping on. Today was a long day, but a good day. This week was also long, but also good. This morning in class we met in groups to discuss our progress, and this gave me some fresh ideas. This insight includes utilizing sounds more, using a shatter animation for the title "Daybreak" to signal the end of the opening into the beginning of the film, and to use more props to situate the context that the main character is a spy. One prop discussed was a manila folder with classified or top secret written boldly in red on it. This prop would be shown being put in the main character's bag for the day as one of the shots to establish he's a spy.

     Ryan and I have made plans to film next week on Wednesday and the weekend. Also, neither of us are going away during spring break, so we will dedicate our time to this project. We plan on being in the process of editing by the end of spring break. I am excited for what's ahead, greatness is in the making. Soon, I will have behind the scenes pictures and footage to share, but until then, I bid thee farewell. 

Film Opening Title Decided and Storyboard Complete!

     Welcome to another blog posting! Life is good. Although we had a bit of a stalling in our progress, we are back on track. We completed our storyboard and decided on our movie title.

Our storyboard

     The movie title name we decided on is "Daybreak." Inspiration struck because of the 007 "Nightfall," and since the film opening will take place during daybreak because it is of the spy waking up and getting ready for the day.

Week Four Post #2

     Hello and welcome back, thank you for tuning in once again. Ryan and I have finished working on the storyboard finally and are ready to film ASAP! The third quarter ends next week, which means the work load will slow down in my other courses. This is good since then I can devote all my effort and time to this project rather than trying to spread my time out to work with the flux of work I have coming from my courses. However, I will not allow my course load to be an excuse.
     I have been so excited and proud of this project though that I have discussed it with several different friends and they all generally said it was interesting and that they'd see it based off of what I told them. I am excited to be able to show the finished product, but I am excited also just to document the progress we make as we make it and share this journey with the ones close to me. I just hope I can find the time for it all, life is going full speed right now as my senior year approaches its close. Time is ticking away, which is why it is time for me to kick it into high gear and finish this year strong, it is the homestretch.

Week Four Post #1

     Hello and welcome to another blog posting! Ryan and I have decided on our filming locations and are making plans for filming at them. One of them is the house my sister's boyfriend, Chase, lives. He also will be the main actor. Specifically, we will film in his room, bathroom, garage, and front of house. Another filming location will be the road, which will be captured by a drone. My friend, Miguel, owns a drone and shoots video for people as a side job, so he said he could film it for me. I will be sure to document the behind the scenes for the drone shooting. I am excited for it. Ryan and I are still deciding between the Everglades and the TSA airport as the final shooting location. The airport would be better we think, but it would be harder to film there for sure because of various reasons, such as privacy and permission. The Everglades is a nice scenic location, but the boat scene is a little dangerous. We can be extra careful and safe though, and the airport is dangerous too with recent events. So, the Everglades/Markham park seems to be shaping up to be the choice for the final filming location of our film opening. We can't go wrong with either option though, and maybe we could even do both by inserting flashbacks of the airport. I'll keep you posted!

Week Three Post #4

     Sad news to report. Our progress was temporarily stalled due to an overload of work for other classes and responsibilities of life. It is important to be honest with ourselves about this, but tomorrow marks a bright new week. Ryan and I made plans to film three times this week. We have researched a lot and are finalizing what techniques we will utilize to stick to genre conventions as well as produce quality content to submit. Also, my sister, mom, and several friends have volunteered  to film behind the scenes of production to document on this blog.

Week Three Post #3

     Hello and welcome, happy to have you here. My partner and I have been making nice progress and are on track to be filming next week, maybe even start this weekend, which is exciting for us! I am excited to produce the content my partner and I are communicating about, our ideas are ambitious for the film opening. So, R&R production will begin production soon. Our logo is being made by ourselves, as original content, but inspired by the previously mentioned designer brands. It will be back to back R's for Richard and Ryan.
   

Week Three Post #2

     Welcome back! So, let's get right into it. My partner, Ryan, and I decided we are going to follow genre conventions of action spy movies by using timestamps and classified government typewriting font styling. We also decided that my sister's boyfriend, Chase, is going to be the main actor. He is a Transportation Security Administration agent (TSA), and seems like a spy. Ryan and I changed our mind and are considering filming at the airport, where he works, instead of the canal with the boat. We would still film using a drone, but instead of using it to film the boat scene we would film Chase driving on his motorcycle on his way to work. He drives a Harley Davidson, and has been for years so he is trained and skilled enough to be safely filmed. He'll also be wearing a protective helmet.

This is his motorcycle, which he loves to ride 

Week Three Post #1

     Hello and welcome! I am continuing to find more resources to research and utilize. I can apply the knowledge I learn to create the best film opening I can by utilizing a wide array of film techniques effectively. One of the resources is a color psychology infographic I found online.

Another resource is a YouTube channel with quality film education presented in an interesting way.

I asked my mother for permission to use her Canon camera and she said yes I could. I also asked my father for permission to use his iPad pro as another method to film. I can also utilize my iPhone X camera. My iPhone camera though will be used primarily to document the production process with the behind the scenes shots.
     My partner and I have decided in our class meeting today that next week we will start filming, and this week will be spent getting everything ready to go. With the research we've gathered, we will make many decisions this week, and by Thursday we plan to have our storyboard completed. We also decided we want to make the majority of our sounds using a foley-stage, made by us. It would be fun to do, and I would be proud of the final result. Tune in tomorrow for more updates!

Week Two Post #4

     Welcome to a special late-night installment of the 'richblogdog.' I have been communicating with my partner this weekend and we were discussing possible title cards and intro credits. We've discussed putting the intro credits on articles of clothing as the spy is getting dressed and ready for his mission utilizing close-up shots with shallow focus. We believe this would be a clean and interesting way to present them, but we will continue to research film opening credits to decide if this is the best choice. Our title card that we'd like to place before the film opening begins is a combination of our two names, either first (R&R for Richard and Ryan) or last(LM for Leon Manella), in a fashionable way, comparable to Gucci, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton, since that is our inspiration. We think this minimalistic, sleek look is appealing to the eye and it is for that reason that we believe it would make for an effective title card.

Week Two Post #3

Welcome to another blog-dog posting rich with interesting content! It is the weekend and life is good.

     I am discussing plans with my sister and her boyfriend to use his boat in filming our scene. I also am communicating with my friend who has a drone to see if he can film the scene for us. The drone would be the perfect film equipment for capturing the establishing shot of the speedboat spy opening scene. A potential filming location for the boat scene that I have checked out is Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida. This is an optimal place since it is beautiful and close to where I live. It is a part of the Everglades, which would make for an excellent establishing landscape shot. I have been to Markham park and rode in my sister's boyfriend's boat in the canal before, so I know how beautiful and valuable of a filming location it is.

Here is map of the public park, the canal shown is potentially where I'd film

     My partner Ryan and I plan on filming some shots in the coming weeks, but for now we are still researching techniques we could utilize to create the best production we can with what we have. We also are still looking for inspiration and planning things out. 

Until next time!

-Richard

Week Two Post #2

     Helloooo and welcome to another 'richblogdog' posting. Happy Friday, and the first Friday of March! Wow, time sure is flying by. It is my senior year too so it really feels accelerated. I am enjoying all my classes now, and appreciate all my teachers, which is why a part of me wishes I can stay in this moment for years to come, but then the majority of me is excited for my life and what's to come. However, there is still school to be had, and the end is not here yet, so I must stay on track, focused on doing my best.

     In my media studies class today, we had group meetings in which one member of each group was with others members of other groups to be fed feedback that should benefit us through discussion of our process thus far. Overall, I thought it was helpful. My group helped me develop my idea for my spy character a little more, adding comical aspects such as props to him. One idea for my film opening scene is having the spy riding a speedboat, and so my group suggested, to be safer and to add comedy, that my character should wear a funny helmet and a life vest rather than looking super serious as a stone-cold badass spy.

Possible funny prop helmet

     My group also discussed how we can best achieve our ideas for our respective film openings. We discussed our limitations and delimitations. We have two minutes to introduce an intriguing plot and characters, therefore, it is extremely important to situate the context as best you can. This means I need to provide needed background, and the best way to probably do this would be to utilize cutaway flashbacks, cutting back to the main shot, which would be the speedboat. A good example of this in action is the opening scene of 2006's "Casino Royale." I also like the idea of having dialogue to break it up like was shown in the clip, or maybe have dialogue as the voiceover throughout as if the spy was on the phone on his way to the speedboat to learn about his mission then on the speedboat he is thinking about the conversation he just had with his mission director so the voiceover will be playing.

     I am excited for what's to come, I'll keep you posted! Until next time, au revoir!

Week Two Post #1

     Hello and welcome to another blog posting by yours truly, Richard Leon. Monday's Media Studies class was an interesting and productive class period since we discussed this project, looked at blog samples, analyzed some finished products, and had class time to work with our group after. My partner and I had a great brainstorming session during then. We came up with several ideas and possibilities for our film opening, thus begins our planning process as we work towards our finished product.
     I learned a few key things from that class period to keep in mind as my partner and I work. Number one being to keep in mind this is meant to be and play as a film opening, not as a trailer. Secondly, a simple and low-budget filming location that worked well for other groups in the past is a garage. So, my partner and I have our garages as possible filming locations now. I also learned that I should space the opening credits out for most of the opening to support that it is in fact a film opening, and not a film trailer.
     Moving onward, my partner and I are going to stay in touch closely and, through the magic of technology nowadays, communicate every day. We have been texting and calling each other outside of school hours to discuss our plan and the project in general. Thus far, we've concluded we want our film opening to be of a spy, or some sort of undercover agent, getting ready for a mission since that is what is intriguing to us and what we believe we will be able to capture well because it will be fun for us, which will generate a great finished product organically.
     It will be a dramatic action/adventure or crime drama as the genre. We also decided on this genre after researching the greatest movies of all time, which showed the majority of them as dramas, and most of the top dramas were crime dramas. For example, "The Godfather" is acclaimed as one of the greatest films ever made and is a crime drama.

Another drama movie ranked as one of the greatest films ever made, and a personal favorite of mine, is the "Shawshank Redemption." What I specifically liked about that movie is the character development, and the relationship formed between the characters "Red" and "Andy." Perhaps I may draw on their character traits for inspiration in creating our film opening characters. 

An American spy television show that was on the network NBC called "Chuck" is another source of inspiration from which I will draw from since it is well reviewed show by fans and critics alike, but also because it is one of my favorite shows of all time. The main reason I loved the show so much was because of the characters, specifically the main character, "Chuck." He becomes an unlikely, underdog undercover agent after he got sent an email from an old college friend embedded with classified Government files in a computer program called "the intersect" that upon viewing gets downloaded into the brain. Chuck is excellent, the character and the show, so it would be good for me to use him as inspiration in creating my own spy character.

Excited for what's to come!

     Hello blog, it's nice to speak again since it has been an exciting week with the official introduction of the media studies portfolio project film opening! My teacher gave an extraordinary presentation that prepared me for it and made me super excited for what's to come.

     I have been communicating with my partner, Ryan, more now, planning and brainstorming for our film opening. We've grown closer as friends, bonding as we research for this project. We know it must be an original fiction piece, but we are drawing from notable media as inspiration.

     My preferred choice of genre is drama. The drama genre has a broad range of sub-genres that expands my partner and I's options for what we can do. I am inspired by the drama "Cast Away" to shoot the film opening outside in nature with the drama focused on man vs. nature. Nature shots tend to come out beautifully, especially if filmed on the beach like "Cast Away," and the sun being the source of beautiful natural lighting. For this genre, we'd have only one human as the character and then all nature as everything else, including many extreme close-ups of the flora and animal life to show that although the character feels alone, this couldn't be further from the truth as nature is alive. This concept intrigues me since I often think about leaving society to live in the wild, a dream that I'll probably only dream of, or now I can make a film opening about, and I'd want to act as the main character. 

     One show that inspired me to do a fictional dramatic piece of someone struggling with an internal conflict is the FX show "Legion." This show is a a good example of the fictional superhero/ psychological drama, a genre my partner and I would be interested in doing. We could utilize many unique shooting techniques to capture the internal conflict, including shaky and off kilter shots. 

     It is important to keep in mind my limited resources, and I believe these two genre ideas have great potential with limited resources and creativity. Therefore, they are my top candidates for my choice of genre in this planning process. I am going to keep looking for inspiration though as I always feel improvements can be made. I am excited to continue working on this project as we work towards a beautiful finished product. 

Music Marketing Pro.

     It's been a while since my last post, and oh how so much has happened since December. The biggest thing being, I made a music video. For my Media Studies class I was tasked with creating a music video and an accompanying music marketing campaign for the musician. My artist was named "Loveman Hudson." My group and I chose this name since the artist is a romantic soul singer, which is the reason for Loveman, and Hudson is a Southern name, which is where our artist is from, Austin, Texas.  We figured Loveman Hudson would be an appealing name for a wide array of ears to hear.
     For our music marketing campaign, we created an excellent instagram account and website, with each converging by having links to the other.

https://victoriacmilano9.wixsite.com/lovemanhudson

https://www.instagram.com/lovemanhudson/

     The group and I decided it was best for the target audience, as well as staying true to the nature of our artist's music, to have the black and white be our theme. After doing through research we concluded it was best to have a simple, minimalistic black and white theme for our target audience of soul listeners aged 16-40. The music video is about love, a concept that is absolutely not black and white, which is another reason we chose the theme to be black and white since when we did introduce the color, it would be a stark contrast to add emphasize.

     Overall, I had fun with this project and also learned a bunch in the process. I know that what I learned from this experience will benefit me for the final portfolio project. The major way being I feel more comfortable with my filming and editing skills, as well as my choice of shots and angles and how I utilize them for my storytelling to achieve deeper meaning to my product as a whole.