CCR Prep - Question #1

     Hello everyone! what a crazy week! I am back with a surprise blog about my creative critical reflection. Which is a fancy term of just me reflecting back on what I did, how I did it, and how it all led up to my final product. Today I will be answering CCR Question #1 and don't get that confused with the scripting of my entire video since I am doing two CCR posts.

The CCR Question i will be answering today is... :

• How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups?

Genre and Social Groups

    In order to answer this we have to question what is my genre conventions and what are social groups. So my genre is horror, more specially slasher film horror. I have done many blog postings about horror in the past and one wasn't even apart of this project but it was done on October 31st for reference. I have my citations all ready to be put at the end of my CCR as well. My film decided to challenge genre conventions of horror genre because usually the killer is masked and clever enough to erase their tracks. However, in my film, I decided to portray my character as too shrouded in their own obsession it fogs up their mind and leads them to make very careless mistakes and decisions. 

    The social groups part of this question was a little tricky of me to understand but after seeing a few references I understood what it meant. Pretty much just asking how my genre represents my characters. In my case, my main character is represented as a villain who is coming from a troubled past of rejection and not enough attention. This is reflected psychologically due to her obsession with receiving validation from her mentor/doctor. 

    Keep in mind that this is the information that will be covered in my CCR, however, it will be set in a standard script that will be finished once I have both of the questions that will be answered in my first complete CCR so stay tuned for that!

Script Idea

    So for my first CCR post, I will be interviewed as a director and perform a director commentary. However, this will be in the dentist setting that is seen in my opening. Also, I will be interviewed by a news reporter of some sorts that comes into the work places of upcoming directors and interviews them about their new movie. 

    I will be walking through my day and taking in clients as well as documenting their charts on a computer while I'm being asked questions. These clients will be my family so they would have already shown up in my film and could be little easter eggs the audience could keep an eye out for. Below is a picture of what the background would look like more or less. It is the same picture used from my set design due to it being filmed in the same setting.

Post Production Editing!

     Hello everyone! Welcome back to the editing segment of my opening portfolio project! I'm so excited to finally edit my title sequences. I have already picked out font, color, and sizes as well as how they will be displayed on screen. I took my inspiration from the Black Phone as previously mentioned from a past blog of mine. Some of these transitions are also symbolic for my film.

Title Sequences (Font, Color, Size)

    Using this color picker, I was able to figure our the exact color shade I wanted but not necessarily the color because from my editing timeline the coloring is a bit weird when put on the screen and the beige contrasts with the background of my film. 

    From my inspiration, I decided to not use a pre made transition that Adobe had to offer and make the titles come onto a screen in a distorted, glitchy manner like they do in the Black Phone opening. However, some of these title sequences do just show up and I do want to alter my title sequences to have an interesting way of popping from the background. This should be especially done when it is my Movie title that I had a different idea to display it on the medical tray background instead but it will be edited in with text.

Here is an example of the black phone opening title sequences as a refresher just in case it was forgotten or it was needed as a reference to what I'm going to thoroughly explain.

    For the size, I wanted it to be very minimal and small. This font that I used is very similar to the one used in the Black Phone with the word "Film" in this example. I did, however, have to use the Black Phone's title sequence as a reference pretty closely in order to have a more attention grabbing graphic and have the audience pay attention to the background as well. While the title doesn't blend in too much it shouldn't contrast the background where it stands out and distracts from the actual opening. 

     

       

    As you can see the second example is the closest I had to the original reference which is what I ended up choosing for my actual opening since I did want a very close resemblance but not necessarily copy.

Transitions

    As for the transition and display onto the screen, I wanted to make the visual pop out and seem very glitchy because in the narrative world this is all being filmed with a digital camera so the images will be a slight distorted and blurred. I want to be show a clip of the transition because I am really proud of it and due to not having worked previously with after effects or anything of that sorts I am really proud that I came up with this. Obviously I had to get a few tips from peers who knew how to edit from my class. 

Clip of the title sequence transition

    Now, the transition is pretty quick I can admit and that is the intention because the nurse is working really quickly to get rid of this evidence and the shakiness does resemble the fast paced movements and contrasts with her relaxed movements while doing something inhumane.

    Below are a few time lapses of me working on the editing for these title sequences and I cannot tell a lie, it took a while but I have found a method on how to do this quicker and more effectively! This was me having to copy and paste the transition that I have already made and just change the text and font and then I'm good to go! This would only work for a few things like when a singular title is on screen, however, when it's a series of titles such as actor names, I will have to just display it on screen normally when a new clip is shown. 

    The first two Timelapse's were done in class and they were split up due to my battery running low on the first one then having to charge it. In the first time lapse you can see Maria was telling me where the effects were for text and I told her what I had for my vision and she gave me a few techniques I could use such as lowering the opacity, using a blur and making it vertical, all sorts of things that I used in order to come up with the final product. 

    The second Timelapse was me finally getting a handle on my own editing and I finally got to finish the where exactly I wanted my text to be along with making it visually appealing on the screen. And clearly the third time lapse was done in another classroom because I was dedicated to finish the transition during school. I was switching between two screens to see frame by frame the reference I had in order to make my transition not too choppy and with a few revisions I was left with an amazing final product! 

    For the record, I had everyone's permission who had their face in my time lapse to be posted on my blog and here is my evidence!

    Thank you for reading everyone and stay tuned for more future updates on editing. Also, a surprise blog post will be up tomorrow about a very exciting portion of this project!

Filming! Once Again

     Hello Everyone! It's been a while but I finally got to film yesterday and my editing has been halted to my title sequences at the moment. But all is well and don't fear, I have come to the rescue with my handy SD card! 

    I'm very glad I got to film with Maria again and I know she is such a busy girl but man am I so happy that she was able to film. Today I filmed the kill scene and the trash bag scene. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day we film the dialogue, if it's needed, and the clean up scene.

Behind the Scenes Day 4

    This time I had more access to camera equipment such as a professional camera along with the digital camera from before. I know, not very ideal to bring this up towards the end of my editing but I feel like better late than never. Also, not to mention that the beginning part of my film is supposed to be filmed digitally in the narrative world so it all checks out!

    Down below is my behind the scenes footage that I have filmed throughout my filming. Here I talk about the gore effects I used, the lighting, as well as different camera techniques that I used behind my production process and how it will work out in my editing process. 

Something that I really enjoyed from today's editing was utilizing the fake blood to the maximum and I got some pretty crazy shots of my film. Here's a few sneak peeks!

    I am really going to look foward to editing due to many ideas popping into my head about the title sequences I can use, what editing techniques I can incorporate and basically learn more with this hands-on experience. As well as talk about foley sounds that I have created. 

Editing Issues Already

     Hello everyone! After this messy week of filming and it takes a while to get in touch with my actor. I decided to edit my opening in sections due to not finishing filming yet. I know not ideal, I would have to film today after school and finish this blog about editing the set up of the kill scene as well as the parts I filmed last week. Due to Maria having work and assignments to catch up on, it takes a while but we have set to finish filming today and tomorrow definitely. I think I can believe in myself to pick everything up and fix my problems. 

    While I am still also in the process of production I am still able to find and pick fonts that I will edit into my film and actually edit segments that I already have filmed. A few blogs will be production and filming in order to meet the criteria of showing my process fully and effectively. The deadline reaches closer and I see myself 20 days away from the deadline. Every day that passes by i pass my own set deadline and even though I haven't met the exact expectation I set for myself, I imagine myself being able to manage my time and finishing everything by the deadline.

My Editing Timeline (Premiere Pro)

    My editing process has been going well in terms of my titles and scenes. In my timeline my scenes are far apart due to the missing scenes that I have yet to film yet and just haven't edited or imported from my SD card from my digital camera. 

My SD Card

My SD Card Converter

Coloring Issues

    So in my digital camera, when I started recording, the video would come out purple due to the blue table and the red lighting mixing together. Therefore, I had the idea to edit the coloring of my video in order to fix the problem. I was just messing around with the saturation and temperature to make the red really pop out like in the other videos that I have filmed and here is a before and after.

before

after

    You can also see the settings have changed for the coloring of the video, however, I am really satisifed with the final product of the edited saturation. After editing this part, I want to be able to establish that my timeline is a little messed up. However, with a few scheduling changes, my filming will be done by saturday and I will be able to fully finish editing my timeline. 

    Something else that I also noticed is that my clips for the first part of my 2 minute film opening are pretty long. So what exactly does that mean? Well, it means that there might be a circumstance where I'll have to leave out a few scenes that are within my storyboard. 

Editing

    So I started editing in my class on Tuesday and I was fixing the lighting, adding title sequences and trying to take inspiration from other movie opening title sequences like the ones I have mentioned before. The way they appear on screen with appearances such as transitions, coloring, font, and font size will all be taken inspiration from 

We got to film! Yay!

     Hey everyone! This is a very last minute post I'm so glad me and Maria got to film today and we definitely made up for lost time. We will also be planning to film tomorrow, however, I will start my editing process due to me having enough clips from today and the previous two filming days to edit. 

Breakdown of Today's Filming Day

    So first, i had to confirm with Maria and thankfully we got to film with 3 hours time and we got to finish the "kill scene" and the set up with the medical instruments. Next thing we will have to finish up is the end of the dialogue scene which I already filmed the beginning part yesterday and the trash bag scene behind the dentist office. 

    Something that I brought to my film day today was my own digital camera which I thought would give of a vibe of a 90's aesthetic just like my inspiration from the black phone. This was able to give my shots a more pixelated look but still looking clean and hopefully it will work out in editing. So my basic idea summarized is having the set up of the "kill scene" filmed in a digital sense and then the dialogue and everything else will be filmed on the phone. 

My Digital Camera 𐙚

I was able to film on both my phone and my digital camera for these scenes however, just in case something got corrupted in the SD card or any issues came up and I wouldn't be able to re film beause time is getting really limited. 

Behind the Scenes Day 3

Now, as always, my behind the scenes footage is ready and here is where I show me filming on the digital camera, setting up the blood for the "kill scene" and as well dealing with lighting. The filming with the behind the scenes was used in flash just so that the footage could be more visible. It's also important to note that the behind the scenes footage is very light due to the fact we had a lot of catching up to do but a lot is shown in these videos.

Things didn't go my way.. Uh Oh..

    Hello everyonee! So, as you can see I didn't film today ☹️. Unfortunately Maria couldn't make it to the location today and I didn't have the time to reschedule today. But, thats okay! I just had to make up for it and film another part of my shoot where Maria's character in the shots. 

Actor

    I decided to film the part where Doctor Sherwood is first introduced in the second half of my opening. This character is played by my dad Ludwig Romero! In my storyboard Doctor Sherwood didn't have any hair and honestly, it was because i dont know how to draw hair very well. My dad, coincidentally, doesn't have any hair so look at that!

My dad playing Doctor Sherwood

Set Up and Props

    Anyways, I'm really compassionate about this project and I want to do it well. So, I took today as an opportunity to film on something I haven't touched yet. Therefore, I had to set up the office and a few props to film today in such short notice. I had to make a ID for the office which is has been officialized as a pediatric dentist since that's the name of my mom's actual dentistry. I had full permission to use her brand name in my film opening. She is also the face of Rosy Garcia, the co worker who had died in the beginning of the film

Making the ID of Rosy Garcia

My mom's permission of using her office brand

Filming and Behind the Scenes

This is the video of the behind the scenes of me setting up the office for filming and the actual process of me filming.

    Thank you for being so patient with me everyone and hopefully I will be able to finish filming soon even with all these delays. I'm super glad I was able to make up lost time even with a few minor scheduling issues. Take care everyone and stay tuned for more filming and possible editing updates! See you all next week!

Foley Sound Creation

     Hello everyone! So as you can tell, we didn't end up filming today... I know very disappointing. Maria and I are supposed to be filming today, however, our schedules didn't let that happen. We will be filming tomorrow and if not I will make sure to produce any shots that don't utilize the main character just yet and once next week rolls around, I will be able to finish the filming for my opening fingers cross However, you'd all be glad to know that I can still create a few foley sounds for the clips I have already filmed. These shots include grabbing globs, placing a piece of cloth on a metal tray, putting on latex gloves, and walking.

Ideas

Per my previous blogs, I have already done some research and basic planning on what my foley sounds would sound like and what objects I can use. However, these were for the trash bag scene which we were supposed to film today but hopefully we can film it tomorrow! A few ideas I have in mind and once I do create them the objects could change depending on the availability I have in my house or the tweaking I have to make 

• I'd use a rubber band against a face mask to create the illusion of snapping on a pair of gloves

• It would nice to have a baking tray of some sorts and rub a piece of cloth like a paper towel over it

• In order to have the illusion of sneakers on hardwood floors I had to realize that sneakers have a hard base and make a muffled sound. Therefore, I decided I would use a plastic bottle and tap it against a paper towel on a marble table

Finalizing

 So let's start off and I will be showing a screenshot of each clip and below will be a video of me creating a foley sound beneath. I have a few objects that I have gathered to create these sounds and here's a picture of them down below.

1. Placing a piece of paper on a metal tray

            

Screenshot of Clip

Foley Sound Creation

Why I chose this object: I chose to use a baking tray and parchment paper is because I wanted to give the illusion of something light but rough at the same time that is grazed against a metal surface. When I placed it on the tray and scrambled it, it made a perfect sound to putting down the paper on the tray.

2. Putting on gloves

Screenshot of Clip

Foley Sound Creation

Why I chose this object: I chose to use the rubber band of a mask because although it wasn't a rubber hand and something else that was latex, i had the availability to a mask. When I pulled it back and released it, it made the sound of snapping a glove onto a wrist so I decided to use it.

3. Walking

Screenshot of Clip

Foley Sound Creation

Why I chose this object: I chose to use a mayo bottle and a piece of kitchen paper because the paper allowed the taps of the mayo to be muffled. The steps were hollow and made a perfect sound for me to use but it will be extracted from the video once I start editing. 

It's important to note that I included the sounds that I would need to make artificial or amplified sounds for that I can't just record. So I decided to not include handwashing or opening a drawer. Tomorrow hopefully we will be able to film and add new clips to our editing timeline! Stay tuned for more updates see you next time!