B-roll outline

Hey guys welcome back to the blog! Today, we are going to talk about b-roll in our project. As you know, b-roll is an essential part of a documentary and is what creates the story. B-roll creates a sense of time and adds layers of meaning to the story. This week, my team and I created an outline for our b-roll. This is only part of our outline and doesn't reflect our full story but it does enough to give you guys an idea or rough draft of what we are planning to do with our b-roll. Below, you can see our b-roll outline: 

As you can see on the top we start off our documentary like we did on the last one; with an establishing shot. After that we kind of want to re-introduce our main character Javier, and then get right into his planned expansion in the US. A big portion of his story is his family. Because of this, we want to implement a lot of interviews with his family as well and a lot of shots and b-roll with them. This will give the audience a better understanding of who Javier is and why he is doing it. 

Because his company deals a lot with traveling and connections, we thought it best to input some shots with him going to the airport and explaining what he would be doing in the other countries. he networks a lot Nationwide and has offices all around the world and we want to reflect this in this documentary because it shows his expansion. When he goes on a work trip next, We're going to ask him to film for us so we can get very good shots to put in our documentary.

Along with the flights and Airport shots, we also want to input some shots with him meeting with clients in his office. He will of course need to ask his clients  if they are comfortable with it but hopefully they will give us the go ahead. Like I said before this is only part of our b-roll outline and next week, we will show you guys a part two. I am looking forward to sharing the rest with you guys!

Well, that’s it for today and I hope you have a great day!

"Make It Happen" Reflecting and Applying

Hey guys! Welcome back to the blog. I hope you are having a good start to your week. Today, I wanted to talk about our project, but more specifically, how to make it better than our last one. As you know, we've done a project just like this before and are creating a continuation of the last one. On our last project, my group and I felt that we didn't do as good as we could have given our limited time, but we feel we can make this better than the last one because of more time and more planning. 

Today, we will be talking about what we did wrong in the last one and what we could do better on this one. On our last project, it felt a little rushed. We feel like if we had slowed it down a little bit better it would have been able to tell the story more smoothly and more efficiently. There are some things that we felt that we did very good with on the last project. This includes the b-roll and the scripts. The b-roll we did was by far the best b-roll I've ever produced and it is what really developed our story and made it the most interesting. Below you can see some examples of some of the b-roll that we produced:

                 

Another thing is the music. We did very well with our music choice on the last project and we hope that we can  choose some very good music that best suits the project this time as well. We also feel that we did very well on the plot. It was very well thought out and told the story perfectly, the only bad thing really being the rushed final cut. On this project we plan to reflect on all of our critiques (my group and my classmates) and make this the best documentary out there. I really want to work hard on this because I hope that I'm able to submit my final piece to a film festival to get professional feedback and to see what people think.

Anyway, I hope you like the blog post today and I'll see you next time!

Teamwork Makes a Dreamwork

 Hey guys, today I wanted to start this post off by talking to you about my group members to let you guys get to know us a little bit better and how we work as a team. I have known my group member Mariana for a long time because we grew up together in the same school. Since we've known each other for a long time, we work very well together and are not shy to let each other know our opinions. My other group member Isabella is also somebody I have known for a little while. We met about 4 years ago and grew very close over time. Although I have not known her for as long as I have known Mariana, we still work beautifully together and we aren't scared to let each other know our opinions either. I hope that little blurb let you guys feel like you know our group better and how we work. 

Moving on, I wanted to talk about our shooting schedule. Although there is still a lot of things to do before then, it is always best to be prepared and organized. My group and I agreed that our filming would take place on week 4 and 5 of our project schedule. By then, we would have had enough time to get everything planned our and in order and it would give us more time to edit and finish the rest of the project in no rush. This is essential in our project so that we could produce our best work and not have to deal with that same time issue as our last documentary.

Our filming dates would be March 8th, March 10th, March 15th, and March 17th. 

If you looked closely at our project schedule, you would have noticed that next week, we will be working on our social media page. This is something that we are very excited for and I am sure you guys are too. That way, we can keep you guys updated on the process on more than one platform and better document our process. 

Well then, I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I hope you have a great rest of your week. I'll see you guys next week!

Quick Brainstorming Sesh

 Hey guys happy Wednesday! I wanted to hop on here and talk to you about this little brainstorming session I had with my group today in class. Since we decided to switch up our project, we had to have some sort of idea of what to produce. We knew we wanted to produce a documentary like our last time, so then a bright idea came to us. We wanted to re-produce our failed documentary and make it better than before. We all decided that we needed to run it through our trusty advisor/teacher TStok, but sadly, she told us we had to produce new content. 

We started brainstorming some alternate ideas and then it came to us. Since it is an episodic documentary, we could just produce a brand new episode of the same documentary, but instead of using the same exact topic, we make something from a new lens/perspective. When we got the okay for this, we got straight to work brainstorming more amazing ideas. Since our last episodic documentary project focused on starting the business, we decided to produce a new episode focusing on expanding and running the business. As soon as it was said, we all though it was a great idea.

To give you a little refresh, our main subject Javier is the father of my group member Isabella. He started his business in Venezuela and had trouble continuing it in the states as a latin entrepreneur. This gave us the angle we needed to appeal to our audience's emotions.

Hopefully you all enjoyed this post I had for you today and on Friday, we will be talking about our shooting schedules and our group synergy. Until next time!

Quick Turnaround!

 

Hey guys happy Monday! I hope you are having a good start to your week. I wanted to hop on here and update you guys on a complete turnaround we did while brainstorming. On one of our previous projects I did with my same current group, we produced a documentary of our own making and we it was really fun. My group and felt that we didn't let our documentary live up to it's full potential so after careful consideration, we decided to switch to a documentary for our portfolio project. Yes yes I know it is a big change but giving that we are still in the planning stage, it's okay that we did this. 

We will not change it again (at least I hope not) and we are very excited to produce this documentary. At first, my group member Isabella was not at all convinced or on board with doing a short film. Although we won the coin toss, we all soon realized that she was indeed right and producing a documentary would be very fun and exciting. Since we didn't feel like our last one lived up to it's full potential, we decided to try from a different angle and produce something even better. 

When my team and I were talking, we all began to wonder what were the reasons our previous documentary didn't live up to it's full potential. We all came to the conclusion that it was due to the time. Now let me explain. Although we were given enough time to produce an okay documentary on our last project, we felt like it was too rushed. Now that we have more time, we could milk every drop of success out of this project and make it the best work we have ever produced. Who knows, maybe we'll be so proud of our work that we'll feel like we should submit it to a film festival! In our next project, 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little update and found it as exciting as me. See you on the next post!

Project Schedule

 

Hey guys welcome back! Today, I will be outlining my entire project schedule. This is very important because it keeps me organized, focused, and makes sure i'm on track. 

Here is my schedule for this project:

Week One (2/12-2/18)

- Choose project

- Research genre

- Blog posts

 

Week Two (2/19-2/25)

- Continue genre research

- Choose genre

- Start brainstorming storyline ideas

 

Week Three(2/26-3/3)

- Continue brainstorming storyline

- Storyboard storyline

- Develop outline

- Develop filming schedule

 

Week Four (3/4-3/10)

- make social media account

- brainstorm

- blog posts

 

Week Five (3/11-3/17)

- start posting on social media

- start filming

- blog posts 

Week Six(3/18-3/24)

- continue posting on social media 

- continue filming

- begin editing/planning edit

 

Week Seven (3/25-3/31)

- continue social media postings

- last minute filming if needed

- continue editing 

- begin working on film poster

- blog posts

Week Eight (4/1-4/7)

- Last edits

- Researching/planning for Critical Reflection

- blog posts

 

Week Nine (4/8-4/10)

- final reflective comments

- upload CCR

- blog posts

Well, I plan to stick to this schedule and I am glad I got to share my outline with you guys. I'll see you guys next time!

Filming Equipment!

Hey guys hope you had a great weekend! Today I wanted to talk to you guys about the equipment we will be using to film our documentary. As you know, we are filming the documentary at Javier’s office and a big camera wouldn’t be ideal. We were in between 2 cameras. The iPhone 13 camera or a Nikon D3500. The Nikon camera is Isabella’s and she has offered to have us use it in the project. These are both very good cameras so it is kind of hard to decide what to use.

Now, both of these cameras offer impressive features, but they cater to slightly different needs and shooting styles. Let's break it down:

1. iPhone 13 Camera:

   
   

   

• Portability: The iPhone 13 is incredibly portable, fitting nicely into a pocket. This makes it perfect for capturing impromptu moments or navigating tight spaces. 
• Convenience: With its all-in-one design, the iPhone 13 simplifies the filming process. It's user-friendly, allowing us to shoot, review, and even edit footage directly on the device.
• Quality: Don't underestimate the power of smartphone technology! The iPhone 13 has advanced camera capabilities, including improved low-light performance and stabilization features, ensuring high-quality footage.

1. Nikon D3500 DSLR:

   
   

   

• Image Quality: The Nikon D3500 is famous for its insane image quality, thanks to its larger sensor size and interchangeable lenses. This means we have more control over depth of field and focus.
• Versatility: With the ability to swap lenses, the D3500 offers versatility that the iPhone 13 can't match. We can choose the perfect lens for each shot, whether it's capturing wide-angle establishing shots or intimate close-ups.
• Manual Controls: For those who prefer a hands-on approach, the D3500 provides manual controls for adjusting settings like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. This level of control is very useful for achieving the exact look and feel we envision for our documentary.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to portability, convenience, and image quality. While the iPhone 13 is easier to use and is more portable, the Nikon D3500 offers unparalleled versatility and control over the filmmaking process. Though, the iPhone does have some things as well that the Nikon camera does not. 

In our case, considering Javier’s office and the space, portability, and somewhat good quality, we decided to use the iPhone 13. Although the Nikon camera would be better quality, the iPhone 13 would be better to use because it has good video quality and has a lot of other good features. 

Anyway. I hope you enjoyed this post and we will be using the iPhone 13 this week to start filming the interviews! 

A Level Portfolio Project Explained

Hey guys welcome back and happy Valentines Day! Today in class, my group and I had the chance to start working on our project. This class period, it was all about the brainstorming. On my last post, I had said that we were down to 2 choices: the short film package and the film promotion package. Although we had made it down to 2 choices, we still needed to eliminate one in the end. This is where the problem came in. 

My group and I were in a little bit of a dilemma because we all wanted to do different things. Once we narrowed it down to 2 choices, we did what any logical person would do, we flipped a coin to figure out our decision lol. I know this isn't the smartest decision for figuring out what project we will be doing to submit to Cambridge but it was the most effective at the moment and I though it was a little fun and spontaneous. It was heads for the short film or tails for the film promotion. This was really funny for our group because my group member that wanted to flip the coin didn't know how to flip it correctly, so it took us a few tries to perfect it. 

Once we perfected the flip, it was time for the official one. I don't know why I was so nervous, but this did depict our entire project so I guess it's understandable. Anyway, the official flip came and as the coin was flipping through the air, I was praying for the short film because I feel like that one would be the most fun one to make. When it finally hit the group and I peeked at which side of the coin it landed on, I sighed heavily in relief because it landed on the short film package! 

Now that we figured out what project we were doing, we needed to figure out the genre and story line. This is the hardest part because we can't just throw a coin in the air to figure this one out now can we, so we have to think deeply. Well guys, I think that's all for today and we'll update you guys on the genre and story line we chose later. Until next time!

A Level Portfolio Project Transition

 

Portfolio Project:

Hi guys happy Tuesday! Welcome back and today, we are transitioning into our portfolio project! I am very excited to start this journey yet again and show off my best work. I will be working with Isabella Galarraga and Mariana Sanchez. Again, I am very excited for this project and to work hard with my group. In this project, we are being given 4 choices of things to produce: a music promotion package, a film promotion package, a documentary package, and a short film package. 

We have narrowed it down and are in between these 2 choices:

- short film package

- film promotion package

I will explain more details about my project and my cool ideas next time so stay tuned. Have a great rest of your Tuesday and I hope your week has been starting off strong for uou!

Film Distribution Project

 Hi guys happy Monday! Here we are, almost 2 months later. I hope all has been well with you guys. I know I haven't talked to you guys in a little while but i've been really busy working on my latest project. That's what I wanted to update you guys on and tell you all about. 

This latest project was called the film distribution project. In this project, our media class partnered with the creative writing class where wrote a storyline for us and we had to produce it and create a distribution plan for it. We had to create one trailer, one teaser, and an entire distribution plan for the storyline given to us. We got to choose from 3 options which I thought was really nice. We ended up choosing a psychological thriller called A Hemlock for the Heart. 

This story that we choose was about a character who works at a flower shop. All of a sudden, he starts feeling like he's losing time and not remembering parts of his day. He finds this really weird but thinks nothing if it until one of his co-workers is found dead and left with flowers by her side. Our main character is the one who found her but starts to have a weird feeling like he had something to do with it. He starts to see signs such as blood under his finger nails, weird dreams, and the loss of time. Our character goes into a spiral and finds that he was indeed the killer and has a split personality. Interesting right ?? 

Since we were in charge of the distribution plan, we were in charge of the rating, the target audience, where we were going to distribute, and even some key art for the production. We decided upon a rated R rating because of the gory and dark storyline. The target audience we choose was 17-45 and we decided to distribute through a streaming platform known as HBO MAX. 

Here is the key art we created for our production:

  

We also created an image similar to the Netflix covers of upcoming movies to intrigue our audience:

In the top right corner, you can see the key art for our film which I thought was a really good touch. This project was really fun to produce and I loved how everything turned out. On my next post, I have a little treat for you guys. I hate to leave you on a cliff-hanger but I promise you'll be just as excited as I am. 

See you on my next post!