Group Meetings!

Hey guys welcome back! I hope you've had a great weekend and are ready for the new week. I wanted to hop on here and chat a little about what I did today. Today in class, we did group meetings. Like last time we talked about our project and gave each other feedback of what we could improve. This is helpful because when it comes close to the end of the line there are some things that need tweaking and it's best to get some outside point of view feedback. As we went around the table I gave a lot of good feedback to my group. 

When it came around to me, I gave them the link to my blog. They quickly went on and began to skim through my posts and give me feedback on anything that they thought I needed help with or could improve. I had explained that we were close to finishing and that all we had to do was finish filming. I had explained that I was having a little trouble figuring out what other things we can put in for b-roll. I had enough b-roll to place into the documentary, but it was giving me a feeling that it needed more b-roll pertaining to the individual (in this case Javier). 

One of my group members gave me the bright idea to input more things about his past, for example, more pictures pertaining to his past. My teacher had told me that we couldn't put anything into this documentary that we didn't create ourselves, so we showed a little bit of b-roll of us filming a slow walkthrough of some old pictures. This is helpful in helping the audience put together the information faster and understand Javier and his expansion to the US on the deeper level. 

We also talked about the print component portion of the project that I need to do. For me, it is the magazine spread. They asked me how it was going, and I said it was going very well and all we had to do was add some nice pictures to create the magazine look. We did have to go back in and make sure our magazine had all the correct magazine conventions and this was helpful as well.

Here is an image of me and my group:

In case you were curious, you can see me in the back right with the blonde hair and black shirt. Overall, they gave me a lot of great feedback that actually helped me improve my project planning and help me organize my head a little bit. Thank you so much for tuning in and I hope you have a great rest of your day. I'll see you next time!

Print Component Progress

Hey guys! Happy Friday. I just realized that I never told you guys that I was on my trip! For the past week, I have been in North Carolina. In normal circumstances, we would go hiking and stuff outside in the wilderness. The only issue with this is that a few weeks ago, I dislocated my knee playing soccer, causing some damage to my ligaments and bruising of my bones.

 Thank god it wasn't anything further, but this did severely limit the things we were able to do. I being the trooper that I am managed to go on some mini hikes with crutches, but with the extra time on my hands, I was able to progress a lot with the project. Here is a picture of me and my group member Mariana both hurt:

Getting back on track, my group member Mariana that you can see above in the picture standing next to me has been working on the print component for the project. She has actually done a lot of work on it so far but she has not added an image yet, which makes it look more empty that it actually is. The 2 images that you see below are 2 samples of formats of the print component. 

On the top, you can see the text more open and with 2 lines covering it. On the bottom, you can see the text trapped into a block. Mariana sent us these samples to help her decide which one looks better. What I said was that I liked the top one better because it makes the text look more open and have more space to breathe. As for the pictures, we are still brainstorming and making things to add to that. Below, you can see the work she has done so far. 

Anyway guys, I hope you had a great week and I am ready to get back to relaxing and taking advantage of my break! Have a great weekend and I am looking forward to talking next week.

Cool Little Idea!

 

Hey guys happy Wednesday! Today, I wanted to talk to you guys about a cool little idea that me and my group came up with to implement into our documentary. As you know, we are interviewing Isabella in order to contribute to Javier's story. In our interview with Isabella, she talks about Javier teaching her and influencing her to create her own company just like her dad. Well, from a young age, Isabella created a dog-walking business, which soon turned into a dog-sitting business. 

To add to the effect, Isabella created a social media page with her dog walking business and posted each and every dog she has ever walked or taken care of. She wrote reviews and posts images every time she takes care of one. This is something very good that actually contributes heavily to our project. Luna's presence not only adds a charming visual element but also serves as a tangible representation of the love and dedication Isabella pours into her work. 

By showing Luna alongside Isabella in the interview, we're able to humanize her journey and show the emotional connection she shares with her clients and their pets. This also has another benefit. By incorporating Luna into our documentary, it shows Isabella's digital footprint. Just as she documents her experience on social media, Luna also represents the joy Isabella has in her work. Below, you can see an image of the social media where Isabella posts:

  

To showcase this in the documentary, our group decided that it would be a good idea to put one of the dogs she has taken care of in a portion of the documentary or part of her interview. This dog would be a mini Australian Shepard called Luna, which happens to be Isabella's best friend's dog Anastasia. Below, you can see a picture of Luna:

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and I am looking forward to filming this portion of the interview. This is going to be very fun and besides, we get to play with a puppy ;). See you next time guys!

Editing Our Filmed Footage

 

Hey guys happy Monday and welcome back! I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for the new week. As you know, we filmed a part of Isabella's interview last week. Today, I wanted to hop on here and talk to you guys about the editing of the clips we have shot so far. 

To start, editing these clips has proven to be a little bit of a challenge. This was expected though. One of the major issues I am facing is the decision we made to film in a continuous shot format. While this provides a natural flow to the dialogue, it did create a little bit of an issue. I am having to watch the continuous shots and cut out the mistakes and piece it together. I had to be precise and patient as I tried to make it look natural and smooth. With multiple takes, piecing together the story required careful consideration of the narrative flow.

As well as this, the exposure of the clips turned out to be something that was a little difficult to manage, This has been an issue for me in the past because I think that when you film on an iPhone and you upload it to Adobe Premier, the white-balance gets offset and it makes it look overexposed. I had forgotten how to do this and had to research this again. I actually watched a youtube video about this because I was having a hard time. So far, I have also started playing around with the music and the loudness of the voice to make it sound nice, but also hear the music in the background. 

Below, you can see the timeline of my editing so far:

This is just the beginning of it and I will continue to update you guys on the status of our editing and filming. Despite the issues we came across, I am very proud and happy with the progress we have made so far. Each thing we do brings us closer to our end goal and finished result and I am happy to say that we are close to that. As we dive deeper into the editing process and the rest of the filming, we will have a better idea on where we stand and how the final result comes out. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and I am excited to see how this project progresses.

Filming First Interviews

 Hey guys, welcome back and happy Friday. Today, I want to share the experience of our first real filming session. This has been pushed back a little but for good reason. Now that we have started, we are working fast and getting a lot of things done. 

Today, we had planned on filming Javier. We went over to his office, but when we got there, Javier (Isabella's dad) had to go to a work dinner so he had to go pretty quickly. Since we were there, we decided to do the next best thing film Isabella's interview. We were already there and weren't going to waste a good filming session so we went ahead and got to work.

It started off a little bit rough because Isabella was nervous, but once we got going, she was great and spoke from the heart. Below, you can see a minute long video of the filming process (shhhhhh it's a sneak peak so don't tell anyone): 

We also had a great time filming this. It was really fun and we had some good laughs. Here are some pictures I took of the filming experience and one video of us having fun with the project: 

Another thing that I did with Isabella to help her get on track was go over her lines with her. She was frustrated with it not coming out right so I went over her lines with her and helped her make what she was trying to say come out smooth. Here I have a picture of me doing that: 

Now that it is spring break, we will have more time to plan for our project. We were able to film a lot of this today, but we still have a lot to do. We are leaving for vacation tomorrow so we will use this time to relax and plan for when we get back. We are on crunch time right now because we don't have much time left, so we have to use all the time that is given to us until the due date. 

This filming process has been fun and we are looking forward to seeing this project come together when we finish filming. We have worked really hard on this and thought a lot of things through, so we are excited to see the finished result and to show you guys as well.

Thank you guys so much and I will see you next week. I hope you have a great weekend !

Making the Logo

Hey guys, welcome back and happy Wednesday! I wanted to hop on here really quickly to tell you a little something. I am excited to show you guys what I have done today. I have created a logo for our episodic documentary! This is something that we will mostly use in our social media and other places if needed. The process of making this logo has not been easy. I went through many different options and made around 10 other logos before finding this one. Honestly, the journey was a rollercoaster of creativity and persistence.

Crafting this logo wasn't just about drawing shapes and playing with colors. It was a deep dive into the essence of our documentary series – what we stand for, the emotions we want to evoke, and how we want to be remembered. 

The colors we've chosen aren't just visually striking; they're symbolic. We used the colors blue and white. We did this because Javier's company logo uses those colors as well. Below, you can see an image of Javier's company so you can see yourself: 

This picture you see is of the door of Javier's office. 

As for the font, it was a decision that took as much thought as the content itself. We needed something that resonated with our documentary's tone – strong but approachable. After experimenting with over fifteen fonts, we found the perfect match. 

Now that you read the basics and the reasons behind our logo, you can finally see the finished result. Here you go!

I really like this logo and I feel like it represents the documentary very well and I hope you do too. Anyway, that's all for today but stay tuned, because this is just the beginning. Catch you 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:

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.

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! 

Filming b-roll: part 1

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog. Today, I wanted to discuss filming. I wanted to hop on here and tell you guys about our first filming experience. And yes, we started filming! We filmed a good amount of the b-roll, but not all. The reason for this is because Javier is usually only in the office during the week, and giving that it was the weekend, he was at home with his family. We did have access to the office so we filmed part of the b-roll where Javier is not in it and we will finish filming the rest of the b-roll with Javier when he returns to the office next week. 

Now, you might be wondering "can we see the b-roll you have already shot?". You guys might hate me but the answer to that question is no. This is for a specific reason though, not to tease you guys lol. Our group decided we wanted to release it all at once and it wouldn't be a good idea to split it up, and since we are finishing the rest next week, we thought it best to not show you guys just yet. I know I know it might be a little annoying and you guys have probably been waiting to see a sneak peek of the b-roll, but you'll just have to wait a little longer :). 

The part that we did film was stuff like the showing the office, the machines Javier uses, and the warehouse that he keeps his products and uses to ships out his things. In the later filming, we're also planning to incorporate interviews with the team and possibly clients, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make everything happen. You'll get to see the passion and dedication that goes into every task. 

And that's not all. We're working on adding some dynamic shots of the local area, highlighting the community that surrounds of the company Sumiflex. So, while I know it's hard to wait, I promise the final reveal will be worth it. We're just as excited as you are to share our world with you, and we're making sure everything is perfect. In the meantime, stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for your patience and support. Trust me, the wait will make the reveal all the more special.

Thank you guys and have a great weekend. I'll catch you guys next week! 

Javier Is Back!

Hey guys, welcome back and happy Wednesday! Today, I wanted to hop on here and briefly talk to you guys about the situation regarding our main subject Javier. As you know, he has been on a work trip in Venezuela for a little while and we haven't been able to film much. Well, good news, he is finally back! 

Besides seeing family and friends, Javier was also able to go to his original office where the company began. This is very good for our project because he was able to call us on facetime and show us the place to give us a better idea of what the place looked like and helped us dive deep into Javier's point of view. Unfortunately, giving that we were on facetime and trying to take in the office feel, we did not manage to take pictures, but we do have some old ones to use in our documentary. 

Now that Javier is back, we're getting ready to transition from planning to filming. The insights and visuals from his trip are not just any small part of our project; they're a vital piece that allow us to paint a picture of Javier's journey from the beginning. We're ready to commence filming and bring our project to life, showcasing the real expansion story behind Sumiflex and the man who made it all happen.

As we move forward, expect to see deeper dives into the company's expansion, important interviews, and personal anecdotes from Javier that shine a light on the highs and lows of building a business from the ground up.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this exciting phase. We can't wait to keep showing you guys this and experiencing this with us and we look forward to showing you more!

Until next time, and I hope you enjoyed this blog post.

Print Research!

Hey guys, happy Monday and I hope you had a great weekend! Today, I wanted to show you guys a little bit of research that I have done on my print component of. my project. For those of you who don't know, as well as the documentary, we also need to create a print component. In our case, we need to create a magazine article. This will be something that helps support the creation of our documentary and provides some extra information for the documentary.

To start, I wanted to quickly elaborate on what a magazine aims to do. Magazine articles delve deeper than news reports, offering context, analysis, and often a personal touch. The purpose of such articles varies – they inform readers, provide expert viewpoints, share personal narratives, and showcase creativity.

Now that we got that out of the way, I want to dive into the conventions and structure of a magazine (what makes it up).

Magazine Articles use conventions such as:

• Headline: A headline tells the reader what the article is about. It kind of introduces the topic and lets you know what you are going to be reading about.
• Headings: Headings and subheadings represent the key concepts and supporting ideas in the paper. They visually convey levels of importance. 
• Columns: Columns make it easier for people to read and follow text split up than text which flows in a single block, across a large page. It may sound counter intuitive, but splitting text into columns allows more text.
• Composition: grid structures / balance / use of white space. This is very important because it is what causes intrigue and is how the content is arranged.
• Page numbering: Page numbering allows readers to locate the relevant sections with ease. This is particularly useful when the publication is likely to be referred to frequently and is not intended to be read in order.
• Design elements: color / graphics / typography and layout to engage with specific target audience.
• Text / Image / Graphics: create meaning for audience within specific market/genre.

Below, you can see a picture so you can more or less get a better idea of the conventions: 

Most creative writing professionals would agree that the best way to start writing a magazine article is with a strong opening sentence. A feature article must draw the attention of your target audience, and grab them from the go.

You can start by asking the reader a question which you will answer in the text of the article – for instance “Did you know that most users of Windows never use 80% of their functions – and that’s a good thing?”. In the content of your magazine articles you will be able to answer this question. 

Another example of a good magazine article beginning is storytelling – human brains are fascinated by stories. Starting your example with a cool story can draw attention and spike up curiosity. 

Well guys, I hope you enjoyed this research and learned about what I will be making in addition to the documentary. Have a good rest of your day and i'll see you next time!

'Make It Happen' Storyboard

Hey guys, happy Friday! I hope you're all doing well and ready for the weekend. Today, I have something really special that I want to share with you all. I've just completed the storyboard for my documentary, "Make It Happen," and let me tell you, the excitement I'm feeling right now is unmatched. 

Creating this storyboard has been an incredibly rewarding process. It's one thing to have an idea floating around in your head, but it's a completely different thing to see it laid out visually. This process has allowed me to truly visualize the flow of the entire documentary, identifying the key moments and the narrative that I want to share with you all. I can't wait to start the production process and share the final result with the world. But let's be real, This is obviously not the first draft and it will continue to be updated, but here goes!

Here is the storyboard: 

On the first slide, you can see the words "Make It Happen". This will be the introduction of our documentary. In here, we will introduce our subject and show our title. On the next slide, we will be interviewing the daughter (our group member Isabella) and we will be exposing how the daughter's POV is from how the company affected her growing up. Next, we will start from the beginning. We want to show how the company came to be and a quick backstory. Next (like every documentary), we need b-roll. For b-roll, we will be showcasing some meetings and the expansion of his company. This is not the full b-roll list but if you go to one of my previous posts, you can see a storyboard for our-roll to get a better idea of what else we would include.

To continue, we will be showing shots of the interviews. In the interviews, we will get first hand knowledge from Javier and how it affected him and how he did it. This will be a very important part of the documentary because it will be what the story will be driven from. In this, we would ask specific questions that dive deep into specific reasons on why he decided to expand and create the company. On the first episode that we produced, we talked about him starting the company so we would likely refer to this in this episode as well. 

Anyway, I hope that you are just as excited as I am to see this final result and I will see you next week when the real work starts!