CCR Ideas

     I have been thinking about ideas for my CCR ever since my teacher introduced them. I am so far maybe two days or a day left into finishing my film opening. This is super exciting as my goal is to finish the whole project by next Friday. This way I don't have to worry and stress about it over spring break. I also have a volleyball tournament the weekend before the due date so I really don't have time to work on it. Now on to some CCR ideas.

CCR #3 and #4

These CCRs are the lightest to work on so I want the media that is shown through to be fun and lighthearted. My first idea that popped into my head while learning about CCRs is the show Hot Ones. On this show, celebrities are invited to eat spicy wings as they answer questions promoting their films. I couldn't directly copy this idea so I had to twist it to make it my own. I decided to replace the hot wings with traditional Venezuelan food. This would match with my film opening and would allow for further discussion on the set design;

Hot Ones Host

CCR #1 and #2

An idea for this a behind the scenes style interview. So, in the set interviewing the director. I would be able to show the whole set design and able to talk more seriously. These CCRs are the most challenging as a lot of discussion is required for them. I would travel between my kitchen and my room as I am responding to the questions. I am thinking about displaying the questions on the screen in that typical font you see in interviews. 

Group Meeting #2

     Today, we had a group meeting. Just like the first, my classmates and I come from different groups and discuss our project. This time we were recommended to discuss our filming footage, editing process if started, and CCR ideas. To start off, we went around and told the general idea of our film and opening for everyone to understand.

Alejandro

    Alejandro's film opening is about a guy who is going through drug withdrawals. He said his film opening is very action packed. This idea seems interesting as they put a lot of effort into the set. They used an empty room from a house that one of his group members was going to sell. He went into a lot of detail describing the set. However, a problem with the set was the limited time they had with it. They could only film for one day and couldn't refilm after. So, every shot had to be perfect.

 Fer

    Fer had the most interesting idea out of the whole group, in my opinion. Her film opening follows a flamenco dancer and as she dances, she collapses. It is later found out that she has a heart problem, how will this affect her career? The plot isn't the only thing that made this opening interesting but the way Fer filmed it. She recorded in an empty studio, which is hard already since one wall is a whole mirror. She ran into that problem already but there was a bigger one at hand, sound. If she were to edit sound in later, it would be difficult to sync up the dancer's steps to the music. To fix this, she decided to play her own music, as in her own instrument.

Flamenco dancing

Cristian

    Cristian's film opening is about a teenage girl during her high school graduation who feels nostalgic. Her friends then tell her to make the most out of it and decide to throw  a big party to celebrate. This idea reminded us all of the movie Project X. Moving on, a small hurdle during their filming process was that the character needed to have her phone in the bathroom for her friend to call her but the dress she was wearing had no pockets. In order to overcome this, the group had to hide it under her dress.

Mine

    After I described my film opening, I shared that one of my main problems was the sun. I couldn't film until very late as the sun's position would change, affecting the lighting of my production. So I had to film in the span of two days. Everyone had a similar problem. We moved on to CCR ideas and some tossed around as inspiration were a Genus style interview, the One Chip Challenge, street interviews, and Hot Ones. I believe I am able to draw some inspiration from these types of interviews and morph it to match my film opening.

Research on CCR 1

      Now this is oddly what I am excited for. Ever since my teacher introduced the CCRs, I have been brainstorming how I can present my knowledge and journey through this project. Although I am very interested in these questions, I still am aware that this is a big portion of my project and should be taken very cautiously. But for right now, it is just researching in response to the questions.

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

       Coming-of-age movies frequently feature themes of identity and personal development. Close-ups, for example, contribute the viewer to connect with the protagonist's personal issues by capturing meaningful moments. Wide shots, on the other hand, highlight the character's relationship to the outside world or their sense of isolation. POV shots put the viewer in the protagonist's shoes throughout major shifts in their lives. Low/high angles are sometimes used to convey weakness or power. While harsh lighting emphasizes emotional conflict, soft lighting is used to evoke nostalgia.

      My film opening conveys multiple of these conventions. Close-ups used to show Alba’s concern for choosing to miss out hanging out with her friends or family. The final shot is a wide shot to show how isolated she is from her heritage as she sits at the opposite side of the table from all the Venezuelan decorations. 

Kench, S. (2023, September 25). Video: 3 elements in the best coming of age movies. StudioBinder. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-coming-of-age-movie-definition/ 

Small but proud editing

     Editing again... But at least there is something to show this time. This eyeline match might be basic editing, however, coming from someone who has zero (and I mean ZERO) experience in any form of editing, this is a small step. But in general editing has been going well and I am on the right track to be finished by the end of next week. I am a little nervous about the credits since I need to learn how to put text on clips. A sound element I have decided to possibly do is a voiceover. These are common in coming-of-age films and it would help the audience understand where the plot begins

Character looking at calendar off screen

Calendar shown directly after revealing issue

    The only clip I have had to refilm is the clip where Alba gets the notification from her friend asking if she is free that weekend. When I first filmed it, I didn't realize the time, 4:55. This is way too late to be arriving from school as it is almost evening. So I had to refilm that short clip at around 3. This way it is more realistic as in the U.S. we leave school at 3.

Editing my brain

     Started editing!! Sadly. This is the worst part of these types of projects. I typically enjoy editing when all clips are in order, placed nicely, and have the right momentum. That means all that is left is sound and adjusting the visual of the clip. That is fun, I want to watch some videos on how to make that work in Adobe Premier Pro as I am not as familiar with the program but know it can be very useful in this project.

    Right now, I am just organizing everything and getting familiar with Adobe Premier. I am weirdly excited about learning more about this tool. Although I might start editing this week, next it is going to be all I think of. This week is a little rocky with focus since the quarter is ending so every teacher is assigning projects or tests. I am relieved that next week my focus will be on this project. This blog post just served as a small update as I am just beginning to edit. Next post, I want to give an example of an edit I have done.

Filming Process

     Finally finished up with filming after slight scheduling conflicts. My anxiety increases as the due date gets closer and closer. The more I look at the clips, the more I start to nitpick at them. Unfortunately, we don't have months to work on this project, just a few weeks left. I have to do my best and ignore my perfectionism mentality.

My dog in the right bottom corner peeking

    Filming ran smoothly with just some quick mishaps in the way. For example, my dog getting in multiple frames or the camera focusing on the wrong thing. But all of these things were fixed by taking my dog outside or refilming the shot. All clips came out well but knowing me I might refilm certain ones or add some depending on how editing plays out. Some clips were intentional for a certain type of editing, like an eyeline match.

    I plan to match this with a shot of the calendar showing an important date/tradition in Latin culture, a family parilla (Direct translation: grill). This would create that struggle for balance between her friends and her family. One of my biggest worries is that the audience won't be able to capture that. Hopefully editing and sound will play a big role into transforming this theme.

    Next blog post, I should be starting on editing. This week, I want to finish importing and organizing the clips. I could even start working on sound and color if time lets me. My goal is to have the film opening done by the end of next week as I need to start researching and producing my CCRs soon.

First Obstacle

      Well it was going to happened eventually! My first obstacle of filming process. My family friends are over. I mixed up the dates they were coming. I thought they were coming in two weeks, which would be no problem since it would be just editing. However, that didn’t work. It’s alright thought. I can push filming to Monday and start editing the same day so I don’t lose time. A small issue but a quick situation. This didn’t stop me from continuing. 

    In order to make up for lost time, I started completely cleaning the whole house. That is when I noticed there is a better location to film the eating and texting scene in my house. My kitchen has a kitchen nook (just found out the official name) that the walls are decorated with souvenirs from Venezuela. I have no idea how I didn’t think of this spot first. There is also a calendar on that same wall so I wouldn’t have to use the phone calendar like I thought I’d have to. This makes it much more smoother, now just two days until filming.