Final Submissions

Music by “Power Music Factory”:

https://youtube.com/powermusicfactory

CCR Videos:

https://browardcountyschools-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/0612113039_my_browardschools_com/Evfq850xOZtHvGo2Kzt_Gt8BmpiMaM8BaI0euR4elUQn-Q?e=Rb3fpV

Film Opening:

https://browardcountyschools-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/0612113039_my_browardschools_com/EgBJQkZ6oEZNsh8ufZAEbVoBsZ_RPSiwOTohlkCPODnZ1A?e=Vp1JW2

Final Reflection

Finishing this project I have learned a lot of information that I never knew until know. I realize now how much one piece of media can have much more significance than what we teenagers think. I realized this over the year and was cool learning all of the techniques when filming and other activities. For this project we basically had to incorporate everything we have learned and make a nice production out of it. This was a unique project. Media Studies as a whole was really new to me, but after a lot of learning and assistance from our teacher everything was much easier to comprehend.

Reflection

We had a similar assignment for our midterm grade which was pretty smart so we could be prepared for this portfolio project. When starting the way I this project was structured as cool. Writing the story was probably the hardest part of this project honestly. Thinking of a proper name, the use of props, lighting etc. is determined from the type of story we wanted to go for. That is why me and my partner ultimately decided to do the gym since we both have a background of this. No additional money was needed thankfully. Also the staff at the gym was super nice. I was scared of asking him about filming since social media has showed a lot of negatives when it comes to filming in the gym. From our experience it was nothing like that and the manager was super nice. He was curious and what we were doing as well and it gave us that much more confidence to film this. 

The way we had to film multiple shots was very time consuming but so worth it. Overshooting is a recommendation I would most definitely give. It made the editing that much easier. I did not have a clue the purpose of the angles filmed in movies. After learning and practicing I think we put the appropriate shots together for this film. To continue, I originally was thinking of doing this project by myself but having a partner who also goes to the gym made this project way easier. Having an extra person was super useful. Brainstorming ideas and making a storyboard was much easier.

Overall, this project has taught me a lot especially all of the hard work one has to do to show to create a good video or film. I learned very quickly that the people who have studied media really criticize every aspect of what is published. I find it interesting how people can find a mistake in a movie that they can help give strong criticism to improve.

Post Production CCR

When editing the first two questions with the panda mask, I believe that the use of this mask was appropriate for being creative for the CCR. I made my shots straight forward and easy to film so the editing process would not take long. Since this was more of an interview I did not find myself to over edit any clips which saved me a lot of time to focus more on my film opening. Additionally the Powerpoint was the same process but I recorded audios just incase I wanted to layer any audio over so my voice could be heard clearly. I did this with voice memos on my phone since I did not have all the available tools like I have at home.

               

Production CCR

 Well in terms of ideas that I had to make my CCR I decided to take a different approach. I know I mentioned on a blog post prior that I was going to do a baking show type of thing, but with how my kitchen, it was not a great idea. To make this interesting I used a panda mask to try and hide the director. You can see me or the candidate at the end of the film when he takes of his mask but the camera is still recording. I setup my desk to make it look like this person has a crazy obsession with the gym, hence all the tubs on desk and weights that will be seen. I will provide a photo of the props I used before filming. I additionally used my mom’s voice since she has a strong accent to make it seem as if she came from another country to learn more about the film.

I printed a hard copy of my script for my mom so she it would be easier for her to ask me the questions. I had to make some adjustments after I printed since the way I printed out the paper was not the correct way.

To make the director(me) seem like he is really interested in the film I decided to use my collection of tubs  and other athletic items to surround my desk. The purpose of these props where to make it seem like the director has a deep connection with the film and wants it to be the very best.

So this photo was basically the final look. I have one more angle but it just shows the camera put somewhere where I can talk without worrying about my mom having to move or any other factor like that. The panda mask. Well unlike the last two questions answered via a PowerPoint I wanted to be creative hence the panda mask! 

Well I made a powerpoint that was pretty straightforward, I did this since I wanted to make it look like I was a busy person and wanted to get to the point quickly.

Final Question

 Research

After viewing multiple examples over the course of this week I have noticed that I am on course for a pretty good CCR post. Although once of my ideas might be a bit crazy I am totally for it. This second part of this presentation would show a PowerPoint presentation and would be more of a critical reflection, while the first 2 questions would be more of the creative part of it. I found a well organized blog post page that also took this class and I like the way everything is structured and have gotten some inspiration on how I can handle the PowerPoint. I had one idea in mind but the way this is structured I am thinking on modifying my presentation a tiny bit.

Script

How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Me: This film would not have been possible without technology. We employed various tools to ensure the film felt and looked good. 
 
For shooting, we used handheld shots so that it could be more organic and natural. I did not want everything to be too perfect; I wanted the audience to feel as if they were part of Ryan's world whether it was his intense workouts or the casual times with his journal. The slight movement from handheld shots gives a raw, intimate feeling, making the emotions feel more real. 
 
We also employed microphones to record hard-to-hear sounds while shooting. A pen scribbling on paper, weights dropping on the ground, or even gentle breaths in between sets these small details actually make the viewers feel present. If not for them, then it would not be as real. 
 
We used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit. We spent a long time making sure that every shot had a purpose. 
 
It wasn't merely about putting together scenes it was about telling a story through pictures. We tweaked the timing so that Ryan's routine felt right but also personal. Color correction was important too. The gym scenes are lighter and easier to reflect his motivation, and the intimate moments, like when he's writing in his journal, are softer to reflect his isolation and introspection. 
 
We watched many sports and fitness videos on YouTube to see how to go about shooting some of the shots. Seeing how commercial directors had represented the athlete's movements gave us ideas on how to handle our sequences, especially in the sections where we were exercising. In order to stay organized, we used OneDrive to keep everything, our scripts, shot lists, and notes, all in one area. It was a lot easier, especially when we were dealing with other parts of the project at different times. Instead of rushing to find something, we could just open it up. 

References

Sayemmy. (2016, April 14). AICE media studies. AICE Media Studies. https://emilyhillaicemediastudies.wordpress.com/ 

Question #3

Research 

After another day in class I learned that in prior years the format of answering the questions used to be different. With this being said I viewed an example from prior years and saw that this person answered all his questions in one simple blog post. I am not using this blog post for any tips but more of a learning experience on what I might not want to do. It’s interesting how the course has changed so much. Also learning from my teacher the presentation could use some slight modifications. These are all skills that I have learned over the spans of this course.

Powerpoint question: How did your production skills develop throughout this project? 

Me: Honestly, a lot. This was the first time I really had to think about how to show a story instead of just telling it. I’ve always watched movies and appreciated how they were made, but actually creating one made me realize how much goes into it. 

I had to focus on small details, like how lighting changes the mood of a scene. If a shot is too bright or too dark, it can give the wrong feeling, so I had to experiment a lot. Same thing with sound. I learned that background noise and music can make a scene feel more real or even more emotional. I also paid attention to camera movement like, when should the shot feel steady and controlled, and when should it feel shaky or uncertain? These little things ended up making a huge difference. 

One of the biggest things I worked on was using props in a way that actually meant something. The journal, for example, isn’t just there to look cool it’s basically Ryan’s thoughts on paper. So every time I showed it, I had to think about what the audience should understand just by looking at it. Planning those shots ahead of time helped me realize how important visual storytelling is. 

Overall, this project pushed me to be more creative and really think like a filmmaker. Instead of just pointing a camera and filming, I had to ask myself how do I make people feel something? That’s something I never really thought about before, but now it’s one of the most important things I’ve learned. 

References

AICE media studies critical reflection questions Chance Sturrup. - ppt download. SlidePlayer. (n.d.). https://slideplayer.com/slide/8790409/