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Final Reflection

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I am glad to have worked on the film opening for “Lost” with my partners Logan White and Felipe Marcan. When I was first given the option between a film opening and a magazine spread, I was initially considering the magazine. I had faith in my writing skills but I felt like I needed to challenge myself and stimulate my creative side, so I joined Felipe and Logan in their quest to create a film opening. We first began doing research on various genres that we could have worked on within our film opening. I did research on the comedy genre and the horror genre. Although I found both intriguing the horror genre had clearer conventions to stick to, which would have better helped guide us through our filming process. While doing research on the horror genre, however, I encountered the thriller genre. Early on in the research process, we knew that we did not want to fall into certain cliches so we opted out of dealing with supernatural forces. After discovering the thriller genre, I found
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CCR - Lost

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      After a long and extensive filming/editing process, I thought I'd made a CCR or Creative Critical Reflection on the entire journey. I loved the project a lot more than I thought I would and would like to share my experience. Below are multiple ways to watch my video, enjoy! YouTube Link:  https://youtu.be/3Pw7sGCFjZI
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Final Product : Lost

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Hello everyone! After a couple of long nights of editing, I am happy to announce that we have created the final product, the film opening for Lost. Below, I will include a couple of links so that you guys can view the film. Tell me what you guys think! My partners and I worked extremely hard on this project and we hope you guys appreciate our work. Thanks for following me on this awesome journey! YouTube Link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1qGjLkJJnc Google Drive Link:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lcqXM46gXxcIjj63Ua-XRZnO00cjzC0r/view?usp=sharing
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Post-Filming Thoughts and Reflection

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        Overall, I had a great time filming with my groupmates. Although I originally wanted to do a magazine since I have faith in my writing skills, I really felt like challenging myself and bringing in my much suppressed creative side. Filming went much smoother than I thought. To be honest, there were times where I felt like we were a bit disorganized, but talking to other groups was very helpful. It turns out that many other groups felt like they were racing against the clock as well. On top of this, my groupmate wasn't here for some of the spring break, and I thought we were going to fall massively behind. In reality, we had much more time to film than anticipated, and we got done filming quicker than I thought. The detailed storyboard and rigorous planning really helped guide us in the right direction, but we ultimately changed some things and did what we felt was right in order to serve the film justice. I did overlook some things that would have helped to make the film run
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What's Left?

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        After filming all the scenes, we realized that there is still a bit more we would like to add. Furthermore, we still need to do the foley, add some sound effects, and find a score to add to our opening. We plan on doing this tomorrow and Tuesday, and we will hopefully be completely finished by then        Scenes Left to Film - Inside car shot of Logan leaving - drone footage of highway (small, about 4 seconds) - finishing touches to final scene before the title card -foley       What's Left In General       Although we are done with filming, we still need to complete a lot of smaller aspects of the opening in order to finalize. The first thing that comes to mind is editing. Editing is what scares me the most as I have never had too much experience before this year. Also, we need to create the title card, let alone a title for the film. We have a couple ideas for the title, which I'll reveal in the next post. We also need to fit the credits i
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Day 2 Filming

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        After filming for two days, I am happy to say that we are nearly done, and all we need is to edit and compile the footage, as well as finish up some foley. Today, we decided to film the first to scenes, where the protagonist wakes up finding himself home alone, and ready to go try out mountain biking with his friend. We filmed at Edgewood Townhomes in Fort Lauderdale, since my father has a vacant house there with furniture. I know this is hard to communicate through a screen, but the house never had anyone living in it, so it was very clean and had that eerie, silent, "new house" vibe, which was just what we were going for. We made sure to include various shots in order to build up suspense such as Dutch angles, extreme close-ups, and unique "teaser" shots we came up with.           Day 2         To give a brief summary, we filmed our main character waking up, getting ready, and leaving to go mountain biking. We made sure to include various still shots
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Day 1 Filming

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       Hey guys! I am happy to say that Day 1 of filming was a huge success, although there were some minor setbacks. Although we had originally planned to film in chronological order, or the order in which the film opening would take place, we ended up shooting the last scenes first, on Friday. We knew ahead of time that our shooting schedule would get messed up since Logan, our film partner went on vacation to Colorado for a good portion of spring break. He was our lead actor, and we couldn't find replacements so we had agreed to start later. Although I was initially startled, many other groups only needed one day in order to film everything, so we still calculated for the extra time we might have needed.              Day 1        Day 1 of filming comprised filming the scenes on the mountain bike trail or scenes 4 and 5 on the old film outline. We kept the storyboard unchanged for the most part but decided to make a bold final change as we noticed that the film would be too
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Revised Film Outline and Editing Software

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      Due to time restraints in the filming process, we have unanimously decided in our Skype call to shorten the film opening. We are going to shorten it from six scenes to four scenes. We will achieve this by combining scenes 3 and 4, and 5 and 6. Scenes 3 and 4 involve filming the establishing shots as well as the initial mountain biking scenes. We will shorten this by removing some unimportant shots and angles, such as some of the aesthetic shots that were originally filler and to make the film visually pleasing. As a compromise, we will have to add only a couple of aesthetic shots, probably during the transition between scenes. For scenes 5 and 6, we will expand upon an idea that was given to us in the group meeting. Instead of trying to reveal a glimpse of the antagonist, we are not going to reveal his face at all; we will only reveal the idea of him and his presence. Our idea for the final scene is as follows: the final crash shot will cut to an extreme close up of the protagoni
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Final Film Locations

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        In preparation for filming this coming week, I am finalizing my filming locations. Earlier today, I went on a Skype call with my group mates so that we can finalize where our scenes will be filmed at.  Scene 1 and 2          Scenes 1 and 2 will be filmed in a vacant house with furniture in it. Luckily, my dad is a contractor so we have access to these houses. In the neighborhood that my father is working in, there are "showroom" houses that are decked out with modern furniture which is perfect for our scenes. Since the house is vacant it radiates the feeling of "emptiness". I know this is hard to imagine but there is just something about the house that emits feelings of loneliness, uncertainty, and melancholy.  Scenes 3 and 4         Scenes 3 and 4 comprise drone footage, mountain bike footage, and scenery of dark forests. Most of the filming will take place in Markham Park, and some of the footage will be highway shots with drones to create
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Musics and Sounds

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        One thing that we haven't dedicated much time to was in the music and sound of the film opening. I was asking groupmates during class what they did for sound, and most of them said they used a combination of royalty-free music and foley, but most of them hadn't gotten to the foley yet. After having a brief discussion with my partner on this topic, he recommended we use a software called Audacity to edit sound.        Luckily, my partner says he has a lot of experience with audacity and has had to use it on previous school projects. Also, the software is free to use. Below I will create a sound outline for the scenes and begin to compile files of sounds we will need to use of the film. Scene 1 - alarm clock (sound effect) -footsteps (Foley) -walking down the stairs (Foley) -brushing teeth (microphone) -cooking(microphone) -closing door (Foley) Scene 2 - starting car (sound effect) - music in the car(microphone b/c we want the viewers to be IN the car) -eng
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Group Meetings : 2

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          This week in class I had another meeting with different groups. I always like having these exercises because of the fact that my peers usually provide detailed insight and feedback that will greatly contribute to my film.           This group meeting, though, was quite an eye-opener. It turns out that various groups had already begun filming, while some had already begun to edit and finalize their film openings. At first, I was somewhat nervous; had I been too late? Had my group thought too highly of themselves in thinking that we only needed a couple of days to film?. Thankfully, many of these concerns were addressed among my classmates. Many students had to begin filming due to travel issues during spring break as well as work issues. Furthermore, many of my peers mentioned that the filming process was not as daunting as they had thought.         Many of the people I was talking to had recommended that I do various things. This was very comforting as I felt as if they wer
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Final Preparations and Shooting Schedule

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     I am very excited, by the end of next week we should be able to start filming. In class, we will establish character roles(find actors), finish up the precise storyboard for our film, pick a house to film the first two scenes in, and choose an editing software that we can all use (right now the consensus is on Wevideo).      Due to extracurricular activities, we couldn't meet up to properly begin filming. I did shoot a couple shots on my own that will not be used in the film but will be used as a time reference, and our shots seem to fit our time scale. I created a shooting schedule so that we are organized and focused when we meet up.      This website stresses the importance of a shooting schedule and explains that it is necessary in order to create an easy-to-film, organized production. The website even offers an online shooting schedule template. After looking at a sample shooting schedule, I realized that mine may be a little basic as I should include specific shots in
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Fonts

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        This week in class, our instructor suggested to us that we take a look at potential fonts for our film, so I did. An article my brother recommended me really allowed me to explore the importance of fonts in filmmaking.         Given the vast amount of films available on the internet, fonts can play a key role in capturing the attention of a potential viewer. Although good cinematography techniques and editing are key, the font is the first thing the audience sees and may subconsciously immerse or repel someone from our film.         We feel like a mysterious, the not overly spooky font would suit our film best. Let me give some examples of what we DO NOT WANT our film to look like:       We are not going to use these fonts for various reasons: 1. the fonts are too old school and will not appeal to our modern audience 2. the fonts are more conventional of slasher films, not horror/thriller films 3. the fonts simply do not fit with our plot and film developme
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Getting Ready to Film

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        Since we don't have all the time in the world, and one of our groupmates is going on vacation during spring break, we have decided to plan as precisely as possible so that the filming process will go smoothly. We have decided to update our storyboard, making it more precise and easier to follow. Our new storyboard contains shots and angles and is well spaced out so that almost every shot is detailed in the storyboard.        We now know various things that will certainly be included in our film opening. The film will revolve around three characters, including the protagonist. The protagonist will go mountain biking with his two friends, despite his mother not being home and the trails being closed. Also, the fourth character will be the antagonist, but he will only be revealed briefly in the film opening.        For our first scene, we decided to establish a quiet atmosphere, in an empty house. To emphasize this "too quiet" scene, we have decided to use various
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The Protagonist

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        After developing our antagonist, we have begun to develop our protagonist. When developing our main character, we made sure to include some main aspects that will allow him to fit into the film and appeal to our audience.        We wanted our protagonists to relate to the audience so that they can connect with him on a personal level. That means no superheroes, no growing up in a cave, no being raised by a pack of wolves. We went for an average teenage boy. There are also some aspects to the character that will allow him to fit in with the plot of the film. The boy will be cleanly clothed and maintain proper hygiene throughout the movie, going as far as packing hand sanitizer in his bag.        The use of close-ups and dolly-supported shots will exaggerate the effect of conformity and comfort. The use of Dutch angles and handheld footage throughout the rest of the opening will highlight the fact that he is uncomfortable in situations that take him out of his comfort zone.  
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Film Outline

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     We have been solidifying our film opening scenes and have devised an outline during class on the different steps in the film opening. The outline is more specific than the original storyboard; next class we will create an updated, more precise storyboard that is better paired with our outline.       In our outline, we created the first five scenes of the opening, what we like to call "the buildup". In these scenes, we plan to build up the anticipation and suspense through various small details and hints that something might go wrong. Furthermore, with the use of slow, lingering shots we will focus on minute aspects of the film that may serve a more important role later on in the plot. The outline is a mix of the plot as well as shots and angles. We planned out all the scenes except the final scenes, where the antagonist will be introduced. We still are not sure where the antagonist will be situated in, and what his backstory is.       Next week we will begin to speci
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The Antagonist

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      In class, my groupmates and I have begun to discuss who are characters are going to be, specifically the protagonist and antagonist. Today I will be discussing information about our antagonist.      After doing some research, I have found that there are four main types of antagonists : the evil villain, who has purely malicious intentions; the everyday antagonist, who simply opposes the main character and is not necessarily evil; the immoral entity, such as a totalitarian government; and the internal struggle, which would be an element of the protagonist itself. In our case, we find it best to use the evil villain as our antagonist. It is a horror movie, after all, and nothing strikes fear into the minds of people like a ruthless, senseless, killer.      Although we don't want to reveal too much about the antagonist in the film opening, we do want viewers to receive a brief image or visual of him and a clue as to why he is evil, as we also learned that humans aren't usu
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Group Meetings

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          This week in class I had the opportunity of talking to peers from various groups. We shared ideas, tips, blog posts, and helped each other better our projects. We all seem to be in the same place; we have general ideas and a rough sketch of what direction we would like to take our film openings in. One group is doing a boxing movie, two groups are doing dramas, and another peer mentioned that they were going to try to combine horror, drama, and comedy. The entire exercise really helped to guide my group and me into a more detailed path.            Various students suggested that I first plan out the end before I commence the film. They tell me that if I have a rough idea of what the entire film comprises, I will be better able to determine which aspects of the film I should emphasize and/or hide in the opening. We also talked about various shots and angles that ought to be used in the film opening. Many students agreed that the most crucial shots and edits are: establishing
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Props and Mise-en-scene

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Hello everyone! In class this week we began discussing what props we are going to use for the film opening, as well as clothing options for our characters.  Blood In any horror/thriller film, there needs to be some blood. In our film, we will need blood for the protagonist when he falls in the mountain biking scene, and also for our antagonist when he takes the protagonist to his bunker. We will need to learn how to make both oxygenated(fresh) blood and deoxygenated(old) blood. We found that the recipe below works best for our purposes on this science experiment website. 1/2 cup (118 ml) tropical fruit punch (Hawaiian Fruit Punch® works great.) 1 cup (237 ml) corn syrup 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of red food coloring 1 tablespoon (30 ml) of chocolate syrup 2 tablespoons of cornstarch 1 tablespoon of powdered cocoa We also found another website that has a recipe for old blood which is also vital for our film. 2/3 cup chocolate syrup 1/3 cup tide laundry detergent 
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Film Opening Concept

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        Last week, my group and I had begun to brainstorm potential film opening ideas. We previously were deciding on the genre and potential filming locations, but we have now begun discussing the potential plot and how we are going to accurately convey emotion in the film opening.  We have decided to film at Markham Park and have come up with two potential plots for the film. One story involves a group who goes camping and something goes wrong; we haven't come up with a specific antagonist yet. Another story involves a teen who goes mountain biking with his friends and gets lost in the trails. When he gets lost, he gets knocked out by someone or something and wakes up to find himself in a completely different location. We like both ideas but we feel like the camping scenario is too basic and overdone.        We have all agreed that we want the film to look as professional as possible, so we are going to rent camera equipment and use drone footage. We want to start the film with
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Thriller Genre Analysis

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         Since the horror genre and the thriller genre have so much in common, I will be conducting more research on the thriller genre. Almost all horror films have elements of suspense that create anxiety, which is native to the thriller genre.  I find it essential to learn about the thriller genre's conventions as well as analyze a thriller film to get a better idea of what we could potentially be working with, especially if we choose a horror thriller.           Content          Thriller films aim to create excitement and suspense within the audience, inducing adrenaline surges and raising heart rates in the people that watch them. Violence is often used as an outlet to create this suspense. The main goal of the thriller film is to keep the audience on "the edge of their seats". In a thriller film, the protagonist is usually placed in a situation in which escape seems impossible. Both the thriller and the horror film aim to create suspense and mystery.     
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Horror Film : Subgenres

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      In the end, majority rules. We have decided to go along with creating a film opening in the horror genre, so I thought it might be helpful to explore the multitude of subgenres in order to better narrow down on an idea for the film.                          - Action Horror - combines paranormal forces and the supernatural with intense battles and weaponry of the action genre (ex. Aliens  1986)               - Comedy Horror - Usually aimed at a family audience; combines elements of horror with comedic punch lines and sarcasm of comedy movies. (ex. Beetlejuice 1988)               - Holiday Horror - Used to be very popular as many horror films were centered around Halloween. Can involve a psychopath going on a killing spree on a holiday as he sees that everyone is happy while he is miserable. (ex. Halloween 1978)              - Psychological Horror - Usually relies on a combination of mental illness, such as schizophrenia, and the supernatural; maybe an individu
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Horror or Comedy?

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         Our group is nearly ready to begin production of our film opening; while two of us are adamant on pursuing the horror genre, our third group member thinks it might be a better idea to go with comedy. While we all find both genres very appealing, we have tried to make a final decision about the genre with the use of logical arguments, and maybe some bias. The reasons for which it has come down to these two genres is simple. We all have unanimously agreed upon the fact that these are, in fact, our top personal genre choices, and we believe that we ought to work with something we love in order to create a genuine, creative, and professional masterpiece. Also, maybe because they are our favorite genres, we have done the most research on the two genres and are well-versed in both.          I personally want to go with the Horror genre as I think it is the most logical and optimal decision. We have all been talking about filming at Markham Park for a long time (if you want more inf
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Film Opening Ideas

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        I've come up with some ideas regarding my film opening, and I thought I'd share them today in order to establish a baseline. I have decided to go ahead and stick to the horror genre. Not only do I find producing a film opening in this particular genre exciting and interesting, but I have also conducted the most research on this genre and feel most confident working in this area. I have studied many of the genre conventions in this category and am confident that I can put out a quality piece in this area.         I have scouted out a couple of potential filming locations as well. A very enticing location is at Markam Park in Broward County, Florida. I live quite near to the park, it is very accessible, and it hosts a set of mountain biking trails in a wooded area. I find this wooded area to be quite "spooky", the forests are thick, some areas are infested with moss, and the dense forest makes way for a dark and mysterious setting, facilitating changes that wo
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