updates

  I can't believe this project is already coming to an end. Bittersweet I guess. But I have a lot of updates for you guys!

  Shooting has pretty much been wrapped up for two weeks now. We've been editing, getting song approvals, finding sound effects, etc. For the time being it has be awesome. Although I do have to say it's also been pretty stressful as well. I think the most "annoying" part of it all is trying to edit the video without knowing for sure the song that's going to be used and figuring out how everything will look together, but nevertheless I am very content with the way the footage is looking, which is great! 

  Here is a short clip which may or not be seen in the film opening:

Although both my partner and I both love this clip, we're not sure if it will fit into the video just yet, but I'm uploading it so you guys can get a feel of what the video will look like! 

Through the process of editing, thankfully, we have not come across many problems. I think our biggest concern thus far has been smoothly transitioning from contrasting scenes. But I think everything will really come together once we have a set song and apply sound effects, etc. I will continue to update you guys on the progress of the video! 

sneak peak

Filming has begun!!!

  I'm so exited that my group member and I have begun filming. I've been looking forward to this part of the project for a long time, and i'm very happy with the way it has been turning out. Although some things have not turned as we thought they would, all is well! Due to some complications, we decided to film in a more proximal location rather than our initial location (Miami). Also some of our scenes have slightly changed, but I'm content that what I have envisioned is still being captured. 

  Filming took place this previous weekend. We filmed in a variety of locations ranging from our local Burger King to a place so called the "hobo hole". We filmed with both a Canon camera and a drone. The drone was mostly utilized to capture the setting of the scenes, but we also used it to take some photographs of our protagonist. I will attach some of the photos down below!! Hope you're all as excited as we are! 

locations

Where better to film than the beautiful city of Miami!

  Miami, located in Southern Florida. The city that should actually be the capital of the state, but that's another story. As of 2015, Miami had a population of 441,003 people, but the city has kept growing. According to Miami Beach Magazine, "Miami and Miami Beach both have a rich history of film and TV production due to the area’s scenic beauty and shear number of desirable filming locations. Miami’s film industry goes back to the 1920s when several film companies produced movies here in South Florida." Making it the perfect location for a variety of movie genre productions. Thanks to Miami's large diversity we'll be able to shoot in a variety of locations within the city 

"Movies Filmed in Miami & Miami Beach Florida." Miami Beach. N.p., 08 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2017. 

Storyboard

Organization is key

  What is a storyboard? A storyboard is a graphic organizer in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence, according to Wikipedia's definition. Although it may seem like an extra step, taking the time to create a storyboard, even if it's very vague, will help play out an imagine in your head which will make the filming process much easier! 
  
Here are some tips I found on Goanimate which really helped while making my storyboard:

• Show, don’t tell Use the storyboard as a litmus test to determine if your story is truly being visualized.
• Be cinematic Does your video do things that movies do? Do people, places and things move or stand still? Does the camera move? Keep these factors in mind and bring them all together to create a cinematic video.
• Make sure it’s logical and coherent You’re creating a story, so the video should look visually consistent from beginning to end
• Pick a theme If you want to create a video infographic, add relevant charts and graphs. Want to highlight a customer pain point, show a character on screen and take them through a journey.

For more information on how and why to make a storyboard check out Goanimate.com on "What Is A Storyboard And Why Do You Need One?"

Here's a sketch of my storyboard

• 
  

"What Is A Storyboard And Why Do You Need One?" GoAnimate Resources. N.p., 22 Sept. 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

filming

Shooting begins

In order to stay organized, my partner and I decided that creating a schedule for the days we will be shooting and editing is a good idea. And this is what the next couple of weeks will look like:

Week of 3/13-3/19
-Throughout the week we will be planning where the filming will be taking place, contacting the people that will partake in the video, gathering costumes and makeup, and organizing all the tools we will be utilizing to record
-Saturday and Sunday will consist of filming

Week of 3/20-26
-Monday through Friday will be focusing on editing footage we filmed the past weekend
-Sunday will be another day of filming

Week of 3/27-4/2
-Most of the film opening footage will be covered, editing will be a big part of the week
-Any missing footage or scenes we want to re-do will take place throughout the week
-We will be recording the voiceover for the video on Friday
-Saturday we will be writing our scripts for the screencast CCP
-Sunday we will record our CCP

Week of 4/3-4/9 (LAST WEEK)
-Probably the most stressful week, not excited for this week
-Finalizing the video editing
-Finalizing the CCP
-Hoping and praying for the best posible outcome

characters

Producing the perfect protagonist

  Getting the characters to be liable and relatable are key. Most people will be able to tell you all about their favorite fictional character and why they feel a connection towards them. In my case, one of my favorite characters of all time is Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. I've never been able to explain why, but I have a profound love for Pirate of the Caribbean, and Jack Sparrow in particular. According to an article from the Mary Sue, the reason people get attached to  fictional characters is because of empathy. "If you Google “why do we get attached to fictional characters?” 2,800,000 results are returned. Some of them are articles like this, asking questions about the psychology, the philosophy, of how we relate to our favorite characters. Others, however, are a slew of message board posts and blogs where people wonder rather frightfully if they are “sick” for developing very real emotional responses to characters that they know, intellectually, are not real.", the article says. And such claim is true, but when it comes down to it, I believe that we do get attached to characters because we empathize them. 

An idea of what protagonist will look like:

Carolyn-cox. "The Psychology of Fandom: Why We Get Attached to Fictional Characters." The Mary Sue. The Mary Sue, 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. 

inspo

Inspiration

  A while back I viewed a short film, of which I don't remember the name of. As I recollected the memory of this short piece, I got inspired. The film my partner and I will be creating will focus on the narrative of a mysterious young woman and her distinctive red coat.  The red coat will not only create a lot of contrast with the scenes we will be shooting but also it's very symbolic within itself.         We decided that a very important aspect of our piece would be the visuals and a lot of our focus will go towards that. In order to achieve a visually appealing film we will need to gather things such as a tripod, a high definition camera, a pro editing application, etc. Since we currently do not own any of these items we will probably need to borrow them from our trusty friends (donations are highly appreciated). Nevertheless, we will make with what we have and hopefully the outcome will be successful and as we imagine.

Something similar to this <<

only just begun

Only the beginning...

   I'm doing the process all wrong. Usually when a movie comes about it's because an inspiration arose and a film followed it. In my case, i'm going to research and research and research and come up with an idea that I don't hate. Although I have know about this project since the start of the class I have yet to gather all my ideas into a concrete foundation for a good film. I also thought it was a good idea to research the most profitable and viewed genres of the moment before I get started. 
  
 I began my research first by looking up what genre was most popular at the moment. According to the New York Film Academy, in the United States, comedy is the genre with the highest grossing films. As the source said, "it’s clear that people in the United States prefer family-friendly comedy movies". 

If I were to be doing this process in foreign countries:

• Germany- Action/adventure
• India- Adventure
• Italy- Comedy
• France- Comedy
• Australia- Action
• Japan- Fantasy 
• England- Comedy

Academy, New York Film. "12 of the Most Popular Movie Genres By Country." Student Resources. N.p., 13 Aug. 2016. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.