After Hours

 Link for After Hours

CCR

 CCR LINK

Portfolio Posting Week 9 #2

 It feels seeing this all come to an end. I’m grateful I was able to do this because it taught me a lot, so thank you for that Ms. Stoklosa. BUT, it also feels extremely relieving to be done with this whole process. I remember always speaking to my friends about what they were doing and we would be stressing and complain about it. We were definitely being a little extra because all of the content was doable.

I did not make any last changes to the project. Claudio and I kept it the same since the start which I don’t see as bad. The Creative Critical Reflrction was an aspect that I did make a lot of changes to. While finishing the editing today I found myself making up a lot of new ideas. Overall, Claudio and I are proud of what we’ve done and we hope others can enjoy it too. 

Portfolio Posting Week 9 #1

 On this blog post I will be speaking on the aspect of distributing this film opening and how it engages with audiences. First of all, I think our story is already engaging, but the way we connect with audience is a little different. I think that having young actors will appeal younger audiences and make them feel a lot more related and involved with the story. Hiking trips such as the one our story is based are also very common and I think this will drive deeper interest, especially for passionate hikers. 

The distribution could be done in several ways. YouTube would be the most convenient an accessible option for us. But, I think that film festivals are definitely the best idea. Film festivals have a relatively high attendance and among those attendees could be videographers, film directors or producers, casting directors, or any sort of employee in the film industry. This is a great way to get scouted and found. The networking would also be extremely useful. Promoting our film opening in social media is also a great way of getting our own friends to get involved and they could help repost and get the word out. 

Portfolio Posting Week 8 #3

 To add onto the last blog post, I will be discussing the aspect of challenging genre conventions. Our story revolves around 2 friends getting lost due to their other friend. Maybe I have not watched enough movies, but I've never seen a film with this exact same plot. Betrayal is very common, but I've never seen it be used in this sense. What I also think stands out is just how much happens so quickly in our opening. Our opening does not really feel like an opening, which I think makes it stand out in a way. Most film openings just display a natural feeling to them and slowly introduce the tones and characters of the story. But, a great example of an action-packed opening is Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight". The story starts off with a bank robbery and the betrayal between the Joker's "workers". This sets the tone for both the Joker's brutality and chaos and the city's corruption and need for help. 

Claudio and I already gave a large part of the plot right off the start, which could be a double-edged sword in some cases because it can either get people hooked right away and keep them hooked or it can hook them and as the story develops they get bored because they expect constant action. Filming in a singular location is also unusual. Most film production companies travel all over the country or world to find the perfect shooting locations. But, our project is completely done in the same location. 

Portfolio Posting Week 8 #2

 This weekend, Claudio and I will begin to actually work on our Creative Critical Reflection. The plan will most likely be to do the script and film on Saturday-Sunday. Then, on Monday we will wrap up the editing and the entire project. This weekend will be very stressful because my schedule and Claudio's is clashing a bit. But, we've had so many issues along the way and we will definitely find a solution. Claudio has already started going over the questions in his blogs so I feel that I should do the same. 

First, the aspect of representation is not a major theme in our story. I already spoke about this and addressed it because I deemed it as a mistake of ours, but not having representation is also okay. I think I did not want to base my story around representation because I would feel limited. For example, if you are doing a story on the LGBTQ+ community, you would be limiting the ideas you can have compared to just doing a regular story. I think representation is great and almost necessary in some cases, but Claudio and I just wanted to do what we liked without thinking "Is this not being representative enough?"

Portfolio Posting Week 8 #1

 This Monday, Claudio came over to my house and we made it the day where we would almost finish editing. All I can say is that it went really well. Claudio and I work really good together and I've seen the relationship evolve over the span of the class's duration. We first started reviewing the video clips. As usual, there was a lot of bloopers so we spend a good amount of time dragging the correct clips onto the DaVinci software. Claudio's computer was too slow so we checked the clips out on mine instead which helped save a ton of time. 

I also needed to redownload DaVinci on my personal computer and it ended up really slowing down my computer and making it crash a couple of times, which happened before. Time was also a large issue. The project untrimmed and untouched was 3:30 minutes which had us stressing. But we picked and chose the absolute most necessary clips and deleted all of the filler ones, it did not feel good to delete parts but it was necessary. Claudio and I are satisfied with the project, we are just missing the music for one of the sections. One can only hope that others enjoy it too. 

Portfolio Posting Week 7 #2

 Claudio and I have now started the CCR questions. We didn’t realize how important this aspect of the project was. We will prepare for the questions by reviewing and evaluating our project. I’ve been doing this project and have never taken these questions into consideration. I think the aspect of representation is really overlooked and our class essays have emphasized this topic which has helped. I don’t consider our project to challenge any societal issues in terms of representation. No sort of minority or specific group is targeted in the story. If we did have to choose a story that embraced representation, then I guess we got mistake on that aspect. 

Portfolio Posting Week 7 #1

As I stated in the last blog posts, Claudio and I have begun the editing process of our project. This is probably the one aspect that I was looking forward to the least. Claudio and I both have a background in film class, but we are no experts when it comes to editing. This is why we were both a little hesitant about the last few weeks because we knew it will come down to this. So, we encountered a couple of issues while editing our project.

First, the editing software did not seem to properly work. The startup process was inconsistent and I would sometimes get randomly kicked out. Whilst uploading the clips, sometimes they would not fully render or upload the video and audio. Due to this, the clips were not completed. When playing the videos, the audio would also cut out and the computer just felt really laggy. This is all most likely due to the poor wifi here in Colorado. I have tried my best to accustom and adapt to the circumstances of traveling. After all of this, we managed to edit around 20-30 seconds worth of footage. That’s not too bad for one of the first days. 

Portfolio Posting Week 6 #3

 We started to organize and begin the editing process. With the editing I want to make sure that the order of clips make the story pop out in the best way possible. I at first believed that the order we shot the project in would automatically be the order we edit the clips in. But, I’ve taken some thought into it and realized I could play around with the order of the clips in hope of making the story even better. 

Reviewing and going over the clips also made me realize how great this project can turn out to be. The way each clips develops the story into a deeper level and there is no filler really makes me happy. Most projects suffer from filming and uploading unnecessary footage, but that does not feel like the case with this project. Hopefully by the end of Week 7 and start of Week 8 we can be basically done with the project.

Portfolio Posting Week 6 #2

 I have finally been able to get my hands on some footage of the project. I wanted to display some videos because it feels like I’ve been missing that in my blogs. Inserts of photos tend to be an important part so I need to consistently use videos or photos in my blogs. I think sometimes us students forget that the blogging process is just as important as the filming process. Sometimes it’s hard to think of what to write, but I try my best to stay creative because the project is not over yet. 

This picture displays the mise-en-scene and costume design of the 3 main characters (sorry for the bad quality I downloaded the picture through social media which was a bad decision). First we have myself, Craig, who is wearing a black puffer jacket. This color choice was obvious. Black is associated with evil and darkness, which are two themes that Craig embodies. Second, we have Claudio’s yellow and blue navy jacket. His character, Gio, is a doubtful and watchful person. The yellow signifies alertness. Then, we have the contrast between the two colors which shows Gio’s duality. He is two faced towards Craig which is shown through the half and half color way. Finally, we have Felipe playing the character Felipe. Felipe is the innocent character of the project. He is a sign of hope and innocence which is shown through his white shirt.

Portfolio Posting Week 6 #1

Today was the first day of the group meetings. This whole concept of group meetings is actually very interesting and useful, so keep it up Mrs. Stoklosa!!!! At first we felt a bit uncomfortable with each other but later we just got the hang of things. I discussed with my group members my main concern. My main concern was this project feeling more like a trailer/teaser instead of an opening. There is a lot of action and story development within a 2 minute segment, which makes me think this might not have the feel of a film opening. 

I gave a broad summary of my project and the plot and my group members all thought it still had the feel of a film opening. This relieved a lot of stress for me, because it would be embarrassing doing a film opening that does not even feel like one. Emma was asking a lot of good questions throughout the whole meeting, Zoey, Nethumi and Sasha also gave some really good feedback which helped me evaluate my choices. The critiques and feedback I got gave me more confidence in myself and it tells me that I can create a great project. 

 

Portfolio Posting Week 5 #3

 Today was our first time filming the project and it was really good. We somehow filmed the entirety of the project within 3 hours. We just found the locations and brainstormed without arguing. At first, we were a bit hesitant on how we wanted to start the project. We did not know what establishing shot to put, what type of shots should the conversations have, and struggled with the acting a bit too. But, we quickly got comfortable since we are all already friends. Afterwards, we had a lot of space to do our scenes so we roamed around for a good amount of time and chose the best spots. Nonetheless, I have the feeling that we might go back to the park and do some finishing touches.

As expected, light was a problem. Since we managed to film the entire project within the hours 4-7pm, the last scenes were not dark due to a good amount of sunlight still shining on us. I really wanted our last scenes to be and feel dark, so we will hopefully shoot the last scenes later on in a day so it captures the darkness. During the production of the video, we also had our videographer Vanessa Yanes take some pictures and videos of us for some BTS footage. In the upcoming week I will upload the pictures and videos. 

Portfolio Posting Week 5 #2

 Our project is a drama, which means suspense and plot twists are the main source of entertainment. Our project could be considered PG-13, but the target audience is a little different. The content of our project resonates more with ages 16-24. A combination of teenagers and young adults. Both genders can enjoy this piece, but the demographic of viewers will likely be male dominant since our type of action is seen in movies with male dominant populations. Such as, "127 hours" and "Everest".

For the editing software we do not have many options. Adobe Premiere is too expensive, CapCut is only available on phones, and iMovie lacks features. At first I thought DaVinci was only available for free if we used it on the school computers, but it's available to download for free on any computer, so that will be our editing software of choice. There won't be any major editing techniques except the combination of video with our sound foley. This is because our project is based on realism, so our piece doesn't need any sort of CGI or special effects to be good. For the background music, I plan on going for a very dark feel. Something simple such as Hans Zimmer's "The Mole" from the Dunkirk soundtrack. Timestamp 2:30 is the exact vibe I want to go for, but getting copyright permission for Hans Zimmer must be very difficult since it involves film production companies and not record labels. 

Portfolio Posting Week 5 #1

For the title we have chosen the phrase "After Hours". It does not feel forced and it really fits the elements of our story. We plan on displaying our title at the end of the film. Our film opening will end with a sort of cliffhanger, so we want to be playing really suspense music at the end and combine it with the sudden appearance of the title. As of now we have a few options for the font of the title. These are my current favorite fonts that I think will fit the aesthetic best. Claudio's options might differ from mine.

Options #2 and #5 are my two favorites out of the 5. 

Due to scheduling issues, we were not able to shoot the project last weekend which put us a little behind, but this weekend we are shooting and hopefully we can film at least half of the project. We also lost one of our actors, which is an issue we will have to fix as soon as possible. Our videographer also has a very busy schedule which we have to work around. These sort of problems are typical and the best we can do is try our very best to work around them.

Portfolio Posting Week 4 #2

 For the sound we want to make sure it's a part that stands out. Claudio and I have been thinking of implementing some sound foley into the project. Parts like when we are riding our bikes and passing by the tree can be heighten with some sound foley. Adding in some sounds of the wind and making the bike sounds louder can improve the quality of our production by a lot. Rustling of tree leaves and some voice echoes will also fit our video. 

Also, we realized this week that costumes will have to be a thing. Since our story revolves around a camping trip, the clothing attire obviously needs to match that. Windbreakers, hiking boots, long socks, and large backpacks will all have to be used in order to make the atmosphere as realistic as possible. We don't want elements like the clothing to throw off the audience while viewing. At the end of the day, our project is non-fiction based so we will try to be as "natural" and simple as possible. 

Portfolio Posting Week 4 #1

 We are currently scouting for actors. We could easily choose one of our best friends but that would likely just not work because we would struggle taking ourselves seriously. Although, me and Claudio are thinking of Andres Montero, a friend of ours who's relatively serious when it comes down to it, so he's our best choice as of now. For the camera person, we are thinking of Vanessa Yanes since she's also enrolled in AICE Media Studies and is one of the school photographers, so cameras are definitely her thing. Claudio and I are thinking of being the other two actors but we are not 100% sure. IF we end up being, I would be Gio and he would be Felipe, since Claudio gives off a more charismatic and innocent vibe.

For camera equipment our best bet is an iPhone. Claudio volunteered to let us use his iPhone 13, which is both easy to use and has great camera quality especially for a phone. We can take advantage of the cinematic mode and make some amazing shots. We will also need a tripod to keep the camera stable, and a camera stabilizer would be nice but they're very expensive and we don't know anyone that owns one. Hopefully the iPhone's built-in stabilizing feature is enough. 

Portfolio Posting Week 3 #4

 
 This is the storyboard. Since the start of this project, I wanted to keep it simple for the most part and the storyboard can enforce that. The shots used are mostly long shots, medium shots, and close up shots. These are the most commonly used which will help maintain the simplicity of the story, You do not want to  get too carried away trying to make the story look super aesthetic and then have viewers feel overwhelmed. For example, when Craig splits up from Felipe and Gio, me and Claudio were deciding on what shot to use since it's a key moment in the story. Claudio first thought on doing a POV shot but I said to keep it as a long shot. We then both agreed on this. A POV could easily be messed up. 

Next weekend we start filming the project. We need to find actors, Claudio and I would love to both act but then there is nobody to film and having somebody that is not from the class doing the cinematography would likely pose an inconvenience. Nonetheless, I think it will be just fine. The technical planning will not be anything complex for this project since our idea does not require a whole lot of resources. As long as we get actors that are comfortable around us and that we can get on our schedule it'll all be okay. Excited for what's to come!!!

 

Portfolio Posting Week 3 #3

 Script

So this is now the final script. I promised to give deeper details so here it is. With the original idea, it felt a bit more like a trailer rather than a film opening. We then changed it so that we have a mini "cliffhanger" but it still preserves the essence of a film opening. The largest problem will definitely be the environmental factors but we can try our best to work around it. Each character has their own unique and important role in the story. 

Craig is the source of conflict that was only visible at the start. Felipe is the positive guy that tries his best to convince himself that Craig isn't a bad person. Then, Gio was the constant doubter and is Craig's #1 "enemy". These 3 roles will give suspense and purpose to the story. I hope that once we film the project, that the characters can capture this personality. I know that we aren't expected to be amazing actors, but I still want to do a pretty good job. 

Portfolio Posting Week 3 #2

 The shooting schedule will be during the weeks of 2/28-3/6 and 3/7-3/13. But, the shooting will likely be on the weekends since that's when the actors would be available. I want to try and go pretty early on in the day to make sure we have natural lighting. We have to do the shooting relatively fast each day so we can make the most out of the sunlight. But, in the darker (metaphorically) scenes we can take advantage of the darkness of the woods. To conclude, the schedule will likely be as follows:

• Saturday, March 5th from 1pm until 4pm
• Sunday, March 6th from 12pm until 3pm
• Saturday March 12th from 2pm until 5pm
• Sunday, March 13th from 2pm until 4pm

The goal with this schedule is to match the environmental aspects of the story. Earlier on in the story, the feel will be more light and innocent so the extra sunlight will reinforce this. So, later on in the story once it gets scarier, we can use the lack of sunlight. This is why the first week of filming is earlier on in the day and the second week is later on in the day.