Creative Critical Reflaction

hey lovely blog reader, It has come to an end. I am done with my project and now you get to watch my CCR. I'm really proud of what I have created. Enjoy!


CCR:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GOcaFVNI6E9rXl0JTyCugebXDHD1SP3e/view?usp=sharing

Short Film, Website, and Postcard

HI LOVELY BLOG READER IT'S FINALLY HERE!

Enjoy :)


Short Film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7LnTq0UUGY&feature=youtu.be



Website:

https://grossmanr86.wixsite.com/mysite


Postcard:

Reflecting On The Process

Hey lovely blog reader! How are you?


Now that I am finally done with my portfolio project, it's time to reflect upon the process. for starters, I started out working with my friend Elizabeth. We had come up with an idea to create a film about a girl reflecting upon a previous conversation and then imagining how the situation could have gone differently. We began writing a script for our film, but then we found out some startling news: school was closing because of the corona Virus. This was a very stressful time for me because I was concerned about the future of my project. I was not allowed to leave my house anymore so how was I supposed to film in places such as school and the park? The answer? I would not be able to. Elly and I then decided that it would be better to work alone because of the difficulties we were having. Thus, we could each work on our own projects from the comfort of our own homes. 

I had to come up with a brand new idea, one that could be done from my home, with me as the star of the short film. I ended up deciding to do a short film about a girl that experiences a breakup. She experiences a whirlwind of emotions and in the end, abruptly cuts her own hair. I knew this idea would be feasible and I thought it would be fun to film. I begged my sister to film for me and after constant nagging, she finally agreed. She was not experienced with proper camera shots and angles so you can bet there was a lot of me telling her to redo a shot because she cut off part of my head, etc. I had to buy a wig for my short film because at the end, as aforementioned, my character decides to cut her hair. Obviously, I did not want to give myself a terrible haircut. Thus, I did not shoot the final scene of my short film until I had edited the rest. I needed to be sure that I had enough footage and that I was satisfied with all of the shots and clips that I had taken. Once the wig was cut, I couldn't film anymore. Also, I had to do the final scene in one take and that was extremely stressful because I would not be able to get my hands on another wig. 

I began editing my film on wevideo, but I realized that it lacked a few features that I needed to complete my project such as detaching audio from clips. So, I downloaded what I had and put it into iMovie. editing on iMovie was super simple. I spent hours searching for the perfect song to use in my film.  I ended up finding an angsty rock song called "The Saloon" in the Youtube Audio Library. After I edited, I created my website using Wix. I wanted the website to be simple and clean, for aesthetic reasons and also because my short film revolves around a pretty simple story. Then, I used Canva to create my film festival postcard. While I had a bit of difficulty at first, I got the hang of it pretty quickly. I was really scared about what would happen to my project because of the coronavirus. However, I learned to adapt and make it work. I'm very proud of what I created!

Website and Postcard Design

Hi lovely blog reader! I hope you are having a splendid day!

Last night I finally finished editing my short film! I wanted to get it out of the way before embarking on new tasks.

The website:

I used Wix to design my website. I added the tabs Home, Production Team, Screenings, Contact, and Gallery. On the home tab, I have a still from my short film along with a brief synopsis of my film. I tried to leave it as vague as possible because I do not want to give away the ending. The girl cutting her bangs at the end of the film is supposed to be a surprise. On the production team tab, I included photographs of the people who helped me create my project. Other than me, I added my boyfriend Dylan because he played my ex-boyfriend in the film. My sister Brooke filmed for me so I mentioned her as well. in the screenings tab, I listed the film festivals that my short film would be featured in. In the Contact tab, I added Bang!'s official email so people can contact if necessary. The gallery tab has some pictures of my short film. I did not put the film on my website because I don't want people to be able to watch it for free. I want my short film distributed at film festivals such as Sundance.



The Postcard: 

I used Canva to create my short film. I had a bit of difficulty creating the postcard because I had a hard time deciding the layout. I ended up doing a simple design involving one side featuring a photo and the name of the film. the other side has a synopsis and a location as to where to view the film.  I really like the simplicity of it as it is easy to read and sleek. It also compliments the simplicity of the website.

Wrapping up Filming!

Hello lovely blog reader. How are you? I'm doing well.

Today I finished filming! Yesterday, I got all the shots I needed except for the last few shots. This is because the final scene of my film is my main character cutting bangs. Once the bangs were cut, I could not go back and reshoot scenes. Thus, I edited everything else to make sure that I would not have to reshoot once the bangs were cut. I'm really glad to be done filming. I just need to add the shots that I filmed today and then my short film will be completed!

Beginning to Edit

Hey lovely blog reader, what's up?

I started editing my short film! At first, I decided to use wevideo instead of iMovie because I thought it would be more simple. it was working fine at first but I ran into an issue. Wevideo would not let me detach audio from my clips. Thus, I had to download what I had in wevideo and transfer it in iMovie. Imovie has been very easy to use(probably because I have had a lot of practice with it). I decided that I do not want to have music at the beginning of my film. I believe that music would not add to it. You will understand when you watch it. However, there is a part of my film where my main character has a dance party in the bathroom and thus I needed a song to play for that. I searched for hours but I ended up finding a song on the youtube audio library called "The saloon". It has an angsty rock vibe to it that I think helps convey my characters' emotions! That's all for today! Just a quick little update!

Filming Day 1

Hey lovely blog reader! I hope you are having a good day!

Today, I finally filmed a scene for my short film. The scene was the opening of the short film. I ended up choosing to execute this scene through facetime since I am unable to meet with Dylan in person. 


The first thing that I had to do was put the wig on. Wigs are very hard to put on actually. I tried to put it on by myself but I couldn't so I went to my sister for assistance. She helped me get the wig on. I'm not gonna say that the wig looks realistic, because it does not. However, it gets the point across. Also, did I mention wigs are very itchy, but you gotta do what you gotta do. 

I realized that I did not want the facetime call to be recorded from my phone. I thought it would look tacky and not as technically advanced. Thus, I had an idea to use QuickTime player to record my computer screen when I staged the facetime call with Dylan who is playing my boyfriend in the short film. I did have to google how it worked, but after watching a quick tutorial, it proved to be very simple. The sound quality was not bad either. 

I am not very good at memorizing lines so I pasted my lines to the top of my laptop so I was able to read them without it being too obvious. It worked pretty well.

I still have lots to film, but I am glad that I have at least started the filming process. Tomorrow I am planning to get as much done as possible! The due date is quickly approaching and I am very well aware of that. It's frustrating because I cannot start my website or card because I need to base ot off of footage from my film(which does not yet exist). I'm glad the CCR due date was moved because now I have a bit more time to get things in order. 

Outline and Script Writing

Hey lovely blog reader! I hope you are having a marvelous day! I have some exciting news to share. I not only created an outline for my short film but an actual script as well. Who would have thought this day would come? 

OUTLINE

SCRIPT

While I am very please with my script, I am very worried about the technical aspects of my film. The right music, editing, shot composition, color, etc is super super important. To ensure that my short film turns out well, I need to be careful and not overlook those very important aspects. 

At the end of my short film, the main girl is going to cut her bangs... very badly. I don't want to give myself a disastrous haircut, so I ordered a wig. I was not able to order the wig from a previous blog because it would not arrive until the end of April after the project was due. That's because Amazon is not fulfilling many orders that are not considered "essential". Wigs are definitely not considered an essential item. However, I was able to find a blonde wig that was able to arrive this week. It was honestly the only one I could find. I would rather the wig be brunette so it would look a bit more realistic, but I guess I'm not going to be able to channel my inner Elle Woods. 

By Tuesday, I would like to have all of my shots and start editing. I know that it's late in the game, but remember to take into account all of the obstacles that I had to face. 

BANG

Hey lovely blog reader! How are you doing? I have good news! I have finalized my idea for my short film. Now that I am no longer working with my friend Elly, I had to come up with an idea on my own. While it was a grueling task, I have decided to create the short film BANG. It is going to be about a girl that decides to cut her own bangs after a breakup with her long-distance boyfriend.  I thought BANG would be a funny title because the sound BANG is very abrupt and sudden and loud and so is the decision to cut bangs. The title seemed fitting to me. I don't think it gives too much away because its not called BANGS, just BANG. You would understand the title once you reach the end of the short film

Anyway, I ran the idea by my teacher and she was totally on board. This short film idea is something that can easily be executed in my home while under quarantine. I am going to play the main character and I am going to get my boyfriend to play the character's boyfriend. I do not have a finalized outline or script yet, but I know one difficulty that I am going to face is filming the scene with her boyfriend. Maybe I can facetime or skype? 

Over this week, I am going to try my best to create a script as well as get a bit of footage. I do not want to stress myself out and I will see what I am able to accomplish.

I Have an Idea!

Hello lovely blog reader,  how are you feeling today? Personally, I feel very tired. Lounging around my house all day just makes me feel tired. Even when I do productive tasks like organizing my room and working out, I still feel tired. Anyways, with the due date fast approaching, it is essential that I come up with a project for a short film. I still do not know whether I will be working alone or as a duo, I brainstormed a few ideas.

One idea that I had was making a short film about a girl who is debating cutting bangs. I have been debating doing this myself so I think it would be a neat idea to explore. I would start the film out with the girl seeing other people with their bangs cut, her debating it, and then, in the end, she cuts her bangs. However, I want this film to be a bit comedic. I thought it would be quite comical that after the countless hours of debating whether or not to cut her bangs, she ends up cutting them too short. In the end, she will just laugh. Maybe like a joker type of laugh. This film could be more of an experimental film, showcasing her emotions and such. Since I am limited to shooting in my home,  the actors I am limited to being me, my 16-year-old sister, my 10-year-old brother, my parents. I would probably star in it as the main character. Also, I don't want to mess my hair up so I think that I can buy a wig on amazon or clip-in bangs. 

I would want to play with color and lighting to make the short more engaging and dynamic. This is an idea, but I think this is the one that I'm going to roll with. The idea is simple and something that I can definitely execute in the comfort of my own home.

A potential Schism

Hello lovely blog reader, I hope you are doing swell!

Elly and I are very good friends. Recently, we have been getting in many arguments over this project. Elly is a very organized person and likes to have schedules for things. She values order in her life and she will get very stressed in situations like this project. I used to be like that, but over this past year, I have learned to calm down. I used to stress over every assignment I was given. I would stay up till 3 am with 100s of flashcards memorizing test material. This year, I told myself that I wanted to relax. And that is exactly what I have been doing. Thus, our ways of approaching this project are causing us to fight. Elly has requested to work by herself and I respect her decision. While this may or may not be approved, I think it is still very important to brainstorm ideas. 

As you know, it took me quite a significant amount of time to come up with our original idea. having to start from scratch means going back to the sate of having no idea what to do. I have been pondering a few ideas, but nothing substantial. With the project being due very soon, I have to come up with an idea in 3-7 days, and that is still pushing it. Luckily, I am in quarantine and have lots of time to accomplish this without the project looking rushed. 

It always works out in the end. I always tell myself that. It will work out. No worries!

The Best Way to Get Inspired is Just to Watch Some More Short Films

Hello lovely blog reader! I have yet to come up with an idea for a short film. Please do not come to me. I had an idea...but then all the coronavirus stuff happened and *poof* gone. I have been trying very hard to come up with an idea, but I feel like I have not been feeling very inspired lately. Maybe its because all I do is lounge around the house(that's probably it). 

I watched 2 short films in a bid to get inspired.

The first short film I watched was called PAPER. Its a 7 minute short that I found on youtube. It's about a girl who is trying to make it in the modeling industry. The film begins with the girl and other models against a solid white background. They are all in white tank tops in black underwear. They are all judged and sized. The main girl runs into another one of her fellow models in the bathroom. The model she runs into is a bit more experienced. She tells her that being a model is not glamourous in a way. She even goes into horrific detail about how she would count every single calorie, even going as far too searching up the calories in a breath mint. The short film features shots of the main girl doing everything that the experienced model is talking about: extreme exercising, dieting, etc.

The film utilized music to convey the girl's feelings about the events that are taking place. At the end of the film, for example, the music in the background gets very intense, showcasing that the girl is overwhelmed with emotion. Also, the dialogue was super important because the words the experienced model was saying was paired over what the new model was doing. This film focussed on a very simple story. It was very easy to follow and I liked the simplicity of it.

Another short film that I watched was called The Elevator. This short film was only 3 minutes long. It's about a guy who gets into an elevator and more and more people start coming. He notices the maximum weight is 2000 pounds and becomes very freaked out when many overweight people get in the elevator. He even takes out a calculator to try to determine if it is over the maximum. Then, an obese man is approaching the elevator and the man decided he needs to get out. he then gets into another elevator in which all of the people are coughing and sneezing. That's how it ends. There is very little dialogue, only when the man says excuse me to get out of the elevator. Rather, the film fixates on the man's facial expressions while he is dealing with everything. Also, the music playing in the background is elevator music. This also was quite humorous because the music is so calm but the man is very stressed. It was a very clever juxtaposition of the two. I really enjoyed the simplicity of this piece as well.

I'm glad I watched these two short films. Maybe inspiration will hit soon!