Cambridge Blog Post #25

 Below is the link for my film opening project. A lot of time and effort went into creating this. I really hope you all enjoy.

https://youtu.be/0zl2KzpiF88

Cambridge Blog Post #24

 This is my CCR video. I really hope you all enjoy. Below is the link.

https://youtu.be/rSev5bHfsdc

 

Cambridge Blog Post #23

 Today is my last true blog post. The next two that I will be submitting is that of my CCR and my finished film opening. This whole experience has been quite the ride. There have been good times, and there have been bad times. Even though this project was not easy, I am glad I was able to partake in it. I thought it was an extremely useful experience to prepare me for my future.

I was thinking recently about the passage of this time of this project. When we first started it, I honestly had no idea how we would get it done. It sounded extremely complicated, and time consuming. But, with a lot of hard work, and with the help of my team, we were actually able to move smoothly through it. I think by the end of the second week, we even had an almost full fledged idea, which by talking to some of the other groups, I found that we were actually one of the first to do that.

I was also thinking back to the screenwriting process of our film. That was not an easy couple of days. We fought a ton, and we just honestly could not seem to agree. But eventually we all managed to solve it, and I think that we wrote a great script. But then, our biggest challenge came.

Within the last two weeks of the project, and right before we were going to start filming, I got Covid. Which really put a wrench in all our plans. But, we had to persevere, and my group had to film without me while I then supervised. Honestly, though it was frustrating, we did good with filming. I could not be more excited to show off this project.

Overall, I think this project did teach me a lot. For one, I learned the value of time management, with all that we had to do. But I also found out the importance of trusting, and working together with your group mates. I would honestly not change too much about this process. It was a very useful and memorable experience.

Cambridge Blog Post #22

 Today, my group members finished filming that final scene that they wanted to get done. Along with us, taking our first steps to edit the project. I have been extremely nervous about the editing process for a long time. If one thing is off, if one thing looks bad, the entire project is ruined. A lot is on the line with this part of our project. So, with that being said, we have to make it the best it can be.

We started off by thinking of what different types of cuts we should make to the scenes. There are some that actually look extremely professional. There are others that could make the film look like it was made by a ton of amateurs. That is something we do not want at all. The want with this film, has always been to make it look professional. To show that we are hard workers.

We have a lot to prove with this short film opening. As we come down to the final weeks, the pressure to make it great only keeps building. My group and I will try to do the absolute best that we can to make this project great. We have planned it all out as best we can. So, I am confident we can get the work done. 

Cambridge Blog Post #21

 Today, my group began the long awaited filming process. Since I was home sick with the Corona Virus, I had to resort to different methods, and get on a zoom call with my group, while they were at the filming location. I must admit, while I wish I could have been there in person, I still felt as if I was able to help adequately throughout the day. I made suggestions on different scenes, told our actors how they could do something better, and was able to watch each scene be filmed. I tried my hardest to make sure I was still being a productive member of the team. I was honestly just glad to see us getting the filming done. It has been such a long road, that it felt as if it would never get to this stage. But we are finally getting it done. From what I understand, about 95% of the filming was done today. One of my partners apparently wanted to film one more scene, but it got too dark to do it. So, they may be going back tomorrow. If they do, I will be right there with them. Helping in whatever way I can.

Cambridge Blog Post #20

I am sad to say that for the next week or so, while my teammates film, I will have to be stuck at home and supervising from behind a screen. I have contracted Covid-19. The second that I received my positive test, I called my team. Now that this was a factor, we had to think quickly on what to do. So, we got on a hour long call, and started to brainstorm a plan.

My teammates would go to the filming location, but this time, they would bring a couple of friends to work as a stand-in for my part of the filming. Meanwhile, on filming days, I will be getting on a face time call with them, so that I can see what will be happening at the location of filming. Even though I cannot be their physically, I can be there virtually. I am saddened that right near the finish line, something like this happens. But, unforeseen issues often do happen.

I will be doing whatever I can from home. This is not the time for me to get lazy, even if I am sick. I will rest, yes. Although, I will also work as hard as ever. I want to make this project the best that it can possibly be. I hope to still be able to accomplish that.

Cambridge Blog Post #19

 Today, me and my group started to put the finishing touches on our script. Throughout the entire process of script writing, we wanted to make sure that we made our script seem as professional as possible. We did not want it to seem like a student film. I think that we have succeeded at that. The process was long, but it was very worth it.

I understand, that some people for this project have not written a script. I think that that is a huge mistake. Writing a script is extremely beneficial to your project. For one, it helps you plan out everything that you are going to shoot. If you don't have an idea of what you are going to shoot, then you cannot do it effectively whatsoever. Planning, especially on a project like this, is a must. When me and my group wrote the script, we found that things were a lot simpler to think about, when we were putting our ideas on paper. This is what every group should be doing.

As for what our next step is, over spring break, I cannot wait to start filming. We have the script, and as of today, we have a set location that we are going to use. I am very excited to start that next step. I know that it will most likely have its own separate challenges to work around, but I am ready for the challenge. I am hoping for the best with everything though.

Cambridge Blog Post #18

 Today in class, me and my group were not able to work on our script. Although, it was for a very good reason. Today we got to talk to other groups about our projects. It was to ask for advice, hear their critiques, and also for us to give advice to them. I thought that it was pretty productive. I did end up asking for more advice than I thought I originally needed.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been concerned about the editing of the film. How after we get our footage, it will end up looking. So, I asked for some tips on different effects and editing techniques I could use, and I ended up getting a couple of good ideas. I also remember asking about how me and my group should go about filming on location. We will be filming in a woods environment, and I was a bit nervous on how that could fit in with our idea, even though I knew we were already going with that direction. So I got some good advice there as well. 

Overall, the meeting was very useful. I was able to get some pretty useful information out of the other groups, and I will integrate that into the film. A lot of my worries have been lessened I would say, after talking to others. Now, next class I just hope we can finish up our script. Because, spring break, we will be filming.

Cambridge Blog Post #17

 Today, me and my group started script writing, away from class. Now, I must admit, that over the years I have written many scripts. Not only for school, but just for fun as well. So, I can confidently say that I was very well versed in how this process works, as well as how long it could take. I am happy to say that my other group members were huge help on this first day of writing, but the work is just beginning. We have a lot more to write, and I am confident that we can get it done this week.

In script-writing, the first thing to do, is define your characters, and their specific motives. So, that was the first thing that we did. We luckily were able to figure it out very fast, and that gave us time to move on to the next important step: scenery. Now, originally we were going to be filming at the beach. Although, after watching the news, and seeing all the spring breakers coming to town, and how dangerous it is getting because they refuse to follow proper Covid protocols, we all decided against it. Instead, we had to give our idea a quick little rewrite. We will now be filming in a woodland area. We all talked about it, and we feel like we can still do our story the exact same amount of justice in the woods, than if we were to film at the beach.

This first day was one of many this week that will be spent on this script. I think we have a good starting point, and I think that this process is going to go extremely well. Coming up with the idea was truly the hardest part. Although there is still a ton of hard work ahead, I am confident that once this script is done, things will hopefully ease up a bit, since we have an extremely good basis on what our project will be. On Tuesday me and my group will be meeting up again, and I hope that tomorrow will be just as successful as today.

Cambridge Blog Post #16

 Today was a good day. We all took the last day like I said in a previous post, and thought about what would be best for the project. So, after a lot of thinking and discussion, we decided that the best thing to do would to be a mix of our two ideas. This way everyone is happy. We talked about how we could incorporate the ideas together, and we found the perfect way to do so.

Over the weekend, the 3 of us are going to call. The next step now that we have the story down, is to write the actual script and storyboard around it. Without this, we have no guidance or anything of the sort while shooting. So we figured the weekend is better to do this, than next school week. Once these are done, the filming can begin. Which I have to say, will be one of the most exciting parts of this specific project, in my opinion at least.

I am excited for all of these next steps if I am being honest. I have always been someone who likes the filming process, and I think it will be great to finally be able to work in that stage. It took a lot of work to get this far, and once we finish the script and storyboard, we will be able to have a lot more fun than we are already having. So I hope that nothing else can derail us off track, but either way we will deal with it. 

Cambridge Blog Post #15

 Today my group and I ran into an unexpected snag. I said in my last blog that one of our group members was not here last class. Well, when we caught up with him today, we told him about all we talked about last class, including some of the changes that we were thinking of making to our film story. We thought he would really enjoy it. As it turns out, he did not like our ideas that much. So, we spent the class going back and forth about what idea would work best for our project.

I mean overall it was a very civil argument. No group member was aggressive with what they were saying. We all said our arguments clear and concisely, and we listened respectfully to the group member on the other side of the coin. I feel as if we made a lot of progress with today. But still, the problem is not solved. Though we did make a ton of progress today with being able to say our thoughts, we still do not 100% agree on the story.

With that in mind, we came up with a plan. We are going to take the next day or so to think, and when we all meet up back in class, we will tell each other what we have decided in terms of which story to go with. I think this is the fair way to do things. It gives us all a chance to think about both projects, and how they could possibly be done. It also allows for even more ideas to be added, which maybe those on the opposing side will enjoy more. On Friday, I hope to write a blogpost about the good news.

Cambridge Blog Post #14

 Today in class, me and my groupmates could sadly not start much of the storyboarding as one of my groupmates was absent. We all agreed that we would not make any decisions without the other, so with that in mind, we really took the period today to completely flesh out our story even more than it already is. I think though today did not go as planned, it was still a very successful meeting that we had with each other. Right now, I am here to tell you all about what we came up with. I have left you all in the dark on the specifics long enough.

In simplest terms, our film opening will compilation of man doing crazy things, where then we pan out to see open pill container. Now, I know what you are thinking, it sounds extremely simple. But trust me when I say that the visuals we have planned, will make this look fantastic. We also wanted to have a commentary about America's drug society, and show that sometimes, the real monster could be within ourselves. What you see in the film will most definitely reflect this.

I think that once the script gets more written, and we are able to talk with our other member, small things will change. But right now, our story is locked in. We are feeling extremely confident about everything we have to do, and I have to say, I think right now we are at a pretty good pace. So far everything we wanted to go right has. I hope it can continue like that in the future.

Cambridge Blog Post #13

 I have been thinking a lot about the storyboarding process that we will soon be doing together as a group. I have some concerns about doing it. They are minor concerns to be fair, but I know how sometimes projects such as these can go wrong if group members do not agree. I would love it if all of us would end up agreeing on every little thing, but I know that that is not realistic.

My first concern is on us all being able to agree on the specific scenes in our storyboard. Over the last few weeks, we have been talking about specific scenes that each of us came up with. Now, to tell you the truth, everyone's ideas are very enjoyable. They are all well fleshed out, and would work perfectly with our overall story. The problem is that there is only so many minutes that we have to tell our story. It is a 2 minute project. Some people's scenes that they came up with, will end up having to be cut. I hope that no one has any hard feelings about it. Like I stated earlier, if we do not all agree, then that could have a detrimental effect for the project.

My other concern is that we did not think enough about the challenges that would come with writing out scenes, and then transferring it to film. Having a good idea is simple, but executing it is hard. If we do not execute our ideas well, then the whole project will be a flop. All of that starts with the storyboarding. It is our chance to make last minute changes, see what truly works and what doesn't. This is why we need to take full advantage of the storyboarding opportunity that we have been given. I hope that next class when we start it, it goes well. I think we can come to a common viewpoint though.

Cambridge Blog Post #12

 Today, me and my group got on a call and talked all about our film openings intro. More specifically, why it is different from most other horror and comedy movies. Our narration aspect, is able to give us a lot more creative freedom than we would normally have in a different situation. We get to tell our audience a bit about the situation that they currently see unfolding on the screen. Most horror films would play the situation being shown as completely serious. Most comedy films would play off the situation as completely funny. With our idea, and the genre we have chosen, we can do both. Which leaves us open to more creative opportunities. Ideas like this have been seen in this genre before. The difference with us, is that we are elevating it. We are bringing it to a place that has almost never been seen before. I cannot wait to see it play out. Especially since next time we meet, we will begin the storyboarding process most likely. I have my own concerns about that, which I will elaborate on in my next post. The challenges of it, the benefits of it, it should be an interesting part in helping to bring this project all together.

Cambridge Blog Post #11

 Today in class, we got critiques on our idea, and gave critiques of our own. From what they all said, they really seemed to enjoy our overall plan. They said they enjoyed the premise that we had given for our film, as well as our plans on how to execute the filming of it. They also liked our idea of using narration, because it plays well into Character vs. Self. I think the call overall was very productive, but that does not mean they necessarily liked all aspects.

The first thing that the group critiqued, was our plan on how to adapt our filming into a real world setting. The idea may be solid, but they were worried that there may not be any type of setting good enough to fit a story like this into. But we went into a bit more detail on how we planned to combat this, and explained which settings we were considering using. After that they felt a little more confident about our idea. Another critique that they had was based on the Covid restrictions. They felt as if with the time we are living in, we may put ourselves at risk by going to these sort of grand areas. So, we had to explain how we would be taking proper precautions during filming, and we feel confident that we will be completely safe during it.

The group we talked with also gave us ideas on our film. For example, they liked our idea on Character vs. Self, but they told us that we could possibly go a lot deeper into the concept. Maybe make it a message on mental health. Which when thinking about it, actually made a lot of sense. My group members and I have been talking, and we hopefully can incorporate an element such as that one into the film. We are currently in the stage of script-writing, and my hope is that we can all agree on most of the things. But I know that sadly it does not always pan out that way. So I expect there to be some arguments, but hopefully nothing that we cannot handle.

Cambridge Blog Post #10

 Today, we tried to finalize everything that we needed to for our film. The most important element that we had to finalize though was the type of comedy that we wanted to use in the film. In these blog posts, I have talked a lot about the horror elements of the film opening. But I have barely talked about the comedy elements that we will be utilizing. There are many different types of elements and genres of comedy. Classical comedy, slapstick, the list goes on. Although their are many types of sub genres we could choose from, the one that my group and I will be working with is slapstick comedy, under the guise of a dark comedy.

A dark comedy can be brutal, and slapstick is the perfect type of comedy to go along with it. It requires a lot of physical movement, but also timing. If slapstick comedy is not done just right, then it can become extremely unfunny and awkward. That is why the in films nowadays, seeing slapstick comedy is extremely rare. As the times move on, so does the type of comedy that is popular. But my group and I are confident that we can do justice to the comedy of slapstick. We have an idea, that once integrated with our other element of horror, we feel would work perfectly for our film.

I believe that soon enough, we will begin the filming process. We already have a couple of locations scouted, and now with this final part of our film opening figured out, it makes our job a lot simpler. Next time in class, we will be getting critiques from peers. I think overall people will enjoy the idea. Although, we are definitely open to criticism.

Cambridge Blog Post #9

 Today in class, my group and I talked a lot more in-depth about what the main character of our film will be going through. We wanted to make sure that the plot was simple yet effective. We didn't want it to be cliché, but at the same time, we wanted to make sure it was not convoluted. So, we really started to think about what type of subject would best fit our film. This is when we decided on an age old horror-comedy favorite. Character vs. self. Character vs. Self is the perfect subject for us to use. Not only does it make for an interesting story, but it is extremely different from what most other horror-comedy movies do. Most of those films have some type of comedic slasher as their villain, but we want to take a much different path to the other films. Character vs. Self, helps us see our characters real struggles, and their true selves. It will be a funny film, but what you see will have purpose. This also helps with the way that we can write our scripts. It is able to bring our film and the world around it a lot more fluidly. I cannot wait to begin the filming process.

Cambridge Blog Post #8

 Today, my group and I were able to pitch our film opening idea those in our target market. Personally, I was pretty nervous about this step that we took. While the entire point of this step is to get constructive criticism, you never want people to hate what you have come up with too much. But overall I think that this experience went well. I learned a lot from each person.

For one, one participant talked about the idea of a flashback opening sounding a bit cliché. They said that it was something that they had seen in many movies before. Although, I told them that I had seen those types of openings more in action and thriller films. It is very rare to see something like that in a horror film. Once I was able to explain that to them, they were a lot more understanding. The process of talking freely with each other, was extremely important, because even if the truth may be hard to hear sometimes, it is definitely something that is necessary to hear.

Another participant, highlighted exactly what we thought about when making this idea. They talked about how our opening allowed us for a lot of freedom creatively. This is exactly what we wanted people to pick up on. With a film opening like ours, we are not restricted by much, and it was important that people realize the creative freedom that was involved in this project. Although, this person was also critical in some areas as well. They talked about how they were not sure how we can make a fight scene scary while also being funny, especially since we have limited resources. That was when I explained, that even if the fight is not scary, then it is our job to do other things to make up for it. Things like settings and props would really give the film that really scary and funny factor.

Overall, I think this process was a very necessary one. My group and I managed to learn what we were doing well with our film. We managed to learn all the things that we could definitely work on more as well. We also got some important notes for the future if the film, as well as some suggestions on how to make it a lot more scary and funny. Maybe we will be doing this again in the future after we have some footage shot. In order to make sure that we are on the right path with all that we are doing.

Cambridge Blog Post #7

 Today in class my group and I finally managed to settle on a concept for our film opening project. Over the last couple of weeks we thought a good amount about this idea. It not only has to have very good horror elements to it, but it also has to be able to seamlessly blend in the humor elements that we would like to add. We think that we have finally come up with an idea that is going to be able to suit all the aspects that we want to reach. It is a term in which we have been calling "flashback horror".

The concept we have come up with, is to start our film, near the ending of it. We are thinking that this will engage the audience in what they are currently watching. We thought that maybe what would happen is that are main character is all bruised and beaten down, and they are close to death. It seems as if all hope is lost, and they see the figure in front of them that may end their life. Although, just as we see what is about to happen to them, the video cuts to the words against a black screen that say "3 days earlier". We think that by doing this, we will give our audience a sense of excitement. Something to anticipate during the length of the film. 

Through the use of this tactic, we also allow ourselves to have as much creative freedom as possible. We get to have fun with thinking up what the situation seen in the opening can be about. We can have fun with the fighting and look of the scene overall. These circumstances that we have given ourselves, just overall make us able to help us and the audience feel that our work is as creative as it can possibly be. But we are not done yet. My group and I really want to make sure that this group will resonate with those who we feel are our target market. That is exactly what we plan to do.

Next class, we will be meeting with people in our target market range, and asking them how they feel about our film opening concept. We will listen, take notes, and adjust our plan accordingly. By doing this, we feel like it will help us make the best opening possible. We want to make sure that our opening can be enjoyed by these groups of people. This is the only way that we can know for sure if we will accomplish that or not. Which, in my opinion makes it one of the most important steps of the process of making this film opening.

Cambridge Blog Post #6

 Today, me and my group talked about our inspirations for our upcoming film opening. In the horror/comedy genre, there are a ton of good movies to choose from, but we really highlighted two very famous ones today. They have gone down in history as two of the most famous horror movie comedies because of their gory kills, and on point comedy that has delighted people for many years. Those two films are: Scream and Scary Movie.

Scream 1 is considered by many to be a straight horror film. But this is where those people would be wrong. If you look deeper into the film, you would see that the film has a ton of comedic moments, and has been said to be a parody itself of the gritty slashers that came before it. The movie, and especially its later entries in the franchise, never took itself seriously at all. Sure it would have scary moments, but those moments and tension would often be followed up by a joke or some one-liner. The film knows what it is, and does not try to be anything more or less. I think the reason why it has remained so classic to this day, is because of what it accomplished for the genre overall. This is why me and my group would love to take the spirit of our film and base it off this. Not in a copying the plot sort of way, but in tone and structure perhaps. We do not want anyone to feel as if our film rips anything off, or is a complete homage to these two films. It is not.

Scary movie is a film that is not only a parody of Scream, but of almost every other horror movie that came before it. It has absurdist humor sprinkled all throughout it, and does not take itself seriously one bit. Sure, there may be kills, but they are always done in a comedic way that makes you laugh out loud. The franchise is famous for what it did for the parody genre, because while it is funny, it is also extremely smart in the way that it portrays movie characters so perfectly. It is because of the absurdity that the film brings to horror, that me and my group felt that we also wanted to emulate this type of films tone as well. If we do it right, we feel like we can make something that is truly special and different from anything that people have seen before. I think on Tuesday, when my group is able to get back to work, we will start coming up with the first plot details of the film. I know that that is going to be very enjoyable to come up with.