Final product

 

Creative Critical Reflection

 

Stage 5 final project

 Meaning in the opening

The meaning of the opening can be about the crime scene and the flashback to get the audience interested. The film is about a stalker who kills innocent high school girls and the police trying to solve the case. We're trying to create like a mysterious tone trough out the opening so the audience will know that its a mystery movie.   

Technology used

We mainly use a computer at school while editing, Perhaps during break if we're aloud to finish at home we'll use computers at home. We didn't really use any post production technologies either, currently we haven't found any good sounds nor music for our opening.  We didn't use any tutorials either, we just learn how to use the program was we went on. At least for me, not really sure if I can say the same about my fellow group members. For transitions we used fade to whites to represent photographs being taken by a camera. We're also trying to make sure the transitions fit the tone of the opening, can't have the transition look like something from a comedic sit-com while it transitions from police tape to a dead body. For the flash back it's meant to be black and white so the viewer will know that it's a flashback to what happened.

While working on the editing Shivanie and I have discovered little things that help with editing a bit, such as using the space bar to pause the video and using the arrow keys to move the line across the video. Other than that I think those were tiny bits of what we learned while editing. A difficulty we faced while Sarah was gone was finding the right background music for our film we couldn't find any what was free nor felt right with the tone. Didn't use any other source of media as inspiration, at least not that I know of. I think while editing we made small changes from what was originally intended, such as whos production title we use and making the credits come from the side of the screen like a typewriter. Sadly, I can't provide screenshots nor video since it's on another computer.

Title conventions

Not too sure on what that part means, but when thinking of a title we were trying to think of something suspenseful and mysterious. 

Diary for final project

3-7-22

 When I first tried the program it refused to play the clip that I had imported into the program nor will it let me edit it. I don't know if the problems the program or the video files. Afterwards since Adobe Premiere pro didn't work I tried using Adobe Premiere Rush and it didn't work either. In the end I decided to use Clipchamp since that's the only one that I sort of know how to use and the only program that would work without a watermark. Then Ms. Landis told us to use WeVideo so apparently I used that one instead (this got a little confusing)  

3-8-22

Before class ended yesterday I spoke with Ms. Landis if we didn't have to use WeVideo, she said we didn't have to use WeVideo and could use any editing software that worked. So I was glad I could use Clipchamp, plus I already made some progress on it. While working I sort of feel pressured into making opening the best I can in class, although I would feel more comfortable doing it al home so I can add the sound effects and would feel like I'm not being watched watched while working. I wonder if Ms. Landis would let us work on the opening from home.🤔

As of now, I think I'm almost done and I just need to add the credits and sound effects. Sooooo..... apparently we now need to add a lot on credits in such a small amount of footage, honestly the worst part is that Shavanie didn't e-mail me the recoding for the title where she zooms in on the I See You on the phone. >:/  

Nevermind that, since I managed to find a way around it, anyways its kind of a good thing since it would go over the limit.

3-9-22

Yesterday I tried to finish the opening at home, but it wouldn't work since I don't have the footage on the computer at home. 

I just found out that on Clipchamp you can add a second audio track, well not just found out more like forgot and remembered since I think I wrote typed about it before in another blog post. I've also managed to add the sounds and music/ test the sounds and music without making too much noise.  

I don't exactly remember what we're supposed to add for the credits and I'm sort of afraid to check the list Sarah sent into the group chat she made for the project, because I don't want to get in trouble for being on my phone. I think I'm just going to go for it since that sounds like a weird thing to worry about when said read out loud. The picture turned out to be blurry, very helpful.

Just found out that what we're currently working isn't the final project... The final editing opening we're doing it as a group... I'm just glad we wont be doing the final project by ourselves and I could do what my group wants to do. 

3-14-22

Apologies for not updating recently, my group and I got caught up in editing our final project. Since I'm typing this on my home computer, I don't have access to my version of the opening that I made on Clipchamp. 🙄 So I think our group is doing a swell job with the real final opening, although I do find their technique of editing a tad strange, but it gets the job done. 

3-15-22

So far I think we're almost done with the opening, all we need to do is add the sound, music, and credits. Since today Sarah left early Shavanie and I were a bit lost on what to do. Especially with trying to find the right music for the opening, we didn't really find anything that caught our ey-.. err... ears in this case. Honestly, it was a bit of pressure since we also have to do an essay on our own that's also a mid-term grade. I'm pretty sure it also has to be at least 600 words and I think the only time we're given is tomorrow. I feel like I might not be able to finish with that time limit, but I'll just go with it and see how it goes. 

3-16-22

Didn't work on the opening today, did midterm essay instead. Sadly, I don't think I can show progress of what we have done so far due me typing out my blogs from a different computer than the one we're editing on.

4-1-22

Apologies for not updating the blog lately, it was spring break and I was caught up with editing and other schoolwork. Right now we've found the right music for the opening and we're also done with the final project. We've also finished the credits as well as the sounds and some finishing touches. Now I just need to get done with the CCR plan, which as to be written in an essay format with 6 paragraphs. I think I took it the wrong way with the double spacing and the font, But hopefully I can finish it by tonight. (I think there may be a word limit as well, but I don't remember)

Step 4 of final project

 Production

Difficulties/bloopers?

Some difficulties we had along the way were stuff like the weather, especially when we were trying to record a piece of police tape with fake blood on it wouldn't stay still for the shot because of the wind. I remember that I joked around that the police tape was camera shy. Another was when we were making the shots for the crime scene after I put fake blood on Sarah, we were getting looks from people passing by and even one person freaked out a bit thinking that the blood on Sarah was real. 

Changes and revisions

I honestly don't really remember too much of the changes, but I do remember that we were going to to record the crime scene in the parking lot. We recorded on like a... I want to say like a stone slab or step that was by a mystery door outside that was by like a mini parking space. The best part of the spot was that it wasn't too public, I feel like if we did it by the parking lot in front of the school to me it would have felt more pressured to watch for people driving by the keeping the ground clean. Don't even get me started on the story through out the project, at first it had something to do with an online friend group murder mystery, now its a murder mystery about a stalker killing high school girls. 

What I learned

I learned that Clipchamp is a jerk when it comes to editing on a different computer. Seriously, when I tried to edit a little bit of my opening from home it wouldn't let me edit anything due to not having the footage on the computer from home. 

While working with my group on the final project I've learn how to use WeVideo, since I didn't really know how to use it before working with my group.

Step 4 of final project

Recording shots

So far my group barley got any shots besides the ones for the crime scene, so recording has been a bust. This is because the member who plays the girl had a terrible charger cable and her phone didn't charge last night, the shots we needed needed to have her phone on while I, the stalker sent her a text. Another reason we couldn't record was because the person who was supposed to record had something come up. Although we're planning to finish the shots this weekend if our parents let us meet up to record our shots. Might be a little hard to convince my mother to let me meet up with friends to record at night, in an empty parking lot, while wearing a black hoodie. At night. During the weekend. At night. Yeah.... I would be concern if my kid asked me that as well. Anyways, on with the blog. 

Technology we used

To record our shots we used the highest form on technology to film. The most technologically advanced camera we could get ahold of.. Shivanie's phone. We just had Shivanie use her phone to film the shots and she was the camerawoman, because during the early stages of the project the three of us summited an example of our recordings, to choose who would be the one recording and Shivanie's was the smoothest. Honestly, mines was really shaky and jittery, I think in my footage you can even hear a crack from my leg if you listen close enough. :') 

What I learned

Besides learning that prop police tape are camera shy, we didn't really use and equipment such as lights and cameras (plural), we recorded outside and the lighting was sunlight. I'm meant to talk about what I learned from production technologies, but since we didn't really use much this part of the blog would be too short. :/  Anyways, fake blood can stain skin a bit, but there's nothing that a little soap, water, and a towel to scrub off with can't help. Since the fake blood was also in a spray bottle it was kind of hard to make fake stab wounds with it and I learned that I wasn't the best at making fake stab wounds with a spray, at least I didn't get any on Sarah's shoes. We also had to have a little on the pavement to make it look a little realistic, but I also tried to be careful with how I did it, because I didn't want us getting in trouble for getting the pavement messy. We managed to get a little off, but some stained it a bit and it wasn't too bad, because we can use play it off as one of those mystery stains that appear randomly on the floor. The chalk was simple just Shivanie tracing Sarah's body to make it look like a crime scene, its a good thing that chalk comes of with water and a little bit of scrubbing. The police tape in this shot wasn't shy this time, but it did keep flipping over in the wind.

How I learned how to use the equipment

Again, we didn't really use any equipment, we just used a phone and Shivanie was the one recording. We just learned how to use the equipment as we went. I don't think any of the shots we based off any other shots from films or shows, if one was I feel like my group would have informed me about it or I would have remembered it.

Step 3 of final project

Film location

 

if the fake blood ends up staining the ground were going to be in so much trouble. 

The film locations we have decided to film the opening at Coconut Creek High School's parking lot.

The reason why we choose this location is because I think that this is the only location we can use that doesn't require asking our parent's permission to take us to a parking lot at night, honestly I would be concern too if my kid ask me to drive them to a random parking at night with their friends. 

Then again we have to use fake blood and depending on how we use the fake blood we might have to get some of the ground. We might end up having to clean up the fake blood with soap and water :,)

Who will be in our opening?

The actors in our seen will be us. I don't think I know the full reason, but I know that part of the reason is so we don't have to go through the awkwardness of asking people to be in our opening. Besides it's much easier to have the actor be one of us so we could sort of get it the way we want to? I don't exactly know how to describe it. Also there are only to be like two characters on screen anyways besides the feet of the officers, we already had an idea on who will play the girl that gets murdered since we were working on stage 1. I think at some point my group decided that I would play the stalker? I'm not 100% if they were serious or were just spit-balling ideas.

What will our film be like?

Sadly I couldn't really find any good examples for what the opening will be like, so I'm going to say that the opening scene is going to a be a little bit like Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. Since that was technically the only film with it's opening as a crime scene that I could find, but the film should feel more mysterious and suspenseful, making the audience at the edge of their seats for more.  

Sounds of the opening

We were just going to use sound effects we found online, I think some sounds such as walking/footsteps are going to be in-camera.

Storyboard

Unfortunately since at this time my group and I have been focusing out class time on the shot by shot I don't have any screenshots of storyboards shots. (sorry) 

So far we decided to split the work between us with the storyboard shots, for example one person will do shots 1-4 and another will do shots 5-9 etc. For my shots I want them to look simply and to be more like a sketch when I draw. 

Shooting schedule

So... we might have to postpone some of the shooting to the week of the 21st due to the member who plays the most important character of the opening not being here until that week. Come to think of it, we can't start shooting the shots without them since the character they're playing is literally in every shot.

 We might have to shot the shoots that we meant to be at night early in the mourning, like it's still dark early in the mourning. The only problem with this is that I can't be there early, since my bus normally gets to school after the bell rings or like 2 minutes before the bell rings. The daytime shots should be easy since all we have to do is ask Ms. Landis is we can go outside to shoot.  

What tech we need

Maybe something for lighting and fake blood. I know it's not tech but we need it and will get it. We'll be using our phones to record and edit in class hopefully. I'm also hoping we might not need to ask the officers on campus to turn their lights on for our shots.