Portfolio Project

WEEK FOUR: RESEARCH

Dear Bloggies,

I've decided to take a break from exploding my brain to take a step back and research.

I want to focus on one movie in general: Synchedoche, New York. I can confidently say this movie changed my entire perspective on film, and this is coming from a girl who had already finished all her 12 college applications for film majors. 

The plot of this movie is that Caden Cotard, a theatre director, has a strange disease that is causing to shut his body down. After his wife and daughter leave him, he leaves his home to go to Schenectady, New York, and create a play about his life. He created an entire mock-up of the city and as he casts actors for every single person in his life, the line between fantasy and real life starts to become blurred.

In other words, watch the movie.

The film's theme is just how human life works and the ordinary aspects of it. This is exactly what I want to do. I want to take a simple message and create a film that you would never expect to represent it. I know, I keep telling you guys this but don't actually make it. That's a different issue, now back to research.

COLOR The lighting of the film is consistently dark and blue-tinted. It helps develop the tone because as the story progresses, the audience becomes more skeptical of what's real and what's not, while still understanding the pain of Caden. I want to focus on the color of my film as well, something I don't tend to think about when I create a film. The goal is dark with lighter aspects to match the "psychological, trippy, average" genre (please try and visualize without knowing my plot).

POST-MODERNISM My favorite lesson from this year was our postmodernism lecture. I never knew the name of my favorite genre, and to truly understand it just made everything make more sense. Post-modernism is when movies ain to subvert highly-regarded expectations, which can be in the form of blending genres or messing with the narrative nature of the film. For example, Taxi Driver, Pulp Fiction, and of course, Synecdoche, New York. This concept would be extremely hard for a 5-minute short film, so I am going to take aspects from it and create a psychological, almost drama genre. Specifically, I want to include an alternative narrative, which challenge the linearity of classical film narrative. Also, pastiche, which is combining aspects from different genres, as I previously explained. These are both heavily used in Synecoche and are shown through small details such as different newspaper dates, 

unrealistic events, and heavy dialogue.

TARGET AUDIENCE I keep thinking back to this one. It's hard to choose a target audience for such a niche genre. For most post-modernistic films, you would think that the target audience is older, given the deeper meanings and heavy concepts. But after researching different target audiences for different films with similar concepts, I see a trend of the target audience being younger, almost young adults to teendagers. I definitely am going to cater my film to young adults as well. Starting at my age ranging to older 20's. I understand how these ages work and what they will catch onto versus what they won't. I also think they will make the connection between my basic storyline and the deeper message.

BRB about to go finalize my story, and then this blog will make more sense.

ms. spielberg

Portfolio Project

WEEK FOUR: REGIME CHANGE

Good morning blog.

Today in class, we had a group meeting. Our teacher, Stok, put us into groups of 6 to discuss each other's projects and blogs. It was helpful to see where everyone else was with their projects and how I am not the only one who still hasn't landed on a concrete idea. Listening to the ideas and problems my classmates were running into formed an explosion of teamwork where we all were trying to lift each other up and help each other succeed.

When I explained my story, they were just as confused as you are. They tried to guide me, as well as each other, to fill the plot holes and take my ideas onto the screens. Here's where we got:

When I mentioned that I want to play around with the timeline of the story, everyone loved the idea. The only thing is the concept is way easier than executing it. I also mentioned that my parent's office has an elevator So Manny, one of the students in my group, gave me the ideas on the note. 

I think I could have gone somewhere very cool with the idea. that was until I had a conversation with Stok. She made me realize I was so stuck on this location and elevator, that I didn't truly enjoy what I was creating. It was frustrating to hear but after much back and forth and jumping and hiding, I realized she was right. So, I went home and decided it was time for this story and me to part ways.

Dear weird, unfinished, elevator short film,

It's not me, it's you.

Sincerely, 

your former writer.

Anyways, after I ate some ice cream to deal with this breakup, I quickly got to thinking. I was in my happy place (my car) when it finally hit me... but I'm not going to tell you the idea until it's COMPLETELY set this time.

I thought it was time I stop playing with your feelings,

ms. spielberg

Portfolio Project

WEEK THREE: PLOT CHANGE

Literally scratch that.

Give me a minute, my brain is spiraling

ms. spielberg

Portfolio Project

WEEK THREE: PLOT REVEAL

Hi guys!!!!

I think I am most excited about this blog. I'm going to tell you about my story. I have a solid idea but to be honest, I hope I can solidify my ideas as I type.

As I've said before, I want it to be a creepy, psychological, very A24 type of movie. To put it in one sentence, I want my audience to watch this film and question their entire life up until this point. Okay, I until this is a bit unrealistic for a 5-minute short film but I am shooting for the moon (I'll be okay if I land in the stars... but like the closet star to the moon).

You after you watch my film

I would like to show off my current planning document before I try to use my big girl words to explain my movie:

Now let me translate.

The storyline is about two girls who have a very close relationship. I still have to decide if that relationship is romantic or platonic, but that is relevant because I don't want it to be the main focus point. They go to an empty parking lot which is clearly their normal hang-out. They somehow end up going into the office building...

Wait, this is exactly what I was talking about: brainstorming. I think they should be lovers, and the plot is that they finally are going to get together. They enter the elevator the audience is going to think they are going to kiss. Their faces are lit up, the tension is high, the door closes and on the next floor it opens, and one of the girls is on the floor, dead. Surprise! 

That's the basis but I do also want to play around with the timeline and a potential alternative narrative.

I really hope you somewhat understood that, but I promise, it'll make more sense later

ms. spielberg

Portfolio Project

WEEK THREE: TIMELINE PROPOSAL

On the timeline, week three has a couple of things to be checked off. I think I did a pretty good job last week with week two, so let's get straight into what needs to get done. The first was "think about who could play possible characters."

Ashley and Sophia, two of my closest friends, both have never acted before. I'm gonna try and train them because I don't really have access to anyone else and I know their schedule will work with mine. Slightly excited because they're best friends so I know they will have good dynamics and are both exceptionally captured on camera. 

Next on my checklist is "reach out to these people and see if they're interested."

done.

This blog is going to be a little short because I have a big one coming. By week three, I was supposed to have finalized my story. Although I can't promise that, I have a very good plot in the making. 

EEEEEEK!!!!!!

ms. spielberg

Portfolio Project

WEEK TWO: THE RESEARCH BEGINS

According to my blog schedule, this week I am basically researching. I want to focus mainly on genre, so the first thing I did was go straight to vimeo.com and look up "psychological horror short films." Not much popped up... I didn't realize I picked such a niche genre. Nevertheless, I fell into a deep shorts hole and eventually found the area I was looking for. I watched a few short films, but none of them seemed to call my attention. Not a single video sparked an in idea, at least not a video from Vimeo.

I would give credit to a short film for kickstarting my creativity though. It started with a conversation I had with Vane (you know, the one I worked on Pursuing Passion with). This is how it went:

Vane : I'm so stuck, I can't come up with anything.

Me : No, literally, I'm head empty.

...

Me : Have you watched Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared?

Vane : Um, no.

Me : Watch #5, it changed my life.

If you don't know what Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared is, please do yourself a favor and watch it. It is the single most terrifying, creepy, life-altering film I have ever seen. If you clicked the link, you might be confused why a British surreal comedy horror series with puppets would be my inspiration, but I think you'll get it once I explain my concept.

BRB going to go watch season 2 of DHMIS

ms.spielberg

Portfolio Project

WEEK ONE: TIMELINE PROPOSAL

I am going to start this post off with a disclaimer: this is not a strict schedule. I know myself and I am going to be realistic that things will change and pieces of this schedule will get thrown around. Nevertheless, this is my ideal schedule of what would get done each week of this project.

WEEK 1

    - Choose which project (short film)

    - Pick a genre

    - Brainstorm possible storylines

    - Blog!

WEEK 2

    - Research genre characteristics

    - Watch short films

    - Pick specific aspects of the genre you want to focus on

    - Begin to develop a plot

    - Blog!

WEEK 3

    - Think about who could play possible characters

    - Reach out to these people and see if they're interested

    - Finalize story

    - Create a storyboard

    - Blog!

WEEK 4

    - Create a filming schedule

    - Write the script

    - Confirm with actors

    - Make sure everything is set for filming

    - Blog!

WEEK 5

    - Start filming!!!

    - Create social media page

    - Make 3 (or more) posts for the page

    - Research film festivals and postcards for them

    - Blog!

WEEK 6

    - Hopefully, finish filming

    - Start organizing media

    - Make 3 (or more) posts for the page

    - Post behind-the-scenes footage on the page

    - Decide what to use for the postcard

    - Blog!

WEEK 7

    - Edit, edit, edit

    - Find the music needed

    - Make postcard

    - Blog!

WEEK 8

    - Edit, edit, edit

    - Make small videos for promo

    - Blog!

WEEK 9

    - Hopefully, finish editting

    - Kinda an off week

    - Play catch up

    - Blog!

WEEK 10

    - Finalize anything that needs to be done

    - All minor details must be checked off

    - Blog!

WEEK 11

    - Done!

    - Final touches

    - Blog!

Stay with me to see how long I can stick to this schedule...

ms. spielberg

Portfolio Project

WEEK ONE: TIMELINE COMPARISON

I created my beautiful blog schedule based on a sample T. Stok gave us. This sample was good, but there are definitely things I would change... and I did.

Said Sample

The first thing I noticed when I saw this schedule is how much they focused on the print component of the project. Personally, it takes me way longer to develop, plan, create, and complete a film than it does to create a digital, one-page postcard. I also know myself well to know I need a few weeks, in the end, to catch up and fix anything I need to make it perfect. As I have previously mentioned, I have a very busy schedule, and I am working on breaking this habit of procrastinating and perfectionism... but just in case, I added those weeks. I also feel as though genre research is important, it doesn't need to be a multiple-week thing. Overall, I liked the style and layout of this schedule, I just wanted to add a bit of me to it!

Not to get you excited, but I think I just landed on a plot... but I'll leave it at that for now

ms. spielberg

Portfolio Project

WEEK ONE: PORTFOLIO PROJECT - A LEVEL EDITION

Hey guys, we're back!!

I know you all missed me and I apologize for the quick break but we're back and this time, it's big. We're working on the biggest, most critical, and time-consuming project of the entire course... and I have no idea where to start.

The class must choose one of four different options for our portfolios. Stok described the music video, movie promo, documentary, and short film options and explained exactly what would be needed for each. Immediately I knew I wanted to make a short film. We don't get a lot of opportunities to work individually in class. When I work with partners, I feel that neither my partner nor I don't benefit due to my extremely overwhelming schedule. The short film option seemed closest to what I want to pursue in college, directing, and given I am sadly going to college soon, I thought working on my very own short film would be amazing practice as well as allow me to gain the most experience and knowledge from this project in general.

There are three components to this specific project: the 5-minute short film, a social media page, and a postcard to promote the film at a film festival. At a macro level, this seemed generally easy. Oh, just make a movie, pull up an Instagram, and slap a picture into Canva... a piece of cake! We then were told to look into our options and make a final decision, which is when I realized this might be a little more difficult than originally intended. I'm sticking with this choice, I like that I'm going to have my work cut out for me. 

Get excited, big things are coming!

ms. spielberg

Pursuing Passion: Critical Reflection

PURSUING PASSION

Pursuing Passion is a 5 minute documentary on the teachers at Bamachol Dance Program and how they each planned on pursuing a specific career but found themselves now teaching dance. The four interviewees each studied law, dentistry, architecture, and nutrition, yet strayed from their original career paths to spread their love and desire for dance. This piece explores the idea of doing what makes you happy rather than the most logical plan, even as an adult. 

After deciding on the general topic of dance, my partner and I began to collect research. We watched various dance documentaries and saw a pattern of repetitive b-roll. It made the entire piece look boring and we lost interest quickly due to the lack of variation in the shots. We really wanted to challenge the typical “dance documentary” conventions. All of these films had the same overall theme of the struggles a dancer experiences or on the studio itself. We chose the studio based on convenience since it's the studio I go to. When trying to pick a more detailed topic, I informed my partner that all of the teachers at the studio went to college for very different careers. I then spoke to them in person and took note of each university and major, or majors, they went for. We then took this information and chose which seems the most different to dance, to be the most entertaining for the audience, and chose the four subjects to interview. 

Another way we tried to break these normal conventions was through the b-roll. As I mentioned previously, most of the shots in these dance films were long shots of the dancers from the front, had poor lighting, and had slow-motion close-ups. To stay away from this, we chose to get creative as possible. Since this was more focused on the teachers and staff, we found a way to represent what they do on a daily basis through shots that would intrigue the audience. Some examples and close-ups as they choreograph, long shots of a teacher as they stand behind the dancers dancing, and the director reprimanding the girls. 

Our goal was to create a fun, engaging documentary that also made the audience realize how important it is to not pursue something solely based on logistics and convenience. Our target audience was young adults, although the theme could also apply to older adults. The era of both high school and college is a crucial time in character development. These teens and early twenty-year-olds are put in such a difficult position since they must decide their entire life path at such a young age. Our piece is meant to show this group of individuals that nothing is completely set in stone. They can change paths if they don’t love the one they originally choose. This also applies to adults who don't currently enjoy their job or have a child who is facing similar issues. We ensured this audience though through not only our entertaining b-roll but also through our interviews. We created a list of questions geared to have our subjects show emotion and passion towards their journey as well as their current position at the studio, and for each interview, we slightly changed the questions to have the best responses. Since every journey is different, the interviews are set up this way to allow the audience to compare them and keep their attention. Something we could have done differently is in our editing. 

Our overall production was intended to represent adults who left the career they studied in college for one that fulfills them. Our b-roll and interviews show in-depth what they specifically do throughout the day and the joy they experience from working as a dance teacher. Even though we set our intention for the theme perfectly, we didn’t edit it to represent it well. The ideas we discussed got lost through the excessive use of b-roll and not enough interview segments, although we did have the content for it. I would say we were successful in explaining the macro-topic, but from a micro-perspective, failed to represent the depth of the situation properly. By piecing together the interviews in a different format, the message could have been clearer for the audience.

Pursuing Passion: Two Dancers Make a Movie

PURSUING PASSION

A 5-minute documentary on the dance teachers at my dance studio, Bamachol Dance Program, and how they each studied for a specific career in college but left it all to continue their passion for dance as a teacher. 

Day 4 Hurricane Nicole decided she wanted to come hit Florida exactly on the day we wanted to start filming... kinda inconsiderate if you ask me. Our schedule got pushed back two days because both the school and the studio were shut down. Although we immediately did panic, we were ahead of schedule anyway so we texted our interviewees and confirmed our rescheduling. After multiple texts back and forth, and a few in-person confrontations after they ignored me, I got them all set.

DAY 5, 6, AND 7 Bamachol is in Aventura, about 45 minutes from where Vane lives but only 12 from mine. I was really proud of her! She drove on the highway for the FIRST time and did it 3 times in one week. 

me proud of vane

We shot in every room of this studio. We spent around 10 minutes in each room and went on a constant rotation every day. With our need for approval and an immense amount of combined creativity, Vane and I entered every room and asked ourselves "what is the coolest shot we can get?" And not to toot our own horn, but we absolutely killed it with the b-roll. Here are some of my favorites:

The interviews were my favorite part. These teachers have taught me dance since I was two but never would I have imagined that was not their first career path. Vane and I set up each interview and although we had the same intention for each interview, we found ourselves manipulating the questions to actually get it out of each subject. I felt so powerful. Overall, the filming went really well! Now onto editing.

DAY 8, 9, 10... and so on We finished on a Wednesday. It was time for post-production. I felt a bit guilty since I was leaving for Chicago on that Thursday, but Vane's exact words were "don't worry, I edit really fast." Two dancers, so naive, so innocent. Neither of us even thought to think of anything going wrong.
As I sit in Chicago with my boyfriend, Vane started texting me. Here is a quick summary of what we encountered.

- Videos wouldn't upload to premiere.
- Had to use her phone to edit.
- No method of sharing worked so she couldn't get the video.
- The music we wanted wouldn't work on her phone.
- Sound from the interviews was... broken?

13,79 miles away, we worked through (most) of these issues but had to sacrifice for the deadline. We both learned a lot from this project. I think our project had a lot of potential! We just made a few amateur mistakes, but that is what this class is about, right? Learning? Yeah, I hope so.

More on what I'm growing coming soon!
ms. scorsese