How Covid-19 affected our film

This is my second time being in Media Studies, being in A level now. I did AS Level Media Studies last year and unfortunately, Covid-19 affected the end of our year. I am telling you this now so you know that Covid-19 has affected my time in Media Studies for two school years. This year for school, I am doing school online, so obviously some changes had to be made when doing school and working with a group to film/edit/plan. We all had to make sure before we agreed to be a group that our parents would be okay with us being together to film or do any other steps. It wasn’t too difficult to plan our film because we could do that over the phone. We all did certain parts of the storyboard and script and worked together to make the film fit all of our visions. The script was a little difficult to work on at separate times because we wanted to make sure we all agreed on it. To reduce the trouble, we made sure to read over it together after it was done and make changes together. The next thing was the storyboard, which was easy to do with the script. Filming was a little difficult because we had to make sure that the restaurant we wanted to film at would allow us with Covid-19 and social distancing. We also had to make sure that parents/families were comfortable with people being in houses. Luckily, all the parents/families and the restaurant were okay with us filming. In the restaurant, we wanted to film when it was less busy, however, because we did not want to have our masks on during the film. Editing was difficult just because we would not be able to all edit since only one person had the software. Ben did most of the editing, whereas Joaquina and I did most of the acting and planning. This worked for us because it highlighted all of our strengths. As you can see, because of Covid-19, a lot of changes had to be made. Because we’ve been living in this “covid world” for a while now though, we were able to make it work. I’m extremely grateful that my group was able to get together to film and that we worked so well together. Thank you for coming along this planning/filming/editing journey with me. I can’t wait to show you the final product.

Editing

We're finally starting to actually edit. As I said before, it would be a little more complicated to edit because we could not all be together. Joaquina and I chose the music for Ben to use. We emailed a few people but only two responded. King Princess's manager and Danger Incorporated's manager gave us approval to use their music. From King Princess, we would be using the song "Cheap Queen" and from Danger Incorporated we would be using the song "Diamonds." Although we had other songs that we wanted more, we were glad to get approval from any of the artists. The next thing Ben wanted us to do was tell him how we wanted the film to be editied. Joaquina and I both agreed that we wanted it to be editied similar to how many young adult/lgbtq+ films are edited. This means that there were little to no transitions. It also meant that the editing made the film look very smooth, with not a lot of cuts. Just like everything in our film had the conventions of lgbtq+ films, we wanted our editing to be the same. We hoped that even without the plotline, it was obvious our film was in the lgbtq+ genre. Through our editing, clothes, young characters, and dialogue, we hoped to achieve that. We also told Ben that when we watched the film, we wanted to feel a sense of contentment and excitedness for the characters. We told Ben that if he could do that with editing, it would be great. He said he would try to make it happen and that he had the same vision as us. It's great that our whole group had the same vision and was excited to see our project come alive. Ben told us that there would be no exterior shots because we did not have time, which was the only thing that we missed with the conventions. We're finally done with our film and I'm so excited, I can't wait for everyone to see it. Stay tuned on the next blog to see how Covid-19 affected filming, editing, and more. 

Editing: Choosing and shortening clips

Welcome back. We're finally done with filming so we're moving onto editing. With Covid-19, editing was going to be a little more difficult to do. Usually, we can edit at school together and take turns, but none of us are at school. Although editing would be difficult to do together, we were going to figure out a way to make it work. The first part of editing we had to do was choosing through all the clips. This was actually really fun to do. We watched all of the clips and "favorited" the ones we liked best. We usually "favorited" two clips of the same scene in case we liked one better than the other. I enjoyed watching the clips and thinking of the fun we had filming. After choosing our favorites, we then looked through those and only chose one clip for each scene instead of two. When we shot a lot of the shots, we recorded for longer than the scene was in case we needed extra time. That meant that when it was time to edit, we had to shorten these scenes. So, that was the next thing we had to do. We all did it together and Ben let us know where to end it since he would be doing most of the editing. Joaquina and I did most of this since Ben would be doing a lot of the editing. I can't believe we are so close to finishing our film. I'm really excited to see our final product because we've worked so hard. Read my next blog to see what happens next. Thanks for keeping up, see you soon! 

Filming: Filming at Joaquina's (take 2)

You're back for part 2 of filming at Joaquina's house. It's nice to see you again. So, the next thing we did during filming was film Cassidy on the phone with Jade asking her if she wants to come over. Gleda went to Joaquina's parent's room to look like she was at her own house during this scene. Joaquina was on the phone in another room but we did not film Joaquina, we just recorded Gleda. We also filmed another phone scene of Cassidy on the phone with Aiden. For this scene, we recorded line by line to make it easier for editing. We then filmed a scene of Cassidy and Paige on the phone and we did the same set up for this scene as we did for the one of Cassidy and Jade on the phone. Joaquina was filmed while I was on call on speaker so you could hear what I was saying. The last scene we filmed was the most eventful one and the most necessary one. This is the scene I was most excited for because 1.) it was very suspenseful and 2.) it meant we were done filming. Joaquina and Gleda are very close friends but this scene was a little awkward for them to film. In this scene, the girls were supposed to kiss, and then the film would cut off right before their lips touched. We filmed the girls talking from a few different angles before the big kiss was about to happen. To actually get the scene of them kissing, it took about 10-15 minutes. This was a really fun scene to film though because we were laughing and enjoying ourselves the whole time. We were now finally done with filming, for now. We hung out for a little before going home. We all agreed that filming was super fun. We can't wait for editing to start and to see our film come to life. Here is a picture of us filming at the diner! Talk to you when editing starts, BYE! 

Filming: Filming at Joaquina's House

Day 2 of filming is finally here! We were very motivated to finish filming today because then we would be done with filming, before reshoots (if they were necessary). We went to Joaquina's house at around 5:00 and just hung out for a little bit. We all went to Joaquina's house, even Ben and Aitan who weren't in any scenes, because we needed extra hands for filming and we all like hanging out together as friends. We decided what we would film first and made sure that everywhere we planned to film was tidy. We filmed the scene of Jade, Paige, and Cassidy laying on the bed first. Everyone was just laying around and Jade asked if she could do the girl's makeup. Ben filmed this scene while Aitan made sure everyone looked good and was shown. The boys worked together really well the entire time to make sure everyone that was being filmed was shown and the angles were nice. We filmed this a few times to get different angles of the girls laying down and different angles of Jade and Cassidy walking out of the room and towards the bathroom. The next scenes we filmed were all in the bathroom of Cassidy (Joaquina) and Jade (Gleda). Joaquina's bathroom has a huge mirror so we had to film where you couldn't see the camera but could still see both girls. It was important that we showed the girls maintaining eye contact because it was a big part of us showing that the girls were falling for one another. Ben and I did the filming for this scene because I was not in the scene and Aitan isn't really a part of the project besides acting. For this scene, we had to film Gleda looking like she's putting on Joaquina's eyeliner, and then she "messes up." Joaquina, then, re-did the eyeliner better because she actually knows how to do eyeliner, and then we filmed the rest of the scene. These scenes were my favorite to film because they show Cassidy and Jade getting closer and showing interest in one another. The next thing we filmed was my character, Paige, calling Cassidy and Jade back to watch a movie. Since the next part of the scene was all of the girls, Ben and Aitan filmed these scenes. We showed all of the girls being in the bed ready to watch a movie and Jade lays her head on Cassidy. Cassidy had a surprised look on her face when Jade did this to show that although it was unexpected, she still liked it. We aren't done with filming at Joaquina's house just yet. Look at the next blog to see how the rest of filming went. 

Filming: Outside the diner and at Aitan's house

You're back for the next one, wow. The filming of my film must be really interesting to you, but anyways, welcome back. So the last thing we heard was my group finished filming inside the diner, but we still had to film outside the diner. This didn't take too long. We had Joaquina, Ben, and Aitan walk outside the diner. The main point of this was to show that Cassidy was uninterested in Aiden and kind of disregarded his goodbye and when he said "I love you." Ben's character, Brian, was walking with them because Aiden was taking him home. We then filmed Jade and Paige walking out behind them just to show that Cassidy exited the shot the same way Jade and Paige did, showing the girls were leaving together. We had to film Brian and Aiden filming in the car. This scene was a longer one, but we were able to make it where the boys were reading the script but it wasn't shown. I liked this scene a lot because it's nice to see boys talking about something serious and bonding. This showed the closeness of Aiden and Brian's relationship, which you don't see anywhere else in the film. After this scene was done, Aitan drove us all to his house to film the scene of Aiden on the phone with Cassidy and the scene of Cassidy and Aiden in the room. We all wore masks inside Aitan's house since there were so many of us and we did not want to risk putting his family in danger. We filmed the scene first of Cassidy and Aiden talking in his room, showing their distance. This scene is a defining point in the film because it is evident that Cassidy is no longer into Aiden. We then filmed the scenes of Aiden on the phone. Ben, who will do a lot of the editing, told us to stop filming after each line because it would be easier to edit. We shot each line and we were finally done at Aitan's house. We are now officially done with our first day of filming. Today was definitely a success and we got a lot done. Stay tuned to see how our next filming day goes. 

Filming: More filming at the diner

You're back! Welcome to part 2 of filming at the diner. So now that we're ready to film and we filmed the scene of Gleda walking through the door, it was time to film another scene. We decided to film the scene of all 5 of us because that would be the most difficult to film. Ben and I had to pull another table close to the booth and use something to stand it up. While everyone was sitting, we had to look into the camera and see if it was focused and centered. It was so we started to film that scene. We had to film a few times because of multiple interruptions. While we were filming, a waitress came right in front of the camera, people walked past the camera, and, of course, we messed up our lines. It was annoying to have these interruptions but we got through it and the scene turned out great. We filmed it twice just to make sure we had two in case we didn't like one of them. We then filmed the scene where Jade walks up to the group's booth. With this scene, we had to figure out the perfect angle and who had a steady hand to film it. Ben filmed it while Joaquina told Gleda exactly where to walk so the scene looked best. The next scene was a longer one so before filming we went over the scene a few times to make sure we all got our lines down. This scene had angles of all 5 of us and angles directed toward specific people while they talked. We filmed the scene a few times to get all the angles down and so it looked the most natural. We were all done filming in the diner finally! Before leaving to go outside and film outside the diner, we had to clean up and pay for the food we got. The diner also told us to take pictures of their establishment that they could use for their website so we did that before going outside. Now I know this seems like a lot of filming, but the day still isn't over. Tune in to the next blog to hear about filming outside the diner and filming at Aitan's house. 

Filming: Setting up at the diner and Arriving

Hi guys! It's finally time to start filming. We had a lot to film, but luckily for us, it didn't take too long. The first thing I want to talk about is who filmed with my group. Our cast consisted of 5 people but we only had 3 people in our filming group. Our friends, Gleda and Aitan, helped us film. Gleda was Jade, the love interest and Aitan was Cassidy's boyfriend, Aiden. We used Gleda and Aitan to help us film because we know they'd be good actors and we are all good friends so the chemistry is already there. They also live close and were willing to help us film. Before we got to filming, I had to figure out how to dress like my character. I also had to print out the script and the storyboard so we could use it while filming. Aitan, having a car, drove Joaquina, Gleda, and I. Ben's dad drove him since he lives farther than all of us. When we all got there, we went inside and spoke to the manager. I spoke to the manager to remind him that we had spoken before and ask where he would like for us to be, to not be in the way of others. He told us wherever we wanted since it wasn't too busy and we chose a secluded booth. We chose this booth because it was secluded, wouldn't be too loud, and it had a table across from it we could use to film the scenes with all 5 of us. When we got to the booth, the first thing we had to figure out was how we were sitting so it made sense with the scene. As a group, Joaquina, Ben, and I chose which scene to film first. We actually did not film the first scene first because one of the scenes was in the middle of the diner and we wanted to get that over with. We did not want to be a distraction to others eating and we wanted to film it before we got too crowded. If you want to find out about the rest of filming, you'll have to read the next blog. See you at my next blog!

Planning: Choosing and getting approval for music

We have a spot to film so now it’s time to pick music. My group and I, of course, wanted to make this step to be done by all of us. The way we decided to do this was for all of us to choose a few songs first. We all chose 3 songs and then put them into a playlist. My group and I listened to all 9 songs and chose individually which 4 songs we thought fit the best for our film. For me, the process of picking out the 3 songs was very fun. I loved looking through my playlist and listening to songs that I loved. The songs I chose were: Night Shift by Lucy David, Candy Paint by Post Malone, and Lights Up by Harry Styles. I picked these songs because I thought they perfectly fit our film and had a specific place where I thought they’d sound nice. When it was time to listen to all the songs Ben and Joaquina chose, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to just sit and listen to music. After listening to the songs, it was evident which ones would fit best. We used 2 songs Joaquina suggested, 1 I suggested, and 1 Ben suggested. My group and I were really glad that the “finalists” for the songs were all chosen by someone different. I think this allowed for creativity from all of our parts, rather than just one person shining through. The next thing we had to do was ask for approval. We emailed all the managers of the artists who wrote the songs. I emailed the artist of the song that we chose that I suggested, Joaquina did the same, and so did Ben. We still haven’t gotten anything back. Hopefully, we will get something back because if not we will have to chose new music. If we have to do so, the first thing we will do is look at the other songs we chose and then look into new songs, if we don’t like those. I’m so excited to be diving into this film even more every day. See you later with even more updates on our film! 

Planning: Getting approval to film at Moonlite Diner

Right from when we picked what we wanted our film to be about, we knew we wanted to film at Moonlite Diner. This diner is retro and cool-looking on the inside and exactly the "vibe" we want our film to be. This diner is close to all of us in proximity. This diner is also one of the only diners we know around us. We obviously knew that we couldn't just walk into the diner and film, we needed approval. The first thing we did was have Ben call and ask if we could film. He was told, by an employee that in order to film/ask questions about anything, we would have to go to the diner's website and fill out a form with our questions. Joaquina composed the email (the form) and sent it to the diner. We didn't get an answer for a week, so we decided to try again, but still with no luck. My group and I decided it would just be best for me to go to the diner and ask for the manager. After asking the manager, he told me he would ask the owner and then he'd call me back. He assumed it would be fine, as long as we didn't film on the weekend (their busiest days). I didn't get an answer for a few days so I called again and asked for the manager, he told me that the owner approved but still wanted to talk to me on the phone. He called me and we discussed my group's plans and when we were considering filming. He asked about our film and I told him it was about an LGBTQ+ experience and he loved it. He even told me that he usually charges people if they want to film, but he would let us film for free. The owner's only requirement was that we didn't film on a weekend and that we took photos of the diner for him to use for the website. My group and I of course said yes. The whole Moonlite Diner staff was so sweet and my group and I are already excited to work with them. Now that we officially are filming at Moonlite, we can't wait to start filming and create a wonderful film. 

Marketing Campaign/Social Media

Filming is getting closer and closer and my group couldn't be more excited. As filming is near we have started to do some things to make our film feel more like a real movie. We have made multiple social medias for our film. We've made an Instagram account, a Twitter account, a Youtube account, and a Facebook account. We've also made an email and a website. Joaquina, Ben, and I all worked together on the website. It was actually super fun to make. We had a different vision for our website, but unfortunately, it did not come out like that. It still looks nice and we're really proud of it. Since we are not in school and could not be together, working together on the website was difficult but we were able to go on ZOOM and share the screen to work together to make the website creative and our own. We chose colors that fit the diner and incorporated that into the website and our production logo. We wanted to do the colors of the bisexual flag, but when we added a picture of the diner on the home page of the website, we realized the colors did not look good/match. We all decided together on the different tabs on the website, like producers, about, content, etc. The website we used to make our website had its own tabs, colors, and pictures and we had to customize them all. It was difficult to come up with tabs and agree on colors but we ended up making do. For the social medias, Joaquina made Facebook and Youtube accounts, I made the Twitter account, and Ben made the Instagram account. I don't have a personal Twitter account so it was fun using the platform and following my friends films. It was also a cool experience for me to explore the platform and I'm even thinking of making a personal account for myself. It was such a fun and new experience making the social medias and website, which I've never done before, so thank you for this cool experience. Anyways, follow us on Twitter @moonlitefilm, Instagram @moonlitedinerfilm, Facebook @CassidyJensen, and out Youtube @moonlitedinerfilm. 

Storyboard for film

We’re definitely moving along with our project. This past week, we finished the planning for the filming of our short film. We have done everything from picking a title ("Moonlite Diner") to figure out the location. We are so excited to be able to count the days. This week, we all helped piece together our storyboard. The storyboard helps later on when we have to worry about camera placement. We sketch out the overall look of the scene and any specific angles or movements. Because there are three of us, we were able to split up the pages so it wasn’t as much work. We each took on a few scenes and talked about how we envisioned the shots. It got us even more excited about getting ready to film. We tried to organize the scenes, so the more the audience watches, the more they feel for the characters. For example, the main character Cassidy is supposed to be set up as relatable for queer teenagers. To relay this, we had a shot of her with the love interest’s head on her shoulder. She had a shocked expression and it was clear that she was freaking out. This comes full circle with the genre of the film being LGBT+. We wanted to make a short film that accurately represents the anxieties of being “in the closet” and in a relationship. Not only is it an interesting thing to film, but it is something that a lot of the LGBT+ community go through. Recently, there have been a few LGBT+ films in the limelight. Only a few of those, although, are an accurate representation. That’s why it was so important for us, and me especially, to tell a real story. 

Planning for short film

 

        Since my group and I have already finished writing our screenplay, it's time for us to start planning. We have been provided with a list of things we need to have thought out. That is very helpful because it's easy to lose track of what we need. The first thing we had to think out was our schedule. As of today, we've set aside the days from November 16th to the 23rd. We chose these days because two of the members of the group might be away for thanksgiving. Also, with the holidays coming up, one of us might be out of the country, so we feel it's important that we film as soon as we can. The next thing we had to think of was the location of our scenes. The opening scene, along with a few others, takes place in the main character's room. For those, we are going to use my room, as it is most fitting for Cassidy's (the main character) personality. Along with my house, we are going to be using Aitan's house. He s a friend that will be one of the actors in the short film. We are also going to film at one of our local diners and following their protocol for filming. In between certain scenes, we will also be filming in cars. Besides our three group members (Joaquina, Amy, and Ben), two of our friends, Gleda and Aitan, have volunteered to be some of the main roles in our project. Health and safety is definitely the most important factor in filming this year, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We fully plan on wearing masks everywhere we go and avoiding seeing anybody, besides our families, the week before we film. Since we won't be needing to do any stunts for any of our scenes, we are mostly trying to stay safe from the virus. For props, we don't need anything specific, besides the phones that will be used in certain scenes and things for mise en scene, like the food, and decoration for the rooms (posters, furniture, etc.). The last thing we need to plan is the costumes, which we decided are going to be very casual and modern, with each outfit fitting the character's personality. 

Short Film vs Feature Length Film

In my opinion, I liked the feature film better than the short film. It gave more explanation to things so it cleared up some things from the short film. For example, when I saw the short film, I was confused as to what the neon green dolls were. The feature film was able to clear up my confusion. It showed what they were and how they were different from the regular dolls. I also liked that we got to see more characters in the feature film. It showed that teamwork was needed to help save the planet. The feature film was less confusing because there was more time to explain things. I also loved a lot of the extra characters. This helped enhance the film because I saw more characters that I loved and watched them develop. Watching the characters developing, you also saw the plot develops. Also, all the characters from the feature film were able to save the planet from both the short and feature film. Another plus of the feature film was more action. My heart rate was pumping because there was so much action and I was worried about the dolls. The suspense and action made the feature film better because I felt more into it. The short film did, however, show more character development of the main character than the feature film. The short film showed him go from timid to brave. In the feature film, we only see his brave side. Although, where the feature film lacked in 9's character development, it shined in other characters' development. I did not like either at first, but they definitely grew on me as I got further into the film. 

Research 9, the feature film

Like the short film, at first glance, I did not like this film and when I started it, I was very negative about it. I was under the impression I was not going to like it because of negative things I've heard from other people. I thought the dolls were weird and I had never heard of the film, so I assumed it was bad. It was wrong of me to make that assumption because I actually ended up liking it. Also, 9 is adorable! I liked that the film was not too dark and dreary. I was worried the film was going to be very dark but there were actually some beautiful scenes with a pinkish sky. My favorite characters were 5, 6, 7, and 9. I loved how determined 9 was to save everybody. Even when his friends doubted him, he kept going. He'll do anything to save his friends and he definitely proved that. I think the film shows 9's personality wonderfully. 5 was a great side character and best friend. 5 would never let 9 go alone even when he was doubtful and scared. My favorite of all of them was 7. I love that she was a woman fighter. The fact that they made her a woman showed she didn't need a man to save her. Instead, she was saving the men, most of the time. I also loved 6 because I thought he was very smart. His advice helped 9 figure out what to do and without him, there wouldn't have been such a happy ending. Speaking of the ending, I think it tied the movie together very nicely. We got to see a happy ending and everybody coming together. We also got to see 1's character development. He started off scared and not willing to die and towards the end we saw him sacrifice himself to save everybody. 

Research 9, the short

I watched the short film 9, which was later was made into a full-length film. If we're being honest, I did not really like this film. It was kind of weird and I didn't really get it at first. The short film kind of reminds me of the Pixar movie Wall-E because it looks like it takes place in the same setting. I noticed that the film takes place from the perspective of 9, for the most part. Sometimes, however, it shows the perspectives of other characters. For example, at one point we see what the monster, spider-type thing is looking at. This is interesting to me and I liked that because I hate when we only see one perspective. I think seeing another character's point of view allows us to see more of the film. We see 9 becoming more and more scared as he becomes alone after the monster killed his friend. Although he is frightened, we see him outsmart the monster. His friend, before he died, tried to protect 9 and didn't let 9 go in front of the monster. Once 9 is alone, he has to learn to protect himself. This shows that he learns to protect himself and even ends up killing the monster. His character development shows him starting off as timid, and then becoming brace as he has to protect himself. I liked the special effects a lot. I liked how in the end the dead characters are glowing and the numbers are not attached to them. I think this was a cool way to show the difference between dead and alive characters. Although I did not like the film from first glance, it grew on me. I liked the character development and I liked how the good guy won and got to see his friend one last time. 

Genre choice for film

We had a couple of options for what genre we wanted to label our short film as. There was LGBT+, comedy, and romance. We took enough time to research all of them thoroughly. We went through all of the common aspects of each. We were able to immediately rule out one of the genres. The comedy one didn't necessarily fit with the vision that we have for the short film. We were able to break down the ideas and compare them to the other two options. We considered the romance genre for a while because of the love triangle that is shown. While it is a very present part of the film, we didn't want it to take away from the message. We had to step back and look at the bigger picture. We want it to stand for all the LGBT+ teens that could use support. We felt that the LGBT+ genre was most fitting for our film. We believe the pitch is great as it is. It provides the audience to the LGBT+ aspect, along with setting the tone for it as a teen film. It stamps it as a tool that can be used for guidance. This piece will have the beautiful blend of giggles and tears that is so desired in coming of age movies. We could not be more excited to continue this journey as amateur filmmakers. This class has introduced us to the passion we have for promoting love through a screen. We are so ready to begin the process to do just that. 

Genre Research- LGBTQ+, comedy, and romance

Some examples, CAMS in the LGBTQ+ genre, for costumes the characters usually wear modern clothes. this is because they are usually set in present day. Some common angles in this genre usually. With movements, this genre usually has tilts, pans, zooms, and tracking shots. Sounds of this genre include music from either LGBTQ+ artists or music about sexuality. The Mis-en-scene usually is influenced by mood or tone. The lighting is usually adjusted to reflect how the character(s) is feeling. With clothing, movies in this genre can show character progression through how they express themselves with their clothes. The editing in this genre is pretty standard, there is more emphasis on drama. An example from this genre is Love Simon. Some elements I like about this genre the chemistry between the actors can be really good, and the movies can be really representative of the community. An element I don't really like is that some of these can be very stereotypical. For Comedy, some examples of CAMS is that some of the clothes can be very goofy. Angles can range from being normal, or being really expressive. movies in this genre usually have tilts, pans, zooms, and tracking shots. Music in this genre is usually goofy. Mis en scene usually has an emphasis on keeping things entertainingly funny. An example of this genre is WaterBoy. An element I like is that I can get a lot of enjoyment out of these movies. An element I don't like is that these movies can be a bit too childish. For romance, examples of CAMS are the characters usually wear modern clothes. this is because they are usually set in present day. Some common angles in this genre usually. With movements, this genre usually has tilts, pans, zooms, and tracking shots. Sounds of this genre include music about love. Mis en Scene scenes are usually influenced by mood or tone. The lighting is usually adjusted to reflect how the character is feeling. With clothing, movies in this genre can show character progression through how they express themselves with their clothes. The editing in this genre is pretty standard, there is more of emphasis on drama. An example from this genre is The Notebook. An element I like is that movies of this genre can be really touching. An element I don't like is that these movies can be unbearably corny and tend to get repetitive.

Genres I would like to research

The genres that my group will be exploring and researching are the LGBTQ+, comedy, and romance genres. My group and I agree that the film we are planning on doing fits in best with these genres. They share similarities of fun and young adult movies, which is what we hope our film will be. To start off, our film will be centered around a young girl who is figuring out her sexuality and if she likes girls, while also being in a straight relationship. Because we will be focusing on LGBTQ+ relationships, it would make sense to research the LGBTQ+ genre. We are excited to research the LGBTQ+ genre because we want to learn more about it because it is not a common genre. We also hope to bring light to LGBTQ+ relationships, which need to be talked about in the media more. Also, we think that romance will be a good genre to explore and see if we want that to be our genre. Our film will have 2 relationships, but they will not be the focus of the film. We have Cassidy's (the main character) relationship with her boyfriend and we also have her relationship with the new girl, and if she wants that to be romantically. We might not chose to do a romance genre, however. This is because the center of our film is not as much about her relationship with the new girl or her boyfriend and more about her exploring if she likes the new girl and exploring her sexuality. This will be a good genre to research, though. Even if it not the main part of our film, it does play an important part. Cassidy is trying to see if she wants a romantic relationship with a girl. The last genre we might research is comedy. This genre we are the least likely to do. Our film is about sexuality and romance and, even if it is funny, that will probably not be the basis of our film. We will look into it, though, to see if we would like to do it and what it entails. All of these genres have their similarities so it is our job to explore how they are different and decide on one. 

Pitch for our film!

When 16-year-old Cassidy catches feelings for the new girl, things get complicated in her relationship. This film explores the realization that many LGBTQ+ youths experience. 

Working with my best friend

Hi again. I'm so excited to talk again. I feel like we're old friends that have so much to catch up on. This year is going to be a little different than last year in terms of my group. This year, none of the people I worked with have continued with A level (very sad, I know). I did like working with my group last year, though. I worked with 2 close friends who also worked hard and we always had a good time together. They made this class a fun experience and I wouldn't have wanted to work with anyone else. I'm glad I got to work with them and see how different people work and explore different people's perspectives. Although it's sad I can't work with them again, it's also a great opportunity. I get to work with someone that I haven't worked with before and I can be more creative because I will have less people in my group who might not like my suggested ideas. This year, I am going to be working with one of my best friends, Joaquina. Now I promise, we are the type of friends that can work together and not kill each other. Joaquina and I work great together because we allow the other to give ideas without judgement. We each have strengths that will allow us to prosper. Joaquina is very creative so I know that by working with her, we will be able to have a great project. We also have very similar tastes so I think working together will be fun because we will both be interested in what we decide on doing. I am also so excited to work with her because we always have a good time hanging out. I love that this class will be a class with a creative project and a fun time because of my group mate. I can't wait to see the project we create. Well, that's all for now. TTYL, old friends! :)

I'm back and better than ever!

Helloooo!! I'm back, but this time in A Level Media. I am SOOO EXCITED. Now, am I excited for all the work we're going to have to do? No, I'm not going to lie to you, but I am excited to get creative and film. The person I want to work with and I have already thought of the best idea, that we've fallen in love with. Now it's been a while so let's catch up a little. This quarantine has been insane, am I right? Like everyone wearing masks and staying home is crazy to me, but of course, we have to do what we have to do and do what we can to keep everyone safe. During this pandemic, I've only hung out with one person consistently, who I know hasn't hung out with anyone either. Now, I didn't want to say this because people find it annoying, but it is my boyfriend. We actually became super close friends in AS Level Media so thanks for that I guess. But, as I was saying, we've only hung out with each other. We've seen a few of our friends every once and a while but to stay the safest, we've only seen each other. I do miss my best friends though and seeing them everyday at school. I'm actually planning on working with one of my best friends for this project, but I'll probably get more into that in a later blog. It was sad though not being able to see my best friends constantly throughout the summer. It's very sad to think that we missed a summer during high school, which is supposed to be "the best time of our lives." That just means that the next two summers are going to have to be the best I can make it, assuming this is all over. I also didn't get to work as a camp counselor this year because of corona which was also devasting to me because I love my job. As much as I understand the reasons why we aren't in school and I can't see my friends and I couldn't work, it is still a very sad reality. It also frustrates me when I see other people not following guidelines, when I have to because: 1. it's the right thing to do and 2. my parents are strict about this pandemic. Well, that is all I have to say for now but I will definitely be back to chat later. 

TTYL (talk to you later), 

Amy <3

Audience and Institution Practice Essay

In relation to the media area you have studied, discuss the ways audience consumption has changed over
time.

Over time, the way audiences see films and movies has changed due to the ever-changing factors that
control the movie industry. The developing ways of watching movies can come from new technology
involving the way movies are distributed, new technology involving the way movies are made, and
convergence/synergy. These changes, however, have been beneficial because the movie market has been
growing exponentially. 

Over the course of many decades, technology has grown from black and white movies on tiny television

screens to flat-screen televisions with color and watching movies on a phone. New technology has made
it possible for streaming services like Netflix to be possible which are extremely popular because movies
and films can be watched on a small phone screen, laptop, tv, and more wherever you want. Streaming
services came about in the 1990s and have been revolutionary since. Before streaming services, there
was a need to record movies and films onto DVRs, and having to pay every time you wanted to see a
movie was normal. In my personal experience, my friends and I have always enjoyed watching things
on Netflix, Disney plus, and Amazon Prime because of how easily accessible it is to us whenever we
like. Putting a movie on a streaming service, especially a big one, almost guarantees a broader audience
and more money made. The movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a Netflix original movie but
was one of the most popular movies when it came out, especially in the younger crowds. Since it is a
streaming service movie, it is not expected to do nearly as well as a regular movie (like one in a movie
theater) but it definitely exceeded those expectations. Movies that aren’t Netflix originals, like Ralph
Breaks the Internet, which was already a big movie, can profit even more money because it is being
distributed to even more audiences. In just the United States, 61.7 million people use Netflix, which just
shows how popular it and other streaming services are. This is proof that with the creation of streaming
services, the way movies are distributed has changed, and for the better. 

Besides the technology of how movies are distributed, the technology of how movies are made has also
changed. Things like CGI, or Computer Generated Imagery, have changed the way movies will be made
forever. Disney just put out a live-action Lion King and it was such a big hit because it was made almost
entirely with CGI, but it looked so real. It made $939 million, which shows that despite the change in
technology and the way they are made, movies are still making a lot of revenue. Other technologies, like
3D, are very popular and are a new way of making movies that has come about in the 20th century. The m
ovie Avatar was the highest-grossing movie for 10 years due to its use of 3D technology and CGI. The
use of technology in such successful movies shows that audiences are starting to prefer movies with
advanced technology. Because there is CGI in the 3 highest-grossing movies, this is proof that the
technological changes have been for the better. To summarize, the way movies are made and how that
continuously changes has increased audience consumption over time. 

Cross-media convergence has also made it so companies own different types of media, which makes
advertising easier, better, and more accessible on other platforms. The main benefit of convergence is
the easy ability to advertise without having to pay because if your company belongs to the same
conglomerate as another source of media you can advertise on it without payment. Take Disney, it is one
of the largest conglomerates so if they have to advertise anything, they can advertise it anywhere or on
anything they own and in any of their subsidiaries. For example, the movie Moana was not just
advertised in movie theaters but also in Disney parks, on Disney channel, and in Disney stores. The
advertising process has become easier over time as conglomerates have gotten bigger and have more
subsidiaries, which they can always use to advertise more. For example, since Disney owns the ABC and
National Geographic channels, the movie Toy Story 3 was advertised on there, expanding to other
viewers who might not have known about the movie otherwise. As a whole, the creation of more
convergence over time has allowed for advertising to be easier. 

I think audience consumption has just increased over time, with no downfall as things have developed
and changed. Advertising has gotten easier and technologies have helped with this and made movies
higher quality. Through the use of better advertising and higher quality movies, audience consumption
hasexpanded and more people watch movies everywhere. The changes in movies as we grow as a
society will never be a downfall to the film industry. 

Extract Practice-24

The director of the extract is trying to show that the girl has information that the guy needs, but the guy doesn’t know if he can trust the girl yet. Although the message is that even if someone seems trustworthy, you can never be too careful, the main purpose of the movie is to build suspense and entertain. The director is trying to direct a suspenseful feel towards the audience and the acting is serious, with people just trying to get their jobs done. The director is most likely trying to convey a thriller genre and does so by following conventions throughout the extract. 

During scene 1 of the extract, the man walks into the room the woman is in and hands her a piece of paper, but no dialogue is exchanged. They’re watched on a television screen by people and it’s the end of scene one. Scene 1 gives us an introduction to a lot of different camera angles and movements. The zoom in to the girl’s face shows that the actors are serious and whatever was about to happen wasn’t to be taken lightly. The editing used in scene 1, with the shot-reverse-shot going from the woman’s face to the man’s and then back to the woman’s, also was a way to build characterization and also suspense. The sound in scene 1 was mostly diegetic, but not dialogue. There is paper flapping and the door opening and because these sounds are highlighted, an audience’s attention is grabbed towards that part of the scene. The mis en scene of scene 1 includes the props, lighting, and more. The camera adds suspense because audiences are wondering why there is a camera and why it is important and the low lighting is a convention of the thriller genre, leading audiences to think that it fits into the thriller genre. Scene 1, for the most part, was there to build characterization and suspense, although these may continue to build throughout the scenes. 

In scene 2 of the extract, the woman and man finally talk and audiences see that the man doesn’t trust the woman. The man is very rough with the woman and the people watching them are getting increasingly more nervous. Scene 2 has a low angle, showing the clock, which is meant to show that as time is passing the man still doesn’t trust the woman and suspense is building because audiences are eager to see if they make their time constraint. Another angle used is the midshot. The midshot is used to show the man’s stance. This stance is often used in thriller or action movies to show that the guy talking is serious about what he’s saying, so this angle was used to add to his seriousness and show it’s relation to the thriller genre. The editing used in scene 2 is cross-cutting, when they show the people watching the man and woman, adding suspense. Differing from scene 1, the sound used in scene 2 is dialogue. The dialogue is explaining the theme of the extract, being that the woman has or knows something that the man needs. Another piece of diegetic sound in the extract was the noise the table made when it was being thrown. This helps to characterize the man as angry, but also show that he is serious about needing the information that the woman has. Scene 2 includes props, like clocks and outfits, like the dark clothes they both wear. The clock, similarly to what was discussed with angles, is just to show that time is passing and they’re running out of time for the man to find out the information he needs. The dark clothes add to the thriller genre because they show seriousness and are a convention of the genre. This scene encapsulates the theme better than scene 1 due to the dialogue and props. Scene 2 also has more conventions of the genre than scene 1 does. 

Scene 3 consists of the girl explaining to him not to touch her because he could lose his job and he backs down. His anger, however, eventually builds and he attacks her in the chair and threatens her. The people that were watching ran to the room to make him get off of her and the scene ends. This scene has a handheld shot that makes it shaky and makes an audience feel similar to how the girl feels, scared and out of breath, adding to the conventions of the genre. Another angle in scene 3 is the pan. The pan shows the television screen and then the people watching. This builds the suspense and makes the audience feel the emotions that the people watching the screen feel. The editing of scene 3 has cross-cutting where suspense is built because when an audience is watching the other people watching the television screen, the audience is wondering who these people are and why they’re watching the man and woman. It also has an eye-line match where it shows what the man sees when he walks into the room with the other man’s hands around the girl’s neck, again, building suspense. Scene 3 has a lot of audio, besides just the dialogue. There is a chair scraping against the floor which adds to the thrill of the genre and there is heavy breathing which makes an audience feel as if they are in the movie and experiencing what’s happening. The acting, as part of the mis en scene, is very tough and serious, building character and increasing entertainment. The last part of the mis en scene is the setting. Square rooms are often found in thriller movies, following conventions, and they often show that something is serious because confrontations usually occur in them. Scene 3 mainly worked towards building suspense and increasing entertainment. A lot of scene 3 did follow conventions though and in the beginning, showed how the woman had information the man needed. 

It is evident that the director’s vision was to build suspense, entertain, and stay in the thriller genre. The extract shows many examples of it following the conventions of a crime genre. It also is suspenseful almost the whole way through and even things like the angles and sound build that suspense. The extract also is very entertaining and the entertainment is built throughout the scenes in the extract. 

Final Task and CCR

Music Video and CCR

Re-editing

The re-editing process has been difficult due to our situation. One of the main things we needed to do was to make our film less choppy. Besides reducing our amount of takes, we also figured we should try and reduce choppiness while filming. Unfortunately, due to our situation and us not being at school, we didn't know how this was going to work. We made the executive decision to buy Pinnacle studios on Katherine's home computer. This was about $45 so we will all split the price, for $15 each. Because it was at Katherine's house, she would, of course, be the main editor. Although this was not ideal, we were able to make it work. Even though Aitan and I could not be there to edit, we still told Katherine our creative decisions during editing. When Kathy edited/is editing we are just a text away and she texted us if she had a question about how she should edit. When she finishes, we will also watch it and tell her, honestly, if there is anything we should fix. We are very thankful that we decided to have our own SD card because we had all of our footage with us. We didn't have to worry about not being able to edit while we were at home and we're able to do so successfully. Katherine's laptop also had a slot for the SD card, so we didn't even have to buy an SD card reader. As of right now, we are just making do with what we have. We never expected this situation to occur and for the world to go on lockdown, but it has and we have to deal. Although it is annoying to edit and not be able to do things at school, I think we are handling things well. I am so thankful for my group mates and my teachers for being so helpful. Without our teachers' guidance, we would not know how to do anything and would be completely lost. My groupmates have made it so easy to deal with what's going on and our communication has been amazing. Overall, this whole thing has ended in a way we never thought but it has been such a good learning opportunity.

Commerical and CCR

 My google doc with my CCR was not working, so I copied and pasted it all on to here! 

1.   How does your product use or challenge conventions AND how does it represent

social groups or issues?

Our commercial was on the business Gatorade, which sells sports drinks, bars, chewables, and
more. These products help to energize and fuel athletes, usually during training or before a big
competition. Because of this, the commercials usually have athletes doing their sport and
drinking the Gatorade drink or eating the energy bar to perform to the best of their abilities. A
very common Gatorade commercial I’ve seen is with a popular basketball player. He is usually
in a dark gym, with lights shining on him. He drinks the Gatorade and performs extremely well.
If there is a crowd, they usually go wild, when he wins or makes the shot. Unlike other Gatorade
commercials, our commercial had 3 athletes performing different workouts. We did this to prove
that Gatorade can be used for a variety of different athletes. Most of the Gatorade commercials
on tv also tend to only be advertising their very popular drinks. We decided to change that and
use 3 different products. These included a Gatorade drink, a Gatorade energy bar, and a
Gatorade chewable. Doing this allowed us to show that all of its products can fuel athletes and
make them do their best. We started off by the athletes all stretching and getting ready for their
assigned workout. After they drank their product, they were able to shine in their workout. The
person that ran ended up winning the race, the person that was stretching did the best pushups,
and the person that did a regular handstand was able to do a roundoff-back handspring. This
proves that Gatorade products are able to make you work to the best of your abilities. We used
conventions by following most commercials with athletes but we challenged it by using more
workouts and more products. 

During our commercial, we were able to represent social groups and issues. Since we used more
then just one type of workout, we were able to show that there are a lot of different athletes, not
just the conventional basketball, football, and baseball players. In our script/voiceover, we also
included that anyone of any race, gender, religion, and more are able to express themselves. We
included this to show that Gatorade is non-exclusive and can work for anyone. We were able to
tackle any issues in sexism, racism, and more. We used women in our commercial, which proves
that athletes are more than just men, but also powerful women. People nowadays get easily
offended if not everyone is included. Having women in our commercial shows that Gatorade
can be for a wide range of people. We also wrote that Gatorade is the fuel for everyone’s
devotion. Saying everyone instead of “men” or “athletes” shows that everyone can be energized
and powered by Gatorade’s products. We were able to represent the social issue of sexism and
that women can be athletes too.

2.) How does your product engage with audiences AND how would it be distributed as a real media text?

People will want to watch the entirety of our commercial for many reasons. One of the reasons
is because of what we are selling. Because we are selling a product that is used by many, a lot of
people will pay attention. People will also want to keep watching because we are selling many
products, rather than 1. Unlike most Gatorade commercials, we show that we have many
different products, which are all very useful. One of the actors were also able to do a
roundoff-backhand spring. That may sound weird but I think that would keep people watching
until the end of the commercial because a lot of people think gymnastics tricks are very cool and
entertaining. By the time they are hooked on to all of these things, the commercial is already
done or at least the showing of the products is. People also like to watch Gatorade commercials
because they’re entertaining due to the cool tricks that the athletes do. We have that factor with
the gymnast and the track star winning the race. Selling other products also ups our chance of
people watching the whole commercial because they aren’t used to the other products so they’ll
want to watch it and see what the products are about. 

We would distribute this to real media on a lot of different TV channels. Our main channel
would be ESPN because it is a sports channel. Putting our commercial on this channel will
allow it to go towards its intended audience, athletes. We would also probably put it on news
channels. We would not put it on kids’ channels, like Disney, or on a channel like HGTV, where
the main audience is people that don’t work out. Advertising to a group of people that don’t
normally workout or would need energy boosters is pointless because then money is just being
wasted on people that won’t buy the product. If we advertise to a group of people that workout
or are more likely to work out, the product will better sell. It’s useless to sell to kids, like on
Disney channel, because kids are not in control of what they buy and they don’t need energy
drinks or food products. This marketing strategy will get Gatorade the most money due to
proper advertising to the right group that would actually be interested in the products. A good
idea is to advertise during a women’s game. If we advertise during a WNBA (Women’s National
Basketball Association), there’s a high chance you would get a lot of buyers because our
commercial includes women athletes and empowers them. It will be produced in the highest
quality to assure that you can tell what our commercial is selling and so people trust what is
being sold. People are more likely to want to buy from a commercial that is clear and the best
quality than something that is blurry and doesn’t seem professionally filmed. 

3.) How did your production skills develop throughout this process?

During this process, I learned a lot about media in general, filming, editing, and more. The main
thing I learned is that in everything you watch, no matter how long it is, a lot of work goes into
it. Even if a commercial seems like it was easy to film and didn’t take long, the planning process
took a lot of time. When planning to film anything, you have to storyboard the whole thing.
About every six seconds is one box of the story so for a 30-second commercial, you have to
storyboard by five or more times. You also have to present your idea to producers. When you’re
presenting a product, you have to have a storyboard ready and a plan of distribution ready. This
means that you have to tell them how you will get your commercial out of the public and if it
will be successful towards the intended audience. Another thing I learned is that while filming,
you have to take a lot into account. This includes things like weather, if you’re outside, and
actors. If the weather is supposed to be sunny and it’s cloudy outside, you have to have another
plan of action to make sure that your commercial still comes out to the best of its ability. One of
our actors forgot their clothes for filming but luckily for us, another actor had extra clothes and I
was able to take the place of the actor who forgot their clothes. This taught us to always have a
backup plan. We are very lucky that Katherine happened to have extra clothes because now we
know for next time to always have back up clothes. I also learned how to work with the group,
especially one with a variety of different ideas about how did the final product should look and
be enforced. Although this process and working with a group was hard, in the end, we were all
able to agree on how we wanted to film and ended up liking the final product anyway. 

Even with all the preparation, I did like the process of making a commercial. It was fun going
out and filming and letting our creative juices flow. The creativity allowed for our commercial
to be the best we could make it and made it so we had fun while doing so. It was very hot
outside while we were filming but this allowed for the best lighting. We learned a lot about
lighting and how to make it so there are minimal shadows, which was fun to learn. I also like
the editing process. This process was long and kind of hard but it was amazing to be able to see
all of our hard work finally be put together. Personally, I didn’t like the storyboarding process. I
have very little artistic ability so if I had to do this alone, this would’ve been very hard for me. I
do understand, however, why it is so important to do the whole process. Another thing I didn’t
like was the research part. We chose to do the Gatorade commercial because we knew a lot
about those types of commercials so the research part just felt like we were doing extra work
for no reason. I do understand, however, why it would be important if we were filming a
commercial that we did not know a lot about. Another thing I did like, though, was the part
where we got to choose what we wanted our commercial to be on. I think this part of the process
got us to think about the different commercials we have seen and what we think would be able
to execute the best. This allowed my group and I to think about the things we had (clothes,
shoes, drinks, etc.,) and decided what would be easiest for us. Because we have four people in
our group, this process was a little tedious but in the end, we definitely chose the best option for
our group.

4.) How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware, and online - in this project?

During the process of making our commercial we had to use and learn to use a lot of different types of
technology. To film our commercial we had to use a camera and all the information was stored in an SD
card. Even though Ms. Cats had SD cards, we decided to use our own. If someone else used our SD
card, they could have deleted the work so to not be put or almost put in that situation, we decided it was
best for us to have our own card. We had to learn how to put the SD card in the camera. We also had to
learn how to insert and transfer its files onto the computer and pinnacle studios. We used the camera to
film but first Ms. Cats had to teach us how to do it because for some people that was their first time
ever using or even touching a camera. It was really fun for me to use the camera because I have always
loved filming things and taking photos. The camera was hard to use at first just because I had to make
sure I was holding it correctly and make sure that the lighting was good and things like that. It got easier
in the end and our product came out well. Another thing we used was Pinnacle Studios. This was the
program we used to edit because we were using windows computers/laptops. This program was really
easy to use and it was fun learning how to edit on it. We will be using it a lot in this class, so I’m glad
we got to learn how to use it so early in the year and we’ll be prepared for the next few months in the
class. People with their own Apple laptops choose to use iMovie. Most people that used iMovie,
however, knew how to use it before and didn’t need the schooling we needed. We liked using Pinnacle
Studios because Ms. Cats taught us how to do it and we knew that we would be able to ask her questions
about it. Another thing Ms. Cats taught us how to do was edit a split-screen. She didn’t teach the class
because most groups weren’t doing one but we wrote in our storyboard that we wanted to. Since we
wrote it in our storyboard, we didn’t think it would look good to steer so far away from it and not do it.
Ms. Cats was very helpful during our whole project and even though she doesn’t count as “technology,”
she was very helpful in making our commercial the best. We had to use the computers to edit and blog.
When they didn’t work, the school gave us new laptops so we were able to edit and be successful in this
computer-based class. Editing on a computer that didn’t work wouldn’t have been easy and we wouldn’t
have been very successful. Even though they gave us laptops, there were not enough for everyone in the
class to use one. Because of this, if we had to blog, we did so on our phones. This was new to me
because I’m not used to writing documents on my phone. Any school and/or important document, I type
out on my laptop. It was cool learning how to use my phone for things other than just games and talking
to friends. From the process of making a commercial, I learned a lot. I used a lot of new technology and
even used technology I knew about to do things I didn’t know I could.