Publication 5, Week 7

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

My product engages with audiences by being a relatable situation. This audience ranges from 15-24 years old. Especially since in this generation this topic has flourished into a worldwide ordeal. There's a type of love millennials hold for these films with people exploring themselves (because in reality, the youth are also exploring themselves). In the sense of their sexual preference, their mental and physical desires, their passion, and as human beings in general. This is predominant in these times where everyone is trying to identify thereselves profoundly.

Since my film opening's genre is relatively 'millennial' but there are other generations who might want to experience the wonderful aspects of the story, it would be probably be distributed ¨at a theatre near you!¨ Then, the film would be available for sale as a physical copy. Lastly, I would have to decide whether the film would be on mainstream streaming services. Those include: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, etc. The reason for me not wanting my film opening to be on a conventional streaming outlet is because in all honesty the film has more potential of succeeding as an indie film. It  has an indie film essence.

Publication 4, Week 7

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

At first, there was a simplistic mindset that was hindering the process of me experimenting and letting my creative juices flow. I wanted everything to be perfect and rigid. No mistakes. Every shot the same, no variety. And the truth is, to successfully satisfy a film opening you don't have to successfully satisfy every shot and angle. One has to open their mind, technically and creatively.

I began shooting and there was a necessity for wide shots, establishing shots, and scenic shots because it is part of the story. The opening takes place in the beach and those who have tried to shoot at the beach know the difficulty. There are certain strategies used to work around the fact that nothing is definite in nature, such as the weather, lighting, and sounds. These factors contributed to breaking the ice for a first time filming in nature, nonetheless the beach.

I believe that the before, the during, and the after of filming are distinct because of how the process of  creativity developed. The before was simplistic and close-minded. A simple way to get by this project and finish it. Yet when once I began, so the during, my colors began to burst. I began to work around the problems and made nature my friend. Then came post-production, editing the film was not as meticulous nor tedious but nonetheless colorful. I enjoyed enhancing every scene with saturation and whenever there was too much movement for a shot, it helped to put stillness so it flowed smoothly.

Publication 3, Week 7

When it came to decide the song for this film opening, I wanted a sweet sound that captured the vibe the film desired to give. A song where you can picture the film with just listening to it. A film where the song can be used as an analogy. For example, you listen to the song and you imagine a city, the people, the weather, and the emotion. Yet, this mental image can be reciprocated to another culture and color but you always refer back to the mental image because the feeling is the same.

In this picture, it is seen that I had to contact a person that had written and obtained the rights to their music. It was a song that I heard and felt it would fit into the film opening quite well. This person has not responded to my email in attempt to use their work. Luckily, I kept researching and found a better song that immediately caught my attention and knew it was more than just a tune. It symbolized what was stated above.

Publication 2, Week 7

Regarding my film opening, the essence is made to feel bright in which the color-yellow tint aids in that symbolic reference. This symbolic reference of happiness will later degrade into a blue tinted end for the film since the characters are left with a longing. A feel of wanting something that in the moment is not capable of obtaining. This setting has been made possible by the iMovie software. It has not only helped with the aesthetic of the film itself but the plot as well, as it gives the audience a hint for what's to come.

Publication 1, Week 7

For this project I decided to use iMovie because I feel the process is more efficient and the software is easier to manage. iMovie has its advantages compared to WeVideo such as speedy changes, advanced effects, and a more organized way to see the complete video. As well as disadvantages with  finding certain motions or placements to edit a title. iMovie holds certain limits to very basic settings or maybe it's my inexperience that makes it difficult to find and control those settings.

Publication 2, Week 6

In the process of downloading all the videos to my computer, I think about whether this opening of a film should be silent regarding dialogue and only contain diegetic sounds, such as the background noise. I also think about if this opening to the film be black and white, or have a tint of color. These decisions have to do with the essence of the film. Meaning, the plot and the way it (at the end) creates a longing for what's next. It establishes an uncertainty of what's to come, even if most people think the ending of the story is implied (there might be a plot twist). Below, I will insert certain silent and black & white movies that sparked the inspiration in me and question whether these ideas should be fulfilled.

BLACK & WHITE:

The Artist (2011)


Frances Ha (2013)


LITTLE TO NO DIALOGUE FILMS:

In The City of Sylvia (2007)


Wall-E (2008)

Publication 1, Week 6

This is I, and Luis, one of the main actors while the other actor, Tomas, is filming this video. We had been planning going to the beach since last Wednesday. Finally, Saturday we filmed everything we needed for this film opening. It was a longer and more difficult process than expected. My friend and main actor, Tomas, knows a little about certain shots and how to act so while I was directing, he was producing. We made sure to get a variety of shots and angles: close ups, establishing shots, POV shots and high angles. As well as certain techniques, those included: rack focus, subtle zooming and tracking shots. Most people believe that making a video is easy, and the truth is, it is. A video that does not make the audience feel anything, that does not have the essence of a film, that does not bring great content to the screen, is easy. But making a film is so underrated, most people do not understand or know half the work that is conducted into making a film possible. If making a film opening of 2 minutes is complex, imagine a full length feature film. Insane.