Critical Reflection

    How do your products represent social groups or issues?

       My product represents two different social groups and issues. The social issue it represents is governmental secrecy. It is a wide known fact that there are certain things different governmental systems keep behind closed doors. Things such as information pertaining to environmental projects, futuristic inventions, extraterrestrial life, the human body, and more. A common reason might be that it is because it is for the people's greater good. Or is it? We may never know. But there are some people who tend to be more curious than others and who also act on that curiousness. People whose curiousness has gotten them so close to exposing secret truths. The question that is symbolized in this film is, how far is the government willing to go to protect these truths? Is it true that what we don't know will not hurt us? In addition, the social groups my product represents is those with minds that stretch far beyond the box. Those who are not afraid to go the extra mile.  In the film, Lana and Jessica uncover the truth to immortality, but are quieted by the FBI. It was a historical breakthrough that was kept under wraps. The intention of this film was to make this relatable to most of the audience. To give the audience something to ponder about. There are many Lanas and Jessicas out there in the world who are more than eager to make these types of breakthroughs, but will the world ever get to hear about them?

    How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?

    There are many methods when it comes to branding. Social media is one of them. In this generation, social media plays a huge factor in life. In result of social media being a widely used platform, it is a great thing to utilize when it comes to promotion and advertisement. Knowing what to post, how to get your post to appeal to the audience's eye, and how to keep up the engagement and interaction really ties into the elements of branding. Also, social media is a great tactic to gaining new viewers especially when you decorate your page to intrigue them. Furthermore, having a website based on your film is a great addition to the branding package. Websites are where people go to seek more information and clarity. The appearance of the website is very essential when it comes to promotion. The decor is what makes the product different from the rest, it's what adds flair. The audience gains more insight into what the film is about by forming an inference from the look. The home page is very significant to the website. The homepage is the first thing they will notice once the viewers open the site. The viewers should receive some sort of mood when look at the cover of the site.  In this case, my cover had a dramatic flair to it because the mood of the film is suspenseful and breath taking. The information on the website is also very important when it comes to branding because that is where the audience gains more understanding of different aspects of the film. 

    How do your products engage with the audience?

    My product engages with the audience by finding ways to increase interaction. A great way to interact with others is social media. There are so many aspects of it, so many different things to do, and a variety of tools to use. On my film's social media page, the audience is open comment anything they like, and we respond. This way they are informed that the film crew has their interest in mind. This is a great tactic to catch the eye of new people. Also, with social media our audience can stay up to date on all the news relating to the film. There is a feature on all social media applications that allow you to get notified when someone has posted. There is also a feature that allows you to contact others through social media. Additionally, we have a contact list on our website that provides many different ways to contact us. That includes the option to join our mailing list and email us. Not only does our contact provide an email, but it also provides the phone number and address of the production company, so our audience knows we are always welcome to questions and concerns. There is a tab on our website called, "behind the scenes" and it gives you some insight on what we do to prepare for certain scenes. This is to bring the audience along with us on the journey, so they could feel like they were there sharing the moments with us. 

    How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?

    Initially, I searched for basic things that commonly used within my genre and I made sure I utilized those things. Basic editing techniques, camera angles and movements, lighting, costumes were all utilized. Then, I researched more things to make my film more significant and what can I add to enhance the mood and tone that I am going for. I found that using techniques that are little more advanced such as action match, different types of cuts, and eye level match would make the film a lot more entertaining. Also, I learned that lighting is very essential to certain scenes. In this film, we heavily used key lighting, low key lighting, and ambient lighting. Lighting plays a huge factor in the mood of a scene. If a scene has a sad and gloomy mood, most likely the lighting will be low. If the scene has a joyful and happy mood, the lighting will most likely be bright. The camera angles and movements also played a big role in the creation of this film. Every moment of every scene is important, especially catching every moment as perfect as you can. You must know which angles and movements would be of good use to which moment. These are things that have been commonly presented in all my research. My research also informed me that the look of the characters and the backgrounds is what helps make your film significant. This is because the surroundings of the film help the audience more aware of what is going on. 

My Short Film Package

     The Debt to Immortality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRydrimljm4  

The Debt to Immortality Website

The post card

Editing!

       Hey world, it’s Aniyah! Previously, we completed the filming process. I discussed all about the filming experience. Also, I discussed a little about some of the editing we did. In this blog I will discuss the editing process. I will include the bloopers we will post on our social media pages. The movie itself and the pictures for the website. Also the editing of the titles and placement of the titles. For example, we have chosen our title names and the way they will be presented. The font will be black and bold so it can be more visible. The titles will end be the 2 minute mark if the movie. The opening scene will be the name of our studio. The next will be the name of our production company. After that the names of the actors will be listed as they are showed. Then it will show, filmed by, music by, and edited by. The rest are produced by, story by, written by, and directed by. The movie has almost almost been completed. We started off the process with going through all the clips. But we started by each scene. So we would watch all the clips that we shot for a specific scene then we would go through and pick our favorite shots. Thanks for reading and blog you later!

Film day!

              Hey world, it’s Aniyah! I am so glad to finally announce that we have finished filming. Previously, we had our first day of filming. We finished all our shots in one day. As you know, we had many complications throughout the movie. The biggest complication was when we got exposed to COVID-19. Although we tested negative, we still took many precautions. While filming we wore masks and remained socially distanced. There was some difficulty with the timing so we filmed longer than we anticipated. We filmed from 2pm to 6pm. We had plenty of funny clips and bloopers to include on our website, so please stay tune! Tomorrow, we will beginning the process of editing and continue posting on our website and our social media pages. My favorite part of the film was the FBI scene, it was very fun to create. The person who was originally planned to be the FBI did not show up, so we had to improvise to use the same person for 2 different characters. Also, we were very successful on the backgrounds of the scenes. We were able to make it look like anytime of day with assistance. We took many shots of many different scenes. We discussed which shots to put in which shots not to put it. We did have to reshoot some scenes but it was barely a delay. Thanks for reading blog you later. 

New Schedule

     Hey world, it is Aniyah! In this blog I will discuss the new film plan. We did not know if we were filming separately or not. Today we will talking about the plan if we are able to get together. First we will be taking safety precautions. Everyone will wear masks as we film. The only exception will be for those in front of the camera. Secondly we are planning on filming on either January 3rd or 10th. This depends on the cast availibility. We will be filming from the morning all the way into the evening. So, it will probably be from 9 in the morning to 6 at night. We will not be filming the. scenes in order. We go with the time of day. The first shot will be the one where the girls are coming down the stairs and are going to work. Then we will film the scene when they are getting into the car. We will change locations to outside and film the part where the girl falls and goes to the hospital. We will film the rest of the scenes as it starts to get dim outside. When it gets dark outside we will film the first scenes of that evening. We will finish shooting the rest of the scenes in the nighttime. Thanks for reading blog you later! 

Plan B

   Hey world, it’s Aniyah! Last blog, I spoke about how my partner and I had some troubles with filming. Previously we were exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Because we care about the safety and health of others, we stayed isolated for the required two weeks. We were also tested just to be cautious. We took all the necessary precautions. In result of those complications, we have come with a plan B. Stephanie and I spoke over the phone and put a lot of thought into this. There are many aspects to this backup plan. In case of any future issues, we have learned many editing techniques from our class and professional outside sources. Currently we are very familiar with iMovie and other editing applications. If possible, we plan to film some scenes at our own homes. This is to prevent as less contact as possible. Certain scenes that only require shots of the background we can do by ourselves and put it in the film. Such as pan shots and establishing shots. Scenes that may require only one person can be shot individually. Once it is safe for us to go outside, we will schedule another day to get together and film. Of course we will be safe by wearing our masks and social distancing  as much as possible. Despite issues, Stephanie and I are very persistent and dedicated to completing this film with our best efforts. Thanks for reading, blog you later!

Props

     Hey world, it is Aniyah! In this blog I will be discussing the props that we will be using. We have added more props recently. Even though we could not film on our scheduled day. We were able to find ways to make our production better. I will be discussing all the props and the items that will be utilized. For the first scene we will be in the dining room. There will be one table and eight chairs. We will be sitting in two of the chairs across from each other. Both of us will have a laptop, notebooks, and pencils. The second scene will not have many different props. The next scene will be the morning when they are getting ready for work. They will come down the stairs at different times. They will both have bags and shoes. Then they will walk out the door and we will add the props. The added props will be the car and the keys. Then they will get into the lab and go to the hospital. The props there will be the hospital bed and a heart monitor. And many other hospital items. Thanks for reading blog you later!