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! 

First day of filming: FAIL!

     Hey world, it is Aniyah! Today was an actual fail. Today was very stressful. On this day, we were supposed to start filming our movie. That went downhill. We had a specific schedule to follow that was never carried out. We planned the schedule for two weeks in advanced but plans were changed because of the corona virus. Stephanie, some of the cast members and I were exposed to the virus. We did not test yet, but we still took  precautions and stayed home for at least two weeks. Although, took many measures needed to prevent this, we still got exposed. Currently, while we stay in isolation we are planning out a new schedule. Hopefully next time everything will go as planned. We have gone through and properly given our characters some defined details. For example, we planned out what our characters would wear. We practiced how they would sound and how their facial expressions and their emotions would look like. We may be behind schedule but we are doing our best to get caught up. It is heartbreaking we did not get to film today but we did what was best. It is better to be safe than to be sorry. But I will be really happy when we do start filming. Thanks for reading blog you later. 

Setting

     Hey world, it's Aniyah! Previously, I discussed the costumes of the film. This blog I will be discussing the setting part of CLAMPS. I will be going through the scenes and telling you where it will be. Firstly, everything will be filmed at one house which will be easier but still bring some complications. I say it is easy because we will not have to bring the whole cast to different locations and it woke take up as much time. But, with it will all be filmed in a different room. None of the scenes will cross paths or be filmed in the same area. For the first scene it will be filmed in the dining room and it will be the two characters facing each other parallel to the camera fading into a black screen. The next scene will be filmed perpendicular to the right of the staircase and the camera will parallel to the door. The girls will come down the stairs and the camera will back up as they come forward. For the next scene it will be shot upstairs in an all white room with one desk in the center over a wall and one chair on one side and another chair on the other side for the two girls. In that same room there will two coatracks with two lab coats and two pair of goggles. In the next scene we will be in the garage with one pull outbed as a gurney in a hospital. There will be a white sheet to make it look like a white room. The next scene will be filmed outside of the garage with the camera pulling back as FBI agent rushes the girls into a car. The camera will be on the dashboard of the car and the FBI agent will be talked to the girls.  Finally the girls will be outside of the house saying goodbye. Thanks for reading and blog you later!

Costumes

    Hey world, it's Aniyah! In this blog we will discuss CLAMPS. That stands for costumes, lighting, actors, makeup, props, and setting. Although we will be focusing a little more on costumes today. Costumes are so fun because you get to look like anyone you want to look like. In this case we just want to be our characters in our film. We want to express our characters personality through the clothes. Both of the main characters style is more professional and luxurious. They are used to wearing those type of those clothes because of their jobs. Their careers are very high paying, so they are used to the finer things in life. The characters clothes are an important factor in allowing the audience into seeing who they really are. It is like the audience will get to see the film from a different set of eyes. For the first scene they will be wearing casual clothes because they are in the comfort of their home. They will be wearing their pajamas in their natural state. In the next scene they will be dressed in their professional business clothing. They dress like this for when they go to work. In other scenes they will be dressed in lab clothing. Then their clothing will be messed up because of the conflict in the later scenes. Their clothing will look messed up and rugged. Thanks for reading, blog you later!

Social Media

     Hey world, it is Aniyah! We started our social media accounts. We needed our cover photo before we started our social media accounts. Instead of finding a cover photo we got together and made a cover photo while we were on the phone. We decided that it would be best for us to make a cover photo instead getting one on the internet. We wanted to increase the originality. Once we made our cover photo, we sent it to our teachers for another opinion and they loved it. We got our cover photo done and put our title on it to make our social media pages. First we began our Instagram page. It was easy because we already knew how to use the app. Next was Twitter, which was a little bit more difficult to use. Stephanie and I are unfamiliar with this app, so we had to learn as we go. Next we set up our youtube. We have some experience with youtube, but there are a lot of aspects to youtube, so it took some time. Lastly, we set up our Facebook page. We have never used Facebook before, so most things were unfamiliar with most things.  Despite the circumstances we were still able to work ourselves around it. Once we created all our social media pages we uploaded our cover photo. Many of our peers followed us and we loved all their support. Thanks for reading blog you later!

The Website

     Hey world, it is Aniyah! Recently, we started our website for our film. It was a pretty fun experience. It felt good to do and learn something new. It did take a lot of time and work. We had to learn different things as we were setting it up. There were many designs and templates to choose from, but we chose ones that we felt fit the aesthetic of the film. Creating the website was way easier said than done. Also, I struggled with the our social media links. We decided to multi task by creating the social media pages while creating the website. I struggled with getting the social media links to work, but i did research and go it to work. Once I got the links to work, I continued decorating the site. I made the background dark to appeal tp the aesthetic of the film. The home page is our personally designed cover of the film. The website contains all the information required. Also, I included some nice transitions for the audience. There are still certain things that need to be filled out. But we will fill those blanks going forward. I am very excited for this experience. Thanks for reading blog you later! 

  

https://debtofimmortalityt.wixsite.com/mysite-3

Figuring Out More Backgrounds for Certain Scenes

      Hello world, it’s Aniyah! Previously, we took the time to go over what we needed to film. Here’s a back story of what we were trying to film. “One shows the lake outside of Stephanie’s house. Then it moves quickly to inside the house. The second one was in the morning with an upshot of the sky while the birds were flying. Then, the camera swipes down to the door and rushes through the door and inside the house, the the dining area. The third one is sort of the same scene, but it is in the evening. There is a part where the scene begins and it is in the house during nighttime and it zooms into the door and inside the house. This scene is when the girls are having a discussion at home in the beginning of the film. Furthermore, the next scene in the morning includes a part that is during the morning.” To get all those shots of the sky took a really long time. The one that took the most time was the shot where we had to wait for the birds to fly by and didn’t even happen. But for that scene, I think we can use some editing techniques to fix that issue. After that filming, we had to film again at night. This was the harder part. Since it was nighttime there was no natural light. We had to decided we wanted to use the street lights or use a flashlight. The flashlight wasn’t what we needed, so we went for the streetlight. Thanks for read! Blog you later!

Figuring Out the Outside Scenes

      Hello world, it’s Aniyah! Last night and this morning we took the time to FaceTime and figure out exactly where and what we wanted to film for the outside parts. There was a bit of a disagreement, but we worked it out civically. We had a disagreement about where we wanted to film the outside scenes. For example, we three locations and three types of outside shots. One shows the lake outside of Stephanie’s house. Then it moves quickly to inside the house. The second one was in the morning with an upshot of the sky while the birds were flying. Then, the camera swipes down to the door and rushes through the door  and inside the house, the the dining area. The third one is sort of the same scene, but it is in the evening. There is a part where the scene begins and it is in the house during nighttime and it zooms into the door and inside the house. This scene is when the girls are having a discussion at home in the beginning of the film. Furthermore, the next scene in the morning includes a part that is during the morning. This was all the choices for the intros of the scenes and we could not pick the same ones. This was due to the fact that so many of them were really good for the scene. The end of the situation was the fact that we film all the scenes and wait until we have filmed the rest of the clips to see which one is the best. Also, we will be filming to see if the ideas translate into good shots. That means that filming the rest of the movie will need to happen as soon as possible. Most likely, we will be filing the rest of our five minute film in 2-3 weeks. Thanks for reading! Blog you later!

The Start of Filming

     Hello world, it’ s Aniyah! This is the official start of getting the final project done. Previously, we went through the steps of finding film topics, planning, story boarding, and finalizing the script. In this blog, I will discuss getting ready for the filming process. Currently, we are in the process of collecting props and choosing backgrounds for our film. By backgrounds, I mean places in our home that could be useful for the film. The lighting is very important for certain scenes that are supposed to be filmed at night. The only problem is Stephanie are not sure if we can film together during the evening, but we will try to figure something out. Stephanie and I tend to have strict parents, so we are not sure if a sleepover would be in the picture. Instead, we are looking for places with a darker setting. For example, we have the first scene of the movie later in the afternoon, during the sunset. When we put our heads together to work on the angles that will help and what we can do for the windows. We are planning on covering the windows with blankets and using inside lighting to make it look like nighttime. This will make it appear like nighttime and we will continue that for the rest of the scenes in a dark setting. Our back up plan is to pre- film in the morning and night scenes before actually film. COVID- 19 has made it extra difficult to meet up physically and film, but we are working with our circumstances. We have used technology such as texting, and calling to communicate our ideas to each other. We were trying to avoid rushing the movie. Thanks for reading! Blog you later!

Storyboard for short film

         Hello world, it's Aniyah. We are getting farther in the process of completing the final project. Finally, we have reached the storyboard process. I was very excited for this. I was excited because I love our plot for the project. I am excited to complete the story. Stephanie took the lead in writing and drawing the storyboard. While I helped in figuring out which shots and camera movements were appropriate for which scene. She and I figured out all the details of the story. This process was slightly different because of social distancing. Although it was difficult, we were still able to collaborate with each, thanks to new technology. We texted and talked on the phone in order to work together. Stephanie and I were very compatible with getting the story lined up and planning everything out. I am not surprised with our compatibility because we have worked together on other assignments. From those assignment we have had outstanding outcomes. This storyboard includes a a variety of details regarding the story. The details include the shots, angles, movements. Also, it includes the dialogue and the actions carried out in the story. You will find there are many twists and turns in the story. The camera movements definitely play a part in certain suspenseful factors in the project. Thanks for reading blog you later! 

Planning blog

 schedule-

location

Stephanie's house insides and outside

Participants

Stephanie and I and possibly friends if needed

                                                                  health and safety

        Everyone wil be staying 6 feet apart as much as possible and when not

filming will be wearing masks for precaution and everyone will be in quarentine

for two weeks before filming.

Props

computers,chairs,tables, phones, notebooks, pens, science materials,gloves,goggles,lab coats and car

coustumes

regular clothing mostly and then lab coats and professional wear for work

Short Film vs. Full Length Flim

     Hey world, it's Aniyah! I have successfully watched both the short and long version of "9". The shorter version had a smaller monster than the longer one. The longer one consisted of more characters. The short one had no dialogue, but the longer one did. I liked that because it made it more interesting and interactive. The longer version expanded the story and provided more depth. The longer one allowed the audience to learned more about the characters and the setting. In shorter version, only one character passed, but in the longer one multiple characters passed away. In the longer version, the monster was a lot bigger and more powerful. It was a lot more complex to defeat the monster. There was more unity in the longer version because in the shorter one, number 5 had to defeat the monster on his one. One thing both versions share is that there was a very heart-warming happy ending. I enjoyed the longer one more. I think this because it had a lot more action, adventure and drama. It was very emotional. The shorted one did not give off that same emotion. The longer one allowed me to be more drawn to the characters. The connection the longer version created made me feel as if I was living in the film. It was so creative.. Thanks for reading, blog you later! 

Research- 9 the feature film

      Hey world, it's Aniyah! I will be sharing with you my impressions of the feature film. The film was amazing. It was very adventurous and there were so many surprises. The animation was so advanced and creative. There were many acts of heroism performed by many characters. It was also very sad and depressing. I think it was sad because a lot of characters passed away. Especially characters that had a good personality. Some of them sort of grew on me. You got to learn a lot about the characters and their journey. The plot was very interesting and full of mystery. I like how the film showed it's better to do things with a group, instead of being alone. Because in the beginning some of them were divided, but then they were united. In my opinion, that is a very important message. Also, I like the flashbacks and the background story. Also, the characters were fearful in beginning, but they faced their fears to do what's right. I also think that is very important. I felt it gave the audience more of an understanding of what was going on. The flashbacks also added to the drama. Thanks for reading, blog you later!

Research- 9 the short

     Hey world, It's Aniyah! In this blog, I will be sharing an amazing short film I watched! In the beginning, I was confused because the characters do not talk. But, I realized I have to pat attention to the surroundings and their actions in order to understand. It takes place in a dark, dusty, and empty area filled with rusty old metal objects. There are these two littles bots with with numbers on their back. The film appeared to be animated. They had this little object that would flash green lights, I inferred that it must have been something important. The two bots seemed helpless as they ran away from a monster attacking them. The monster took one of the bots named "5" which seemed to be the other bot's friend. The last bot seemed to be scared and alone after his friend was taken away from him. But, once the monster came again the last bot came off as courageous and clever. He did not seem scared anymore. Later, outsmarted the monster and then defeated him. At the end, the green object opened and all the other bots souls were released. I thought that scene at the end was a nice twist. The last bot looked happy at the end. I really like this short film, it was very creative and out of the box. I especially like the little happy ending. Thanks for reading, blog you later!