Marketing campaign for short film

     A week ago before we started our Thanksgiving break we were told to create social media sites and a website for our short 5 minute film. I was super excited to go through the process of designing and editing my own personal website. I realized how much time and effort needs to be put on creating your website to make it appealing and creative to attract an audience. The hardest part of creating a website was understanding the tools that they provided on wix.com to edit and personalize the look and style of your site. The hardest part in creating a social media site was creating one for Facebook as I had to create under one of the characters name and couldn't do for the film itself. When I was creating my website I had so much fun making it, as I was playing music on my mini speaker and just taking the time to be creative and have fun with it. I also had many ideas rushing around in my head of what I wanted to post in the future on the social media accounts and how I wanted to market my movie. The rushing ideas that was enveloping my mind helped me narrow down how I want to handle and move the movie forward because of the social media ideas that are sure to attract an audience. I wrote all of them down as well so I wouldn't forget and even had a collective call with everyone that is going to be in the film to share them and gain feedback. Before I could even create my website I had to come up with a captivating name that would make people want to watch the movie just by hearing or reading the name, I decided on the name Hidden Behind a Woman as it was the most voted on name from my friends and family. 

    In the future when we start filming this December I want to post lots of fun and exciting posts about the movie such as behind the scene footages and bloopers while filming. I do believe that allowing the audience to see what goes on behind the scenes and off camera or in a different perspective attracts people because they see how real and close with the audience you are. I also would love to post bloopers because they can be super funny and something for the audience to enjoy. My sister who is playing Ace in my movie came up with the idea of each character having a takeover, this means that everyday a different character will have control of the social media for the day and can give the audience an insight on the actors and the characters in the film. When I heard that idea I was in shock of how good it was and can't wait to see it happen. I also want to post a get ready hair and makeup with the cast just like some movies have done with their casts. I remember watching a video like that and knew I had to do something similar but unique for social media. I plan to post consecutively once we start filming on all the social media sites I created which include: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I also want to post and do a mini photoshoot with the whole cast and also to have to so I can create and edit the movie poster for the profile pictures on the social media sites. I have a lot planned before Christmas break and I can't wait to go through with them.

Storyboard for short film

         This whole weekend and including days from last week I was working on my storyboard as it has to be 10 to 15 pages long and understanding me, I know I would have waited to the last minute. I made sure to start ahead of time so that I can use these days to finalize and fix my storyboard in case I wanted to cut some scenes out as I had too many scenes that would be past 5 minutes long based on my screenplay. In my screenplay I had about 13 pages of dialogue and action for my movie, but my teachers said to add as much as we can because it will be easier in the end to cut scenes out than it is to add them. Once I finish storyboarding I hope we can start filming especially because Thanksgiving week is coming and I can use that time to get together and start filming. I am going to film all scenes from my screenplay including the one I already planned to cut out just so I can have in case. I wan to have everything organized so that this process can be easy on not just me but also the participants that are going to be in my film. My storyboard is a bit rough but I am far from an artist, I understand that my drawings are a little hard to look at but I tried my best to get the overall scene onto the paper. I do believe that on camera and on film it will look much better than that on my storyboard. I already have in mind how I want to film and direct each scene. I was super happy to see the email from my teachers stating that they have extended the due date for our storyboard because I was able to work and focus on it this weekend which I was happy about.

    Drawing the storyboard did take some hours out of my time and I even brought it with me when I went dog sitting yesterday at my family's friend house. This whole time I was storyboarding I made it a fun task by blasting music and just using the time to de-stress and just draw how I want it to be since it is my movie. I ended up having 10 pages because I plan to elaborate more in my film but I drew all the main scenes in my movie onto the paper. What I did first was label all the 10 paper I had and wrote over each box what I was going to draw. I then proceeded to draw everything out first before I wrote what type of camera shots, movements, angles, editing, and sound for each box or scene. Storyboarding for me is not my favorite part of the filming process mainly because I can barely draw so I find this part of the process boring. I can't wait to actually start filming because my mind is bursting with creativity and ideas that I want to bring to life for the movie. I hope you enjoy overall my storyboard presented through Google Slides as I worked super long and hard on it. I am actually happy that I am official done with my storyboard for my movie and that I can finally work on filming once my teacher gives us the okay. I am also excited that tomorrow we will start our social media for the movie, I can't wait to upload and promote my movie and give fun behind the scenes footage of the process. 

Planning for short film

     Two classes ago we worked on our screenplay assignment where we had to produce a script of our short film that had to be 6 pages long, that we can easily cut out scenes if needed too. We also did a peer review of other students screenplay assignment in which we had to read and give our feedback and send it back to them for changes. For today we had to start our planning progress for the short film, which I am super excited about because we can finally start filming after I finish planning and storyboarding. For my schedule for this movie I plan to use today and everyday up until November 13 to storyboard as it had to be 10 to 15 pages long. Once I finish storyboarding on November 13 and finish blogging about it, I can finally meet-up with the actresses that are gonna be in film and start recording. On November 16, I want to start recording and meeting up to film and since Thanksgiving break is coming up I plan to use that time to re-film any scenes we messed up or just needed to be re-filmed. Since it is corona time I limited the amount of people that can be in the film to ensure everyone's safety which is why we will have masks on when not filming. My parent's will be monitoring us and we will have a first-aid kit on hand in case of any accidents which hopefully won't happen. The main character Ace will be played by Sabrina, Rish will be played by Me (Stephanie), and Ice-T will be played by Allison. Itai the main antagonist and the secondary character the Assistant will be played by Amy. Those will be the only participants that will be seen the movie. 

    The location for most of my movie will be at my apartment because it is the closest location for all of us since Amy lives 2 minutes away,  Allison lives 5 minutes away, and Sabrina is my sister so she lives with me. The location will consist of my sister and I shared room, our backyard, the narrow alley that leads to the pool in our backyard, our balcony that consists of an office desk, the living room, the sidewalk in front of our apartment, our kitchen, our dining room table, and the parking lot. My parents wanted to keep the location at home mainly because of corona and to not interfere and get in other people's way especially since my neighborhood consists of elderly individuals that are at a higher risk. I wanted to respect my parent's decision and kept that in my when planning and all the participants in my film agree. Props will include all of the furniture that is stationary in the house the only real props that will be used throughout the film is a cell-phone, messenger bag, fake files and confidential papers, empty luggage's, iced coffee, and fake ID tags. Each of the participants that have a role in the movie are responsible for their own costumes so I don't have an exact answer of what each character will be wearing exactly. The only thing I know is the concept I want each of them to wear is such as Ace to be dressed in business casual most of the time, Rish to be dressed in crazy colors and baggy styles of clothing, and Ice-T to be dressed in outfits that are stylish, bold, and colorful. Itai will be dressed in a business outfit and the Assistant will be dressed professionally in a business outfit. As for Makeup Allison will be in charge of the makeup department and she will be doing everyone's makeup for the film. I am super excited to start filming so much is going to through my mind and I know my friends are also excited to be in the movie. I also can't wait to open up the social media sites for the movie so I can start promoting the film with fun content and behind the scenes footage. 

Short Film vs. Feature Length Film

     I just want to start off by saying that I totally recommend watching the short film and full length film of 9 because honestly it was really amazing. There were many differences of both films as one was 7 minutes long and had to have all the plot in a short amount of time. Whereas, you had the feature film which was an hour and 13 minutes long and had the same plot from the beginning to end but in depth with the characters in the film. After watching both you can obviously tell that there were improvements in the character development in the film. In the short film you were introduced to two rag-dolls, 5 and 9, but did not get much interaction between them and the fact that they did not talk. However, in the feature film you were introduced to a wide range of rag-doll characters that were able to talk and had different personalities from each other. In both of the films you can see how important the details and surrounding was important to the director and his team because they maintained that idea for both films. The overall mood and feel of the movie remained the same. I also felt like there was a difference in the special effects because in the short film it was very subtle while in the feature film they used as much lighting and sounds to create the special effect and make it more stronger than the short film. The hologram near the ending of the movie for me was the best special effect and helped me understand what was going on through the explanation of the scientist.

    For both of the films the consistent use of diegetic sounds remained which I don't mind. The only difference I felt was that more score music was used in the feature film than in the short film. The biggest difference for me was the endings because in the original short film I felt as if the ending was rushed and lacked emotion. In the feature film the ending was the same except it was extended and there was lots of emotions because there was character development and closeness that made you feel happy but sad when watching the ending. The feature film for me had a more clear and strong opening and ending of the film compared to the short film. Another thing I noticed was that the opening and ending credits of the feature film really set the mood and fit the movie perfectly where in the short film the opening with the director or creator really didn't fit for me. If I had to choose which was my favorite I have to choose the feature film, as I can see myself watching again over the short film. I believe that both of the films were beautifully done and made me curious, but came down to what I would watch again and that is the feature film. I am so happy that my teachers assigned this research assignment I really enjoyed watching the movie and I can't wait to watch it with my friends soon. If you haven't watched it, you should I promise you will love it.

This is Stephanie signing off!

Research 9, the feature film

     I was super excited to watch the feature film version of the short film 9 that I researched about in the last blog. I used my teachers suggestion and was able to access the film through Netflix. The movie was amazing and I fell in love with the style and concept of the film, it made me crave others similar to this. There was definitely an improvement and you can see that a lot of thought and depth went into the movie. The very first thing that I noticed throughout the movie was that they finally gave us character development and actually introduced to all the rag-dolls that was seen in the ending of the short film. Each character had a unique personality such as one was the inventor among the rag-dolls, one was the stubborn and angry rag-doll,  another was fearful but learned to be brave, and so much more. I loved seeing the characters grow from the beginning of the film to the end, it almost felt as if rag-doll represented a different personality of the same character. This was later proven correct as all the rag-dolls represented different parts or personality of the scientists professor from the beginning of the movie. The little details and setting of the film really popped out to me and made me appreciate all the work that the designers designed in the film. Although there was dialogue in the film it was a right balance and I loved how they kept the silence in the very beginning except for the scientists professor talking a little in the beginning of the film which made me want to watch it more and more. 

    The special effects in the movie such as the lighting and the sounds of the machines clanking and the monsters roaring was phenomenal and adds to a scary yet suspenseful mood. I felt that the dystopia created in the movie of machines and metals versus humans made it feel so real as technology is enhancing at such a accelerated speed in real time. There was a relief in the film as you got to meet new characters and when they had heart to heart conversations with each other that turned the movie form suspenseful to a theme of teamwork and unity of the rag-dolls. The plot of the film was spectacular honestly, where you have a concept that science is evil and turned against the human race as you see flashbacks of the creation of the machine and dead bodies throughout the film. The ending of the film was so sad and beautifully done I started to tear up. As you watch the film you learn to love each character and grow attach to them wanting them to succeed and defeat the machine. The special effects and length of the ending was perfectly done and was a sense of peace to see the rag-dolls souls be free and at peace. The entire movie had a futuristic but past vibe where the audience feels like this could happen one day but not entirely because our society is more advanced. The realism in the film and setting, draws the attention of the audience and opens up our eyes to the creative ideas the director and staff had for this film. You see a lot of creative freedom and factors that really made this film 10 times better than the short film. 

This is Stephanie signing off!

Research 9, the short

     Today, I watched a short film called 9 as a part of my research for my class. As I was sitting there watching the short film from Shane Acker I jotted down some notes of how I felt throughout the short film and what I thought was really interesting for the director to use. This was definitely a short film style I never watched before, so it was really refreshing and interesting, it also made me really curious of other films and movies like this one. Throughout the short film I loved how there was no dialogue at all, I feel like it makes it even more unique and special as you have to focus on other details and background to understand what's going on. As I was first watching this short film I felt creeped out as if I was there, but the quality was low from my teachers uploading it onto canvas, so I tried to ignore that factor and just watch the short film for itself. On the topic of creepiness, the silence between the two rag-dolls, 5 and 9, in the film added to the creepy effect of the film. The special effects throughout the entire 7 minutes of the film were very subtle and straight to the point. I also felt like the special effects added to the plot of the movie which was a machine versus the rag-dolls. The constant use of diegetic sounds such as the wind, machines clanking, footsteps and the growl of the machine beast was something that I loved throughout the film. In the background you can also hear a low score in the background but overall the diegetic sounds overpowered the instrumental music in the background. 

    The fact that there was no dialogue and an abundant amount of diegetic sounds I truly felt as if the world in the film was wiped out of the human kind and just made it feel surreal. I wished that the short film had more character development of the two main rag-dolls in the film which were 5 and 9. We knew as the audience that they worked together because when rag-doll 5 passed away, rag-doll 9 was upset and shocked at what happened. In the end rag-doll 9 defeated the monster machine and brought justice to all the rag-dolls that were killed. Other than that we truly see the growth and development of the characters in a sense of personality and likeness. The only scene that I felt like truly made me see who they were was when rag-dolls 5 and 9 worked together to build a lightbulb or light source from sources around them. This made me see how resourceful they were of their surroundings. In the ending we are revealed to a whole bunch of rag-dolls other than the main rag-dolls 5 and 9 which the audience were introduced to. As one of the audience, I assumed they were other rag-dolls that were effected by the monster machines. The ending to me felt rushed and didn't really feel like an ending that I would want to re-watch. I wished there was more emotion and detail to make it really stand out from other short films. Overall I loved the short film and super excited to watch the actual movie based off of this short film. I hope everything is explained and in depth from the characters to the plot of the film.

This is Stephanie signing off!

Genre Choice for Film

     It has finally come, the time after all my research and reflection to decide my genre. I have come to the conclusion that I will be producing a thriller movie. I am super excited and I really did give it a lot of thought, making sure I wasn't making a mistake or before it was too late to change my mind. I chose thriller out my three genres that I narrowed down to, was because it was the best fit for my movie idea and I feel like my movie and pitch will completely portray a thriller style movie. The main character in my movie that will be revealed soon, has that mindset and personality of most characters in a thriller film and also the story is very suspenseful just like a thriller movie would be. I stated in a previous blog post that thriller films are out of my comfort zone and I believe its the perfect time to take risks and explore different genres. Since we are slowly reopening and getting out of quarantine, I wanted my movie to be something that the audience can comfortably enjoy while at home but have that feeling as if they are at a film festival or the movies. I am going to make sure that my movie sticks to the thriller aspect and I will plan out the movie when it comes time to storyboard based off of the anticipation and suspense found in thriller movies. I made sure that when I was thinking about the genre I had my pitch next to me so the decision could come easily for me, so I made no tweaks to my pitch. I also hope you enjoyed the Google Slides of my genre research because I wanted to give you something fun to look and read other than paragraphs. I also included pictures throughout the slides for your entertainment and for the fun of it. 

    I was inspired by my friend to get out of my comfort zone and try new things even in media studies class. My friend is currently and college student in New York and her moving there made me realize to do as much as I can in life and even in school. When I was deciding on my genre that was going through my  mind and also my pitch. I pray that in the end it all works out for me and for you since my movie will be presented to you. Another thought that also inspired me was that this is my last year of high school, so why not do something that in the end might be memorable for me but also for you. My teachers always inspire me especially my media studies teacher because both of them gave me the push that I needed and look now I am taking A- Level Media Studies with the most amazing students and teachers. My movie for sure will surpass and be the most best thriller movie there can be, at least for me it will because I will put my hard work and sweat into this. I will be sure to add a thriller effect to my websites, social media sites, and post cards so that the audience can right away know the type of movie it will be. I will continue researching and discovering new information and I will try to get myself this weekend to watch some thriller movies to get me in the mindset so I can plan my own film. In the end I was swayed away from choosing the mystery genre and now stuck on a thrilling ride.

This is Stephanie signing off!