And here is my Video : https://youtu.be/fbZmXdAZYR4

Finished!

   
    The wait is over! Hoped you enjoyed reading the blogs and I hope you enjoy the final product! Here is my CCR as well as a full script: https://youtu.be/HtwgWxUFaEU

Our film, being a dramatic comedy, may not be taken as a serious film at first glance. The viewers really need to reflect on their own lives and personal experiences in society as a teenager or young adult to understand the themes we tried conveying to them. As a soon to be high school graduate I felt like the emotions and issues these kids must face in society needed to be portrayed. Themes like young love, short-lived fame, and sacrifice all work together to shape these kids into the adults they will soon become. Our main characters all have end goals in their high school career, but each one differs in their personality. Nick, is seen going through the most obstacles and is really challenged within the first two minutes of the movie. Between having to rob the gas station and host the big party. He is doing all of this for the sole purpose of getting the attention of his ex, we wanted to show how strong his emotions were that he was willing to do all of this for one person. Of course Neil, Thomas, and Julian all have their own unique intentions with the party but that would be shown later in the movie as side plots all complimenting Nicks main plot.

My main goal of the film was to make it relatable to the target audience, we were aiming for a younger audience. Teenagers and young adults are able to relate to the drama in the movie, as well as laugh at the comedy. Even if that one specific event never happened to you, you're able to subconsciously relate to the similarities. They will be able to relate to the fame, the sadness, the love, and even the comedy all coming together in the end. When it comes to the distribution of the final product i'd like to take the route of a full feature film in using movie posters, billboards, and ads on social media like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. This method requires more capital than lets say an independent short film, which was my second choice but in the end it proves to bring about more popularity and profits in the end a majority of the time.

Rodrigo and I have known each other for years, and even worked together in the past. So knowing each of our strengths and weaknesses that came with our skills and personalities, we decided to assign roles from the start of the project. I would be the director, in charge of casting and filming due to my strong personality and leadership roles. While Rodrigo, someone who is more timid and prefers to behind the camera utilized his camera skills and experience to get the best shots possible. We both constructed and planned each shot together, playing off of each other's ideas and edited the film together. By now, I can say that both of our skills expanded and developed in different areas that we were never expecting. Set design and directing was essential for me to be on top of, we needed to really make the party feel real almost as if the audience was there. My creativity bursted, I thought of a million different ideas for the set that we used. Lighting was something I hadn't been familiar with, so with some research and the right tools I was able to create rigs for lighting as well as know their correct placement. Overall I would say my creative and brainstorming skills were really pushed on this project, and dealing with such a big cast really tested my directing and leadership abilities.

I have to say, one of the most impressive and exciting things that made me look forward to beginning the project was using all the different tools available. Rodrigo and I both own a good amount of production equipment as it is, and with the friends we made in class we had access to even more technologies. Cameras, tripods, stabilizers, lighting, props, audio equipment, and even fog machines all helped create the setting we wanted. It was awesome being able to use them and learn more about them throughout the filming process. For editing, we used various Adobe Creative Softwares like Photoshop and Premiere Pro. These softwares allowed us to edit in detail compared to some other options, also we have been using these softwares since our freshman year so we were just more familiar with it. In the end all the different tools we used helped create our final product that I am very happy with.

The Final Process

April 13, Friday

    The editing process is complete and with that Rodrigo and I are reviewing and discussing key points in our film. Themes of young love, sacrifice, and popularity seem to stand out the most to us and we are happy with how that came to be. In our project we wanted to have a feel for some things that young adults and teenagers go through in their lives, emotions and similar experiences that you can relate to whether you realize it or not.

    Our target audience will be able to directly and/or subconsciously relate to the scenes shown which is great for us because that means we did our job. Now that we are done, we need to write and film our CCR's so going over the film like we are is essential to answering those questions. So unless some unexpected changes come up, hopefully they won't, this should be my last blog post before my CCR and video. 

Until next time,

Peace Out

That's a Wrap!

April 8, Sunday

    We finally completed the production process on Friday which was a lot more of a headache than I expected. Due to the amount of people needed to film certain scenes of the film (me being in charge of the cast) there was a lot of conflicting schedules that made it really hard to get everyone together, and when we did manage to get everyone it was only for a short amount of time. Luckily through perseverance and teamwork Rodrigo and I were able to use our skills collaboratively to push through the obstacles we faced. Now, we have begun the post production editing process that I gave Rodrigo directive control over. We are almost done with the first draft and should be finished by tonight. As of now, i'd say we are on schedule to meet the deadline.
    Some things i'd like to take note of from our filming experience was how it was really a skill-building experience. As the director I felt like the whole experience really helped me learn to take control of a situation and fix things that went wrong. Our actors were actually great, every single one of them preformed amazingly which I was a little surprised of because none of them really have experience in acting. Now that we are going over the shots, I can say i'm happy with how things turned out and am looking forward to the final product....

Until next time!

April 6, Friday

    Since we are done with the Production majority of the project (filming), I dawned on the overall process and the personal experience I had. This project definitely tested my abilities as well as Rodrigo's. I've always looked at myself as a leader in groups and have been able to maintain and manage groups as well as myself very well. Rodrigo and I both agreed on our roles from the start of the film. Rodrigo, someone who is more timid and behind the scenes wanted to utilize his skills in filming and editing. While I would use my outgoing leadership abilities, and creative mind to influence our cast and create our script/idea.

This project was not only a fun experience, but it challenged our abilities in every aspect, and i'm happy with how things have turned out so far. I look forward to finishing and presenting the final product to everyone!

April 5, Thursday

    Our final script, ready to film for tomorrow after school:

FADE IN :

INT: HOUSEPARTY - NIGHT

LONG TAKE

There is loud music, drinking, and people causing commotion. TOMAS is in the kitchen chugging a drink with crowd cheering him on, he finishes his drink and applause continues. He puts his arm around NEIL

TOMAS: You’re my best friend, bro. I love you so much dude! (slurring his words)

NEIL smiles in an almost crying manner and embraces TOMAS.

Camera moves over to the next room, Nick is sitting on the couch talking to a girl. His ex (BELLE) is seen in the background staring, JULIAN is sitting on the other side of the couch on his phone he looks up and scoffs.

NICK: So um.... How are you liking the party? (talks nervously)

SOL: Yeaahhhhh its great, thanks for inviting my friends and I (slurring her words)

SOL spills water onto NICKS pants

SOL: Oh my gahh im soooo sorry

NICK: Ohhh hahaha yeah dont worry about it, I have at least a thousand khakis

SOL: Come on lets go clean you up

SOL and NICK get up from the couch as NICK gets up from the couch he looks back at his ex BELLE as the camera catches NICKS facial expression it cuts to the new seen

HARD CUT:

INT: GAS STATION - NIGHT

Close up of NICKS face is seen (graphic match) he is staring at a bottle of liquor in the back refrigerators, and approaches the bottle. He opens the fridge and grabs the bottle, the scene cuts to the 3 friends in the car (NEIL, TOMAS, and JULIAN)

JULIAN: Look NEIL, just face the facts and admit that the new trilogy sucks

NEIL: EAT A DUCK. The new trilogy is our generations new craze

TOMAS: Would you guys shut up about Star Wars already, all the movies suck

JULIAN: Oh god dont get me started i'm not even going to try and debate with a Star Trek fan..

Cuts back into the gas station Nick is approaching the cashier with the bottle of liquor in his hands. Cuts back to car.

NEIL: SHHHHHHH NICK is at the counter!

JULIAN: Oh god I told you guys this wasn’t a good idea..

Cuts back to gas station, cashier puts the bottle in a brown bag and asks NICK for his ID

Cashier: ID please..

Nick: No problem sir

Close up of NICKS face flashes to memories with ex girlfriend

Memories end and its a close up of the bottle, medium shot shows Nick grab the bottle and runs out the door

Cuts to black, punk rock music starts in the background (title screen)

April 1, Sunday

    I've been brainstorming some post production ideas lately. Mostly the logo and name for the movie, it's important to me that the name really captures the relationship of the friends and vibe of the movie. I'd like to do a moving graphic that is drawn out with a messy and quirky look, sadly I don't really know how to animate. I began researching how to use creative softwares like Adobe Illustrator these past couple days, i've been using the software this year to design tattoos for another class but I wouldn't consider myself skilled enough to make an animated logo. Youtube has a ton of tutorials when it comes to the adobe software, the software itself (which I already own) also comes with helpful hints and instructions.

Heres some helpful links to hand drawn graphic creations:
- https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/drawing-basics.html
- https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/perspective-drawing.html
- https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1878986