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

Thats a Wrap!

March 31, Saturday

    I can confidently say that our pre-production is finished! We both revised our storyboards and have come up with a final copy as well as casted our 4 main characters and 9 extras. I have all of our props ready, and I even added a couple adjustments to our song. Of all the exciting news I have, i'd say this next one takes the cake: one of my good friends works at a gas station and his manager agreed to let us film there! The one thing that really had me worried all worked out, and quite easily too! We planned to film yesterday Friday the 30th, but unfortunately I was out of town and just got back in this morning. So for now we are set to film our 2 scenes next weekend, Friday the 6th. This was a short blog, but I just wanted to update the fans and let them know everything is on track for perfection!

Until next time :)

Character Development

March 25, Sunday

    Rodrigo and I met up yesterday to discuss new ideas for our project. We both agreed that what we had so far probably wouldn't fill the 2 minutes unless we were to make scenes unnecessarily long and drawn out. So in order to avoid this from happening we decided to go more in depth with character development. Considering the 4 characters are the main source of comedy for the majority of the intro we felt they needed to have more to them.
    While developing them we discussed character motives, attitudes, hobbies, nicknames, and appearances. Here is a small chart describing each of the 4 characters.

1. Head Honcho:
- Mastermind of the group
- Can be manipulative of his lackeys in order to get his way
- Plans usually end terribly
- Seeks recognition and popularity within his community

2. The Hype Man:
- Sidekick of Head Honcho
- Insecure about self image
- Dresses and acts as close as he can to Head Honcho (Mini-me)
- Seeks a best friend in the head honcho, wants his recognition

3. The Hopeless Romantic
- Always in his feelings
- Obsessed with ex-girlfriend
- Hates her but secretly still loves her
- Seeks an opportunity to make his ex jealous

4. Poindexter
- Obviously nerdy appearance
- Sticks strictly to statistics and logic, never goes on gut feelings
- Unexpectedly sassy
- Seeks a way out of the party

A Quick Restart

March 24, Saturday

    Although Rodrigo and I are on a bit of a tight schedule since we kick started a whole new idea for our short film we've been making sure we get stuff done and fast! We have already finished a story board, as well as recorded all our own music for the film. I finished the song last night with some friends, it was a fun time and we were able to capture the exact feeling I was looking to capture. I'm going to attach the song to a side bar link on my blog and if I can't figure out how to do that i'll probably just add it to the bottom of this blog.
    Rodrigo and I are planning a meet later today to finalize our cast and physical story board. We are hoping to find a group of 4 kids that each have individual quirks and characteristics that will make them shine in the film introduction. We have a general idea of who we would like to cast. In all honesty the only roadblock ahead that I am worried about is our filming location. We need to find a gas station that is willing to let us film and that will give us access to behind the counter. I'll update you guys later on the filming location. For now heres a link to our song (maybe), and some pictures showing parts of the music production process.

One Last Set Back

March 23, Friday

    Well, it seems we both have finally seen the light! In class yesterday Rodrigo and I realized just how much trouble we got ourselves into when choosing the route of science fiction and clones. Instead, after a long, long time of trying to convince him we are finally doing... A high school comedy! It's something that I actually feel motivated to do, it is also going to be realistic and a million times easier to cast for.
    RE-CAST! Now that we have a whole new movie we have to restart our pre-production process, luckily the entire time we were doing the sci-fi project I was brainstorming this project as well (kind of like fantasizing if you will). So we already have all of our props, actors, and story board complete! In my next blog I will post more about what these consist of. Showing pictures of our actors and our props as well as explaining what type of comedy this will be exactly.


 

March 18,  Sunday

Collaboration!
    Friday in class we were put into groups of 4 or 5 in order to help each other by critiquing ideas and giving input for new ideas. I must say it was very fun. Although I feel like during the collaborative work I gave a lot more input than I received, I wouldn't say it was a waste of time. I enjoyed hearing of others progress and helping them it was a great team building activity. After class one of my peers asked me to help her with her magazine, she wanted me to model and help with photography.
    We went on Saturday to Miami and had a very successful day, Arriana managed to get all of her shots done and we had a great time! Also, through this, I recruited some more actors for my film that I was in desperate need of. So as of now I have a my full cast, some input from my peers, and new friends! That was all for this week's project progress, hopefully we can begin our filming for next week with all of our actors. Heres a picture of Arriana and I after she finished all of her shots!

Friday, March 16
    Pre-production wise we are about half way done with the process. We've collected most of our actors (head shots of each actor below), collected almost all props and costume design, as well as story boarded most of our shots. We plan to start production once Rodrigo gets back next week in various locations in Miami.
    Research from my last blog really helped me improve my storyboard and gave new concepts for costume design and mise-en-scene. Rodrigo and I have been doing independent research for the most part and will put everything together to finish the pre-production process. The only worry I have is that some of our concepts and opinions will clash, we will just have to work together to figure out how to portray both our visions to the best of our abilities



                 Secretary
                  (Extra)


Human Homeless Man
            (Extra)


         Male-Human
         (Antagonist)


               Male-Clone
             (Protagonist)

Thursday, March 15

   Until recently, the world of science-fiction was much smaller to my knowledge. After doing research on what the meaning of Science-fiction genre really is I learned many new things that will help contribute to the pre-production process of our film introduction. A fairly recent article written by author Bruce Sterling, which goes into great detail on the history of the genre itself as well as key components in these films. Going even further into my research I realized the many different and reoccurring themes in the sub-genres of science fiction, and decided which one we will be pursing in our film. We will be pursuing themes of: high technologies, sex and gender, utopias and dystopias and many more. Going along with the sub-genre of Cyberpunk science fiction which focuses on a a combinations of low-life quality and high tech, usually utilizing lighting and heavy editing in order to reach the look and appeal they are trying to reach.
With all this in mind, I want to go back and edit some of my storyboards and use this research to take into consideration my next steps in the pre-production process.

Until next time, Christopher Ryan Lynch

Citation:
Sterling, B. (2018, January 18). Science fiction. Retrieved March 16, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/art/science-fiction

Sunday, March 11

    Rodrigo and I have set up a schedule for when we will have our story boards done by, as well as when we plan on shooting. I've recruited a couple friends onto my team for our acting cast as well as extra camera men, all members are skilled in the position i've placed them in for the best results. As of now Rodrigo is out of town, he plans to return next week on the 19th. By then we need to be sure we are ready to film and get things done!
    I've begun my story boarding process and finished a couple scenes already, to my knowledge Rodrigo has begun his story boarding as well. Although at first I was pretty iffy on the whole idea of our introduction, it's grown on me and now i'm constantly brainstorming new scenes and ideas for it. Excessive brainstorming? Could be a good thing, or a bad thing.... We'll just have to wait and see!

arrivederci, Christopher Lynch

P.S. a duster jacket is a necessity in our film

The Breakthrough!

Thursday, March 8

    Eureka! Rodrigo and I hit a goldmine while brainstorming today, and we are working collaboratively much better than before. We spoke about possible plots and themes we want to express within our world of Clones v.s. Humans and came to a conclusion. Clones are under heavy predjudice and criticism from real humans, portraying a struggle for equality. These themes relate to current events and audience interests in today’s society catching audience attention right from the start.
    We agreed to begin story boarding separately after discussing scene ideas in order to get both of our creative viewpoints on how the scenes should be presented. Once we’ve finished we will choose which shots we want in our final collaborative storyboard. The reason we chose to do separate story boarding is because Rodrigo won't be in class all week, so we figured why not do them independently and once he gets back we can see what new ideas we've come up with. I'll keep you updated with our story boarding process as the week goes by. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Wednesday, March 7

    Yesterday in class, Rodrigo and I were finally able to come to a conclusion on what we'd like to create for our film introduction. Rather than going for a high school TV show kind of vibe with a pregnancy for the plot, I decided that maybe Rodrigo and I really could make a sci-fi based film that we could both work on collaboratively.
    We started by brainstorming some new ideas for a plot and how to establish it within the first two minutes. Rodrigo, someone who is skilled and experienced in film photography wants to make the film revolve around visual storytelling. We are trying to make the film revolve around a future where clones are oppressed and abused because they aren't seen as real people. We want to try and make our film original as possible without copying any major aspects from other films. Doing actual research for our film and making sure the topics in our film are accurate are important to making a good sci-fi film.

Thursday, March 1

    Although i'm still technically waiting on a response from Rodrigo, I couldn't help myself from brainstorming all day. I've been story boarding a couple of really cool scene ideas that I didn't want to forget, as well as binge watching shows and movies all day that all revolve around the genre vibes I want to represent in our introduction. Shows like "Everything Sucks!" and I had to re-watch "Napoleon Dynamite" since it's been quite a while, luckily I got some new inspiration from both (movie title, graphics, character behavior, etc.).
    In "Everything sucks" the show title tends to pop up quite a lot as a different graphics portrayed in quirky and creative ways. Which really got me thinking about how I wanted to portray our movie title, as it is an important aspect of a movie intro (when and if it is shown.). The title will set the mood for the movie and let the audience know what their getting into. As for the new scene ideas i've come up with, you'll just have to wait and see in future blog posts!
(Heres a small example of one of the title portrayals from "Everything Sucks!")

Wednesday, February 28

    Well considering this is my first blog post ever, I now can officially call myself a blogger.... The first thing you've probably noticed by now is my blog name: "The Pregnant Space Adventure". Well to explain, my partner Rodrigo Diaz and I are still contemplating on what we want our introduction to be based on. Rodrigo wants to do a sci-fi based movie, while I am trying to pitch a high school based movie about a pregnant teenager (kind of like a Juno/Napoleon Dynamite vibe.).

    For now we've both agreed to brainstorm and try to come up with an actual concept rather than just a genre/theme. While brainstorming I've come up with a couple concepts that i'm excited to speak to him about. hopefully we come to an equal conclusion on what we'd like to do for our project. For now I am going to continue further research into the films i'd like to relate to as well as teenage pregnancy and the reality of it.

Thanks for reading!

Christopher Ryan Lynch