Filming Schedules

     Figuring out my shooting schedule is challenging because of how busy I am with schools, clubs, and life.  But not only does it revolve around me, but also it revolves around anyone playing a role in my film.  I need everyone to be accessible on the same day, which is always a struggle.  But I defiantly want to try and start filming in the next two weeks.  It’s just tough to get everyone free because of SATs coming up and schoolwork.  I will be away for the next two weekends in a row, which kind of takes away from opportunities to be filming, but I’m going to have to make use of the time I have.  

        I am very eager to begin filming and creating this project.  I have never been the cameraman in any of my projects.  I have mostly just been the actor or played a minor role.  So, this is now my turn to shine and show off my camera skills (which is scary)!  I want to use a camera that I have at home instead of my iPhone because I think that the quality of it could come out so much better than my phone.  When I film and try to edit it on my computer, I sometimes know it becomes fuzzy, and I do not want that to happen here.  When I am filming, I’m defiantly going to have to get a tripod because my hands can get very shaky sometimes, and I would not want the whole film to come out with a bit of shake to it.  No one would enjoy watching that!

         Before the filming process, I must go over everything with the person playing my main character.  I will discuss what kind of personality my character has, for him to try to recreate it.  I will make sure I have all the props that I need, costumes, and anything that I could need for filming.  I want to feel prepared and have everything together because it would be a waste of time if I realized I forgot something that was supposed to be in the shot.  So, to make sure I have everything, I will create a little reminder list of everything I want to include within my film and anything that I think could be necessary. This will just make me stay on task and not feel like I'm forgetting anything.  I'm excited and nervous to start the filming project, but ready to start filming!

Storyboard Continued...

     For the storyboard, I had to include two blog posts because there was a lot of work to be put into it.  Today, I worked on creating the second page of my storyboard and hopefully will finish the third if there needs to be one.  I find it hard to know what to put for everything because I don’t know what it will look like altogether.  Although the storyboard is essential for the filming process, I still think that sometimes you must be in the filming process to get a clear vision of what you want the clear shot to look like.  But I’m working past my worries and continue to draw out my ideas of everything I want to add or include into each shot.       

         One of the most important things for me is not to worry about if it won’t look good during the filming process but to focus on what I want it to represent.  For the scene when Eitan is getting Antisemitic remarks while walking down the street, I want to make sure to include the look of confusion on his face.  Eitan never experienced something like this in Israel or in his life, so it had shocked him that something like this could happen here.  Eitan felt alone and unsafe.  I want to make sure that I include all his emotions and expressions when I am filming.  I will consist of up-close shots of his face, which will give a personal feeling of what he’s going through.  This is just one of the many ideas that I have included in my storyboard, but obviously, there are only a couple of lines on the storyboard paper so I didn’t get to write much, so my blog is my central place to go into the depth of what I want to accomplish, my film.

Storyboard

     During my class time today, I started working on my storyboard. I am excited to start working on this because it helps make my ideas come to life. In the past, when we’ve done storyboards, I loved doing this, and it makes the filming process so much easier. Storyboards are a must when creating any film because they give you almost like instructions to follow and allow you to know what you need to film more of. As I said in my previous blog post, I have created almost a list of what I wanted to include in my film. So, as I begin my work, I’m using this list to help me form some ideas and create some mental pictures to draw out what I want to do.  

         One of the first things that I was very indecisive about was how to start my film. I didn’t know if I wanted to start with a black screen, and then the title pops up, or if I wanted to include a couple of shots them have the title pop up after a bit of introduction. I am undecided about that part, but I’m not worried because I can edit it into both parts and see which one fits my project better. One of the things I am concerned about is creating this storyboard, but then when it comes to filming, I’m not going to like how it all goes together. But I must take this project one step at a time, and I can’t worry about what it will look like, and I can always edit it to blend better. As I started working on my storyboard in class today, I did not realize how long it would take me. Maybe I work slow, but I’m trying to put a lot of effort into it because I think it will help me out as I begin my filming process. I got down today about one page of the storyboard. I am feeling confident in my work, and I think it will come out nice. I included some pictures of the storyboard at the bottom of my post if you’re interested in checking it out!

Outline/Overview of the Filming Process

     It's the beginning of the new week, which means it's the beginning of the blog posts. I am excited for this week because it is the start of the filming process, figuring out how to film everything, and just the primary process. I will be designing my storyboard for my project this week and attempting to complete it. It's hard to try and do everything without feeling pressured or stressed out, but I think I have it all under control. I have started to write down some quick notes of specific shots that I want to include within my film with additional context details to the film. 

         I want my film to represent the effect of words and what they can do to a person. This project doesn't only apply to antisemitism but anyone who has been discriminated against due to their race, religion, or culture.  So, I'm excited to try and represent their side of the hate through this project. I am a little scared about the film processing and creating the storyboard because I want the film to be smooth and go together well.  I'm nervous about starting the storyboard because I want to include all my ideas within the project, but I also don't want it to seem too crowded. But I know that  I am on the right track for this project, and I feel confident in my ideas. I’m ready for the filming process to begin because I just want to see all my ideas come to life within my work.

 

Some of the things that was on my list of what I wanted to include was

-A close up of his Jewish necklace

-Close up of the mezuzah on the wall

-Shots of him walking down the street wearing his uniform

-Include the diversity of all the different people in Miami

Technical Elements

            If we're being honest here, I am kind of nervous about the technical elements part of this project. Well, I'm a little worried about everything except the sound effects or soundtracks that I will be using in this project. And you want to know why I'm not scared, because I did excellent on my sound foley project, and that was an entirely new concept for me! (the foley project, not the concept of doing well!) It was a great feeling, an accomplished feeling, knowing how well I did on something that I put so much time and effort into! So, I am fully prepared when it comes to creating sounds or anything like that. But I'm scared of using correct lighting, editing everything to make it look good, and just overall, I'm afraid for all of it. I want this project to come out well, so it's overwhelming with all the rules. 

            I started to do some research about technical elements, and I've learned how to incorporate them to make film look perfect. The six technical elements are props, sound effects/music, scenery, costumes, makeup, and lighting. The website I used to get all this information was https://education.ket.org/resources/comparing-technical-elements-lesson-plan/. They made it very clear and straightforward what elements consisted of. As I'm now thinking of every possible case of what I do with each of these elements, I'm filled with stress. But I feel that expressing what I'm going to do, and my ideas on this blog post make me feel less overwhelmed and productive. For the scenery, it will mainly be the local city that he lives in and areas around his house. I plan to make the costumes super simple, such as a school uniform, and I don't think he's going to need anything for the makeup. Still, now I'm starting to think that I could add a scene of him getting into a fight, and I could do incredible special effects makeup. But again, this is all just ideas and thoughts that I'm sharing because I can't even imagine me trying to do some crazy blood-makeup look. That would be a bad image. But, back to the technical elements, for the lighting, I'm going to try to make it dark when he's in his room and upset from the remarks that he said. I think the darkness will set the mood of his attitude because he's not all sunshine and rainbows with his happy smiles. I am excited to start thinking about different types of ways to include the elements within my film and help create the overall product.

 

Plot Aspects

 So, I am already thinking of numerous different situations that I want to include within my project for the plot.  Nothing yet that I am discussing is 100 percent official, but mainly just sharing my ideas and thoughts of what I would like to add. I want to incorporate basic details within the shot, such as Eitan wearing a Star of David necklace or including the mezuzah on his bedroom door.  These little clips are crucial in giving details to the film.  For the beginning of the film, I’m thinking of starting with Eitan getting a text from his mom about the first day at his new school.  He will get dressed for school, and I will include his Scheck Hillel uniform (which is a Jewish day school).  Now, most people will not know that this is a Jewish day school, but the word “Hillel” will ring a bell to some people, hopefully.

            For my setting, the location is going to be Miami.  The good thing about Miami is that there are all different types of people there.  It is a melting pot of different cultures from around the world. While I view this as a good thing, all these differences will create conflict. Since there are so many other people, there will be a disagreement between cultural beliefs, religions, etc.  Some of my friends act as random people saying hateful remarks to Eitan as he is just walking down the street, minding his own business. Eitan himself, has never really experiences anti-Semitism personally while living in Israel. Yes, his family has experienced it while traveling or out of their small circle, but they never really experienced it in their town.  So, Eitan coming to Miami isn’t the same as where he lived, where everyone celebrated Shabbat together as one big family.  Miami was a big reality check to Eitan and his family.  Even though he was 17, he was naïve about the kindness of people.  He never thought anyone would say something to him because who would do that? 

            After I include the scene of him walking from school and getting a harmful remark from a group of kids driving in a car, I’m going to have a couple of scenes of him going home and crying.  I want to include him ripping off his star of David necklace and kippah.  I  would like the audience to see how he feels and what these comments can do to people.  He wants to escape the hate and the pain that he is feeling.  Once Eitan cools down, he’s going to walk to the beach to meet his new neighbor.  Here they will have an honest, educating talk about his religion and what it’s like.  Now, I know this is all just thoughts and ideas, so some editing and work needs to be done to make this project work, but I feel like I have a good story that can come together.  Through my work, I want to express how antisemitic, hateful comments can make a person feel and the outcome of these remarks.  I hope that the people watching this start to think before they speak.

Creating the Characters

 I am so excited about this post!  I think casting characters, creating the main character, and all of this is so much fun.  My main character will be portrayed as this naïve kid, who thinks the best of people, but when he moves to this significant new city, his perspective of people starts to change.  He can’t imagine why people would ever say these harmful things to him about his religion.  These comments make him begin to hate himself and who he is.  I want the actor portraying this boy to show the genuine emotions of this kid and try and almost relate and connect to him in a way.  Therefore, I will make my boyfriend the main lead (also because this is his role of being my boyfriend).  But he truly fits the part perfectly.   He goes to a small Jewish school in Miami and has the uniforms I would want him to wear during the film.  I want to name the main character Eitan, a commonly known Israeli boy’s name.

            The other characters, such as his parents and his new neighbor, will be named.    For Eitan’s neighbor, I am going to call him Patrick. I wanted to choose a name that had no Jewish affiliation, since he would be making fun of Eitan.  The random characters that scream out hurtful words to Eitan as he walks to school won’t have a name since they do not have a major role.  But these characters will get credited in the credits of the film.  I want the boys to be a group of high schoolers from the public school in the city that he is living in.  For Eitan’s parents, they won’t physically be in it, but he will receive texts from them in the film.  I am very excited to start planning their costumes for the film to make sure that they fit the characters personality, but I will discuss all of this in a later post, so stay updated!

Genre and Research

             Research to me always feels a little overwhelming.  There are millions of websites.When I started to think about my project more in-depth, I was convinced that I wanted romance. As I stated in my previous blog, my all-time favorite genre is romance. But, I think I may want to try something a little different for this project. I know that I don’t want to do a drastic change like making my genre horror, but I may want to do some further research into drama and some films in this genre. For my project, I want to represent my film around the story and experiences of a person. I have a couple of thoughts about what I may want to create and how to represent my story. I want to create something that will show the sides of a story that no one ever thinks about or sees. 

            Research to me always feels a little overwhelming. Thousands of websites can pop up when you search “drama films” or “drama genre.”   I narrow it down to first looking at some films. I started seeing notable films such as  “A Star is Born”, “ Titanic”, but then there were also the adventure dramas like “Jaws”, so it’s hard to figure out which kind of drama I want to investigate for my project. I looked away from browsing all the famous drama films and started looking at the meaning of the drama genre. I have already learned that there are different types of drama. It concludes with tragedy, comedy, melodrama, and tragicomedy. Now there are four main parts of the genre, and each consists of its characteristics. Humor in drama consists of the movie mostly ending in a happy ending; tragedy has a hero. Still, the hero will be torn down by his flaws, tragicomedy consists of something tragic happening, but humor and laughter will be represented throughout the film. Lastly, melodrama consists of simple storylines without anything crazy happening.

             There is a large spectrum of what the drama genre consists of within the drama genre, which is why it is the most known genre. There are so many different types of movies that can range from dramatic romance to climbing mount, Everest.   But I mainly want to make the film represent the real story without any unnecessary comedy involved.  I’m not saying that the whole film will only be stern faces and frowns, but I want people to know the real story without any fluff and bluff in it. I want to create a film representing how is it like to be a Jew, living with antisemitic people, hate, and everything in between.  My film will be based on a Jewish boy moving away from Israel, and he starts to hate himself because of the hate he gets for being Jewish.  I wanted to create something that relates to me.  Creating a story about this boy will be very similar to what many of my friends, family, and I have been through as being a Jewish person.  I think the drama genre would be a perfect way to represent this and also by creating the man vs man concept.

One of the sources that I used and thought was really helpful was https://www.legit.ng/1219307-4-types-drama-literature.html.

 

The Start to Many Blog Posts..

 This post will be the start of the many blog posts that I will be doing. My blog will be the place where I can share my progression, ideas, plans, and everything that I want to accomplish or share about my project. I have to say that I am a little nervous to start this "blogging" thing, only because I've never really done something like this before. But I am very eager and excited to start blogging daily about everything I am doing in class and throughout my project. As I’m transitioning into the new project, I am very stressed about choosing an idea of what I want my project to be about. For starters, I have no idea where to even begin for this project (which feels very overwhelming). This project comes with a big title, and I know its expectations are very high. I want to represent myself through my work and create something that I genuinely love.

            Looking at the blog topics, there are many different things on the list, but I’m starting with the first topic, genre. My all-time favorite genre is romance. I'm a die-hard romantic. I live for anything with any sort of "love story" involved. The romance genre has gotten me to love reading. I never really understood it when people said, "the book was so much better than the movie”. I thought to myself, “Why would people ever read a book when you could watch a movie?” Well, I now understand it and totally agree! So, it's already decided, but I will be pursuing my love for romance in this upcoming project. Anyways, this was my little introduction post to the first of many. I hope to use my blog as my safe place to share my thoughts and hopes for my work. To anyone reading this, I will see you next week as I’m start my new journey at becoming a decent(ish) blogger. Bye!

Music Marketing #2

             For my music marketing project, there were a lot of steps that had to be done for this project. Before even starting the project, we had to start researching. I had no prior knowledge of music production companies or anything involving the industry. As we started researching our case study chart, I started learning a lot about the industry. We did our research on Columbia Records and Universal Music Publishing Group. These two production companies are very well known and have a lot of great artists. For our study, we had to choose two artists per company, which was hard for us. They had so many talented artists that it made it hard to choose from. Once we realized that we were doing Beyonce, Adele, Da Baby, and Lil Wayne, we started researching everything about them and their marketing plans. I think that we did an excellent job on our research and that we could’ve maybe found a few more examples of marketing strategies, but overall, we did a great job on the research.

            After we finished our research, we began our storyboard. Coming up with an idea for our music video was the most challenging part of the whole project. It took us a while to agree on an idea that we liked, but would also thought would go well with the song and genre. Once we decided we wanted to do something involving a relationship between a boy and girl, we were ready to begin our project. We came up with ideas for filming, and then the next class, we started to film. We made sure to film all the scenes we needed for our music video and then went back to the class. I think the filming went well, and we did well for people that aren’t usually the ones on camera. Once we got back to the class, we all took on our parts to finish. This made us all feel like we had something to do and work on, which made us on top of all our work. I oversaw creating all our merch and everything on the website. The website was a little bit of a struggle at first because I had never done anything like this before. I was glad that I didn’t end up giving up on the website because I did a great job in the end. I made the whole thing look very professional.

            As I was working on the website, my other teammates worked on the presentation, social media, and editing the music video. We all felt like we had a job in the project, which made it easy for all of us to know what we had to completed. We finished everything within the next class period but still had to do extra work on the presentation at home. Before the day we had to present, we all made sure to time our slides and prepare for our production. I wrote down notecards of everything I wanted to say for my slides to help me feel more confident in myself. When we presented our project during class, we did an excellent job. I think for myself, I could’ve slowed down as I was talking and took a deep breath. My nerves sometimes get the best of me, and I start to talk fast. Even though I talked fast, I still did a good job explaining the website, merchandise, and fan accounts. I learned a lot from the presentation. I realized that I can’t always worry about what everyone in my group is discussing and only worry about myself. I learned that I need to be more confident in myself when I’m presenting, and using notecards helps me feel prepared for what I’m going to say.

            In the end, I think that I learned a lot from this project. One of the first things I learned from this project was how vital researching is. When we had to research our music marketing chart, I didn’t understand how much it would help. This helped for when we had to start planning our marketing strategies and coming up with different plans for our artists. I also learned how to trust people in your group. In this project, we all got our jobs and purposes. I had to rely on everybody in my group to do what they said and to come prepared. Everyone in my group did terrific on their parts of the project, and I think we all worked very well together. We all did a great job on our presentations and preparing for it. I learned that I need to feel more confident in myself and in knowing my information. This project was a great way to help with presentation and talking over big groups of people. Many people, including me, can find presenting very overwhelming, but this project helped a lot. For my Cambridge portfolio, I will use the information and skills that I learned to be able to use it for this next project. I’m going to make sure to use the aspects of researching in my portfolio. I think researching can help me come across what I am interested in and can help me come up with some ideas. I will also be more confident in my work and focus on doing my research for my project because I’ve learned how important it is.

Below I included some pictures of the website that I worked on and also the merchant that I created.