Creative Critical Reflection (CCR)

 Question #1: How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

Question #2: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

Question #3: How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Question #4: How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Final Brief

Here is my final brief. The all 3 processes were different in their own ways and made overall production quite a roller coaster. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Production - Editing (Scene 2)

Welcome back, readers! Last post, I explained my editing process for scene 1 of my brief, which I consider to be the entire crime the hypothetical plot surrounds itself in. Today, I will be going over what I did for the scene with Detective Opacus. I plan to not go over anything I explained previously, as I followed some of my techniques from scene 1 and do not want to sound redundant.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Producing the Scene

The single shot in this scene was completed in three takes. Instead of the original plan displaying Opacus in his office, I instead opted for an alternate approach which shows him at his home. I still wanted to incorporate the transition into the title I had going with the name tag in my initial idea, so I cut out some index papers and wrote down the characters name for the camera to zoom into as the scene plays out.

The production title for the scene was produced as I was editing the scene. I will go into this process later this post.

Transitions

Of the 6 iMovie transitions, I primarily used fade and dissolve.

Much like the first scene, I used fade to show a passage of time from Guise's arrest to the moment Opacus can be seen at his home.

I used dissolve in this scene only to smoothly transition to the production title of the film.

As you can probably tell, you can see many straight cuts in this scene. These were mostly leftover attempts in creating a cleaner transition into the word "Opacus" in his business card. The only one I ended up using was the straight cut to black where the sound of a telephone would play.

Filters

While I decided to not go down the black and white route typical of the noir subgenre for most of my brief, I still decided to play around with whatever filters iMovie had to offer to make some sort of connection to Opacus's troubled mental state, as I do not see the connection being made well enough simply by the posture I had while reading the newspaper. 

iMovie's camo filter was a light blend between the classic b&w and color, as the filter makes most of the tones muted. These muted colors represent how Opacus sees the world, and hints towards his bleak mentality.

The only point in which I did directly use black and white is was for the production title and the transition to it as a way to call back to the subgenre's roots and to show that I have not forgotten what makes it so recognizable to this day.

Production Title

Making the design for the production title was easy enough. I looked back to my early planning post covering the process, and decided to use the Francois One font I had mentioned to make up the word "Opacus". 

I created the title design on Canva, as it already has Francois One built into it. it was simply a matter of my sizing it, copying, pasting, and coloring the pasted version white so that it could go over the black variant to create a shadow that could be seen with some noir films of the past.

iMovie, however, made it difficult for me to import this, even as a .png file. Whenever I would try to import the file, the resulting image would have a yellow box surrounding it, and even after zooming the image all the way down so that the entire word can be seen, the box would still shrink, resulting in only a few letters being shown at a time.

Instead of having the title as an overlay to the screen, I instead added an imported screenshot of the last frame of the recording. When an image/screenshot it put into the iMovie timeline, the software automatically turns on Ken Burns, this adds a small pan to the image by having it move from one point to the next, allowing for the image to be zoomed in/out. This can be edited and deactivated by the user at any time. 

When importing the frame, I made sure that the pan started on the same frame as was left off in the recording, and had it end on a zoomed in frame of the word "Opacus". This was to line up everything so that the title could appear at the center of the screen.

Taking the last frame from the Ken Burns pan, I imported it to the Canva page where I had the design already completed, and simply realigned everything so that it could be centered. This did make me have to go back and edit the pan to the best of my ability to that it would look smooth. The final results are not the best, but getting it to dissolve into one-another was difficult.

Audio

In this scene I decided to use the original audio from the clip that was shot, and added a telephone ringing sound effect, prompting Opacus to rise from his seat. As mentioned earlier, I ended up using the same sound effect as the scene straight cuts to black following the production title to create a sense of mystery as the opening ends and the plot would properly begin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As much as this scene changed towards the end of production, I am proud of how it turned out. One improvement I would have made, looking back, would have been how I executed the whole transition into the production title. I feel like it would have been more interesting for Opacus to grab the top business card, and the one right under was a blank one with the title. I feel like this would have been easier to add into the film, and I would have just needed a Ken Burns pan into the title instead of having to dissolve it into a single image. Aside from that, this second scene was overall much shorter than the rest of the opening, so the changes and connections I made with different elements such as the filter were all effective calls that I am glad I came up with while I was working on it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is all I have got for the production process of my brief, readers! Thank you for sticking through the tedious research process, creative planning period, and volatile production period. I will now import the final result for all to see. See you soon!

Production - Editing (Scene 1)

Welcome back to the blog, readers! Today, I just got done editing my brief in its entirety! I plan to split this process into two separate posts, describing what I did for each scene as well as what processes I used and learned to add certain elements. Let's jump right in!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is Scene 1?

There are two main scenes in my brief, one depicts the kidnapping of the mayor, and the other is of Detective Opacus in his home. I worked on editing in chronological order, putting my focus on the crime scene since it was the first (and most important).

What Software Did I End Up Editing In?

I ultimately chose I-Movie as my software of choice for my brief, simply because of its convenience and my prior experiences using it in the past. Going into it, I was not expecting to find as many useful features as I did using Premier Pro earlier this year, but I was gladly proven wrong and was able to use many throughout the process.

Speed Up/Slowing Down

When importing all of the completed clips at once, the movie had a total run time of about 1 minute and 34 seconds. Even though this time was not including the extra details I had not added at that point, such as any additional screens, transitions  or the title, I still felt as though some shots had to undergo some editing for me to meet the two minute mark.

That is where I found the clip speed adjustment feature. This allowed me to change the speed of certain parts of a single clip by highlighting with a slider and moving the bottom slider to an either faster or slower clip, essentially shortening or lengthening the clip.

In some instances, I was able to add dramatic slowdown to clips which were recorded too quickly, such as the focus on the pin the antagonist is wearing. In others, I used slow down to delay the time in between actions.

I was not only using the slowdown to increase the run time, I was also using the speed up feature to make some actions faster, such as when the antagonist snatches the mayor, and also to make specific accommodations to some shots. Namely, the mid-shot of the officer walking towards the door. I had trouble cutting the clip from the beginning to cut out the part in which I briefly stood, so I instead increased the speed of the pause so that it would show me walking quicker, appearing more natural.

Finding Background Music

I wanted to find an audio track that would fit the mystery and suspense one would feel when watching a crime such as this unfold, so I looked at the music Kevin MacLeod to see if he made anything fitting. MacLeod is an artist who makes royalty-free music, and many of his works are used throughout the internet primarily in videos. I have used some of his music for personal projects of mine in the past, and he has made a surprisingly vast library of music of different genres.

He has all of his royalty-free music posted on his website for download, and has a feature where you can search by genre. I wrote down a few songs from the mystery and suspense mood categories that felt fitting for that of the scene, until I ultimately landed on "Vanishing". This song in particular changes four times throughout 3 minute 55 second duration each changing the mood one may feel while still keeping the mood of mystery at its core. 

Coincidentally, with a little bit of aforementioned speeding up and slowing down of clips, I was able to time the different parts of the first scene to different mood changes in the song.

Practicing the Foley Technique

In some clips, the audio was either interrupted or just not captured well, so I looked into a film process similar to Automated Dialogue Replacement, where instead of dialogue being re-recorded, it was sounds. This process is known as the foley technique, and is where everyday sounds are recreated for realism.

I used this technique to recreate the sound of footsteps, and recorded me walking around in different shoes/surfaces for clips I muted involving characters walking/running. I layered these sounds if who characters are on screen at once (as shown in the image below).

What you can also gather from the image above is that the same speed adjustment used for video is also able to be applied to sound. I used this feature many times to sync up footsteps with how fast somebody was walking in a clip, or to express running/walking.

Something else you can see I used in the above screenshot was the audio fade in/out feature, this allowed me to recreate the effect of the antagonist running up from a distance. Other examples I used this was for if a character were to walk off screen, their footsteps would get quieter.

Aside from footsteps, one of the more intricate moments involving other sounds was the initial clip showing the antagonist hold the weapon up to the mayor. This expands upon two clips, but both share four sounds that are only used once throughout the entire opening, as I recorded the other footstep sounds with the intention of using different parts of the recording so that each time I used it they would sound a bit different from one-another. 

Of the four sounds used for the initial struggle between the characters, two were frantic footsteps recorded in both my dress shoes and sneakers. In the original clips, which I decided to include the audio cause I caught myself making some grunts (ties to realism), me nor my friend's cousin were really making much sound, thus why recorded some footsteps. Another sound these clips use is the rustling of jackets, which I mimicked by doing the same to a blanket. The fourth sound I recorded, which ended up being an afterthought, was the most complicated. I wanted to pair a sound for when the antagonist raises the weapon, so I got one of my jackets and brushed an ordinary pen against it to try creating what the sound would have sounded like if it were done so during shooting. I have to say it turned out to be one of my favorites. (Audio File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sA7dKfCQ4aCbSAehUP5bqSvc9KkdmunO/view?usp=sharing)

Extracting Audio

I initially experienced difficulty importing my recordings, as they would clash with the background music. This was before I learned that there is an option to move an audio track from the background to foreground and vice versa.

To combat the original problem, I looked for a way to extract audio from a video recording. This was done by using the Shortcuts application to set up a shortcut that does just that, the process I followed can be found here. I did this for most of the audio I recorded/screen recorded, thus why the files are named as images in the screenshots.

Transitions

There are six transition types iMovie provides:

The three I used for this scene were none (equivalent of a straight cut), dissolve, and fade. I made sure to utilize these in different ways.

For the none type, I used these for clips that were chronologically followed by another. For example, after the mayor mistakes the antagonist for Guise, the clip is followed by a straight cut into the officer searching around with their flashlight.

Alternatively, I used the dissolve type for moments that were extended between two or more clips, such as when the antagonist is shown struggling with the mayor and the focus is then pulled with a clip of the camera zooming in to the pin.

I only used fade in this first scene when transitioning from the establishing shot of the building to the mayor being driven in, as it shows a passage through time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Considering this is the primary scene for the entire opening, I made sure to put a lot of time and thought into each feature and element I used. There was a lot of backs and fourths throughout the process, as I had landed on using the techniques detailed above throughout different points of editing. One way my process could have been improved is by doing some deeper research on the "how to" for parts I was stuck on, such as not being able to cut a clip from the beginning or not knowing how to make an audio a background or foreground sound. Overall, I look back on this editing process as a culmination of both what I learned in class and my research, even if the road to get here was a bit bumpy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sites Used During Editing Process:

https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/music.html

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FXDODuoZkBQ

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next post will be my second to last regarding my brief, where I will be detailing the process for the other scene of my opening. See you then, readers!

Production - Filming

Hey readers! Last night, I finally got around to filming my brief. As much as I would like to say it went well, it seemed as though for me, the entire project turned upside-down, and all my expectations crashed. In today's post, I will be sharing with all of you what exactly happened, and what had to have been changed for the sake of just getting the film done, as well as future plans as I prepare to film the final scene today.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finding a New Officer

As I previously stressed in the last few posts, I would have to fill in Zach's role as mayor and would have to look towards somebody else to play the officer. 

Thankfully, I was able to find another friend to cover the officer. Prior to the meet-up, I actually went to their house to discuss some things, and showed them a picture of Templar in his original cop costume as a reference for what they should wear. Their final outfit turned out great and, combined with the fedora and badge, gave off the same impression as Templar's.

Up until then things were going great, until I got a text close to 8:00 from Chase saying he could not make it, because me and the others were not able to make it to the Cultural Center before the previously stated time. 

This is the moment when I felt most of the project fell apart.

Big Problem

Now with the absence of Chase, I not only had to find yet another person to help film the night of, but I also had no access to Guise's pin, the most IMPORTANT prop of the opening. At that point, I had to change just about every aspect of the opening aside from the antagonists weapon (the metallic pen) with whatever was in my friend's house.

        The original version of Guise's pin that Chase made.

Changes

For me, finding another person to now play the antagonist and Guise was the most important thing I needed. Fortunately for me, my friend had some family over, and one of their cousins said that they could help. For them, I did not bother with getting their wardrobe situated, as they were already wearing a black hoodie, which was just what I needed.

After they were on board, I had to find a replacement pin for them to wear. Most of what my friend had at their house were Disney pins. While I know I could have just used one of those, I still wanted to go for something that was more "work appropriate" that can be worn both at work and in somebody's daily life, which is when I stumbled upon a tiny pin of the Canadian flag. I am not sure why I went for that instead of just going for something larger and more "unique".

Now that I had finished scrambling for replacements, I had a talk with the two new actors where we should go to film, because my friend's house was about 45 minutes away as opposed to the 18 minute drive from mine, and there was sure to be somewhere nearby where we can film instead. That is when we agreed to go to Miami Lakes Veterans Park, relying on a nearby building as the setting instead of just calling it a "city" like I was planning on doing with the Cultural Center.

Conditions

The conditions we faced with to film were exactly what I had hoped for with the Cultural Center. Because parks are mostly empty at night, the entire area was practically empty, aside for a few people hanging out at the other side of the parking lot. These people can be heard in some of the early shots, but I plan to drown them out with music and other sound elements.

As for weather, it was only partly cloudy. In hindsight, I am glad it did not because I did not want to mess up my formal clothes.

Experience

We wasted no time working on the opening. I brought the storyboard with my as well as referred to script throughout most of the process, but unfortunately had to have someone else film the scenes in which I was in, so I mostly only gave directions on how to film, so some of the takes did not turn out as well as I hoped, but still worked.

We did not take too many takes for each individual shot, only re-doing something if it was done at a pace that was too slow or if we wanted something to change. 

One of these changes was the part where the antagonist runs away with the mayor. Instead of simply running away, we had the idea to have the mayor pushed into the next scene, in which he will be shown holding onto the building and getting snatched once again. This change was made to accommodate for the antagonist bumping all over the alleyway, as we did not have one anymore.

For the scene with the graphic match into Guise getting his mugshot taken, we had to use another building right next to it to film, because it was late and we could not go inside anywhere to film. Additionally, because re-casting was done so late, it was not possible to get a change of clothes for the actor playing Guise, so I just had him take off his sweater.

Other than these, some other shots were changed slightly, such as the mayor being driven into the location. We also included some extra frames such as for when the antagonist draws the weapon to the mayor, because the pin was so small.

Overall, for what has happened regarding previous plans, I would say that filming still went fairly well, and I hope that my effort to salvage the situation is shown in the final product.

Mistakes

I had made one crucial oversight when filming. Before filming the mayor riding in (or after), I was supposed to get an establishing shot of the building. This was completely overlooked by me, even after writing so in the storyboard.

Thankfully, tonight I will be going back to my friend's house, so I believe I still have another change to get a quick few seconds of the building, if the conditions (such as weather) were like last night.

Plans for Scene with Protagonist

Today I plan to shoot the scene of the protagonist at home. The area in my house where I initially thought of filming has not enough room for my original idea of having the protagonist rise and walk away from his seat, so I thought of something else. Instead, I plan on altering the scene completely and using the "home" setting as the basis.

Now, instead of the protagonist flipping through filing cabinets, I plan to have them simply reading the paper, though he will still rise from his seat now at the sound of a telephone ringing. Instead of the name tag showing his name, I will have a stack of "business cards" on a table nearby where he is sitting. This will help conceal my face so that it is less obvious that I am playing two roles and should still hopefully be enough to immerse the audience.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking back at this entire experience, I am quite down about the fact that most of what me and my friends planned did not come into fruition, as almost every aspect was changed on the fly. But as I said before, I am happy for what I accomplished with the new group despite the many mishaps, and I hope to improve upon what we did with my editing, which I will begin very soon, as I have the rest of next week to solely focus on my brief.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The road of planning and production has been a wild ride, and I am interested to see what the final product will look like. Next post, I will begin editing, and will be breaking the process into parts which I can each talk about individually. Thank you for sticking with me as always and I will see you next post!

Production - Film Day Preparations

Hey, readers! Today is the day I will finally be filming the main part of the opening. Much has happened since my last post, so today I will be filling everybody in before I head out to the Cultural Center!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Actors

Most of what has occurred once again centers around the availability of my friends. Last post I mentioned how Templar was not able to make it to film this Saturday, but now Zach cannot, either. I resorted to contacting the person who was originally going to replace Zach my first attempt at filming, but he cannot stay late to film at sundown this time around.

At this point, I cannot possibly film any later, as most of my friends have school next week and I will also be occupied with having to complete editing and blog posting. So, I have decided to take over the role of mayor. The only saving grace of this decision is that Opacus (the protagonist) will not have his face shown for his scene, so things should still be alright. As for the role of the cop, I am now in the process of asking some adult relatives of mine if they would not mind helping out, and a few have already said they can!

Props/Wardrobe

Considering the spot in which I find myself, I have made it a point to ensure that I have everything in terms of the clothing for the mayo, that being a formal outfit for going out. I also got on call with Chase to review everything that he has to wear and bring, since he is responsible for making the pin (possibly the most important prop of the opening) as well as filming for both of his roles (meaning he needs two different outfits).

As for the cop's outfit, I plan to improvise while looking back at the changes I made when Templar originally brought up his ideas. I know this is not the most effective way of handling this situation, but it would be best to base everything off of things the person acting already has, because I am already calling them in on such short notice.

Plan

The plan for today is to head to Miramar Cultural Center at around 8:00, because sundown has shifted to an hour later because of Daylight Saving Time.

Filming should not be hard enough, though I would have to rely on somebody else to film the scenes in which I am now in (which will be a good few). I still plan on having them follow the camera movements and shots I planned in my script, so I will make sure to have my class notes in handy to help make the footage still look like something I recorded.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entire experience leading up to today has taught me a lot about large-scale projects like this. Since I have been relying on friends outside of my classes to help me out with acting, I have had to make many accommodations to try and find a time where every single person was available, but unfortunately much has arose only days before I have wanted to film. I initially wanted this project to be a showcase of my skills that I have learned throughout the school year, but now I only hope that they are still reflected through the final product, considering all the sacrifices and changes that have had to be made.

Filming today now leaves me just a few days to get the scene with Opacus finished with, though I believe that can be accomplished much quicker and at a setting I am more comfortable in. I still plan to begin editing right away, as I personally do not want to be wasting any more time on this project. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next post, I plan to describe how filming goes tonight. I only hope that it goes as well as I first hoped, but only time can tell. Thank you for reading today's post, see you!

Production - Issues

Hello readers! Today I would have began with the process of editing for my film, but a number of issues have sprung up since Friday that have complicated most of what me and my friends had planned for filming. Today, I will be telling you what exactly has happened and what me and my friends have come up with to salvage what time we have left in these last two weeks.

In other news, I will be slightly improving the structure of my posts so that sections are now more visually categorized!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Availability

On the morning of last Friday before school, I messaged my group asking if they were all ready for filming later in the day, just to know beforehand if we would have to end up going on the 13th (this Friday). Lo and behold, Zach (who will play the mayor) had last-minute plans that evening, so filming that night had to be a no-go.

I personally did not want to wait another week just to make more progress with my brief, so I contacted another one of my close friends who was not aware of the project. Thankfully they were on board, and after quickly getting them in on the loop (on what they had to wear, the plot, and their character), I contacted Templar (the officer) and Chase (the antagonist) that filming was back on for that day. Before this, I made sure to tell them that I would be finding a replacement for Zach, just so that they are aware of the possibility of still going out to film.

It was when I contacted Templar where I learned that HE could not go, despite finding a replacement for Zach. Considering it was already close to 5:00 when I contacted Templar, I did not want to rope in another friend out of the blue, meaning I had to call off filming for the day and resort to this Friday to get it done.

My Job

I was thankful that at least me and the original group set up the back-up date for this week, meaning we would not have to be scrambling for a new date last-minute. Unfortunately, things would not stay the same until I got a notification from work saying that I would be working that Friday night. Great, now I am the one not available the night everyone else is (considering they had almost a whole two weeks of anticipation). 

This set-back was detrimental to entire planning process me and my friends had for the brief, as it was important for us to consider that half of us go to a completely separate county from the rest, meaning the Friday me and Templar have off this week, as well as all of next week for Spring Break, will just be regular weeks for Zach and Chase.

Compromise

The night after I found out about my surprise shift for this Friday, I got on call with Zach and Chase (Templar still was not available) and had to think of a last minute date in which we can squeeze time during the night to finally get filming done. 

Most weekend nights I am at work until 10, and Sundays are school nights for most of us, so I did not want to keep us up until very late for those days. Thankfully, I only work until 7:30 this Saturday, and Zach and Chase were fine with going later at night, saying how going to the Cultural Center at night was "better, anyways".

Backup

Earlier today I spoke with Templar about our change in plans, and he told me that he may be doing things that once again complicate his availability this weekend, which is unfortunate considering he was behind most of the wardrobe change for the cop, and having to have is work undone and have to wait for yet another package would not be enjoyable on my end.

From here, I plan to discuss with him more about anything we can do to ensure he is available Saturday. I plan to ask for all the props and clothing he said he would bring during our initial meeting in case he still cannot come to give to the backup I initially contacted to replace Zach.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This past weekend was a lot for me. I really want to avoid a time crunch, as I still have to edit the film  (and make posts about the process) by the end of next week and then only have a little bit of time before CCR's are due early next month. These setbacks have really opened my eyes to consider more back-up plans in case Saturday's plan still do not go according to plan. Considering that night is practically the last chance we have of filming as a group, I may have to sub in for somebody if something like last Friday happens again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For now I will keep you up on anything that happens between now and Saturday. Thanks for reading!

Production - Purchasing Props

Hello, readers! It has been a good bit since my last post, and that is because me and my friends have been all week to film! In the meantime, I said that I would purchase the props that we were certain we did not have.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I knew it was going to be difficult getting both the police badge and fedora prop (for a cheap price), I opted to simply shop online. I went to Amazon to make these purchases because I know it is a reliable source that can surely buy cheaper product that will still look like the "real thing" on screen. 

I wanted to spend as little as possible on this purchase, so I made sure to spend at most $20 combined (minus tax). I held off on getting a white button-down shirt that the friend playing the officer asked for, as it felt unnecessary looking at the entire costume worn at once. In the Amazon homepage, I made simple key searches for both "police badge" and "fedora men's". What I found was a 4-pack of police badges (which is more than I need but works fine) and a "1920s Men Fedora", which were both $9.99 each!

Looking at shipping dates, on a regular plan they would have been delivered to my home on the 10th, which means me and my friends would have to wait a whole 'nother week just to film the 13th. While that is not an issue since they have since all confirmed that they can meet on both Fridays, I would like to get a move on with my brief as soon as possible. Anyways, with Prime, both props can be delivered as soon as later today, so I may be expecting them on time for tomorrow!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In all honesty, I should have been making this post much earlier in the week, as I have held off on doing this for more than a week. Thankfully, there was still just enough time for me to get this through before tomorrow.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next time, I will detailing the preparations me and my friends will be making tomorrow as we head for the Cultural Center, and plan to make a post solely on filming after that. See you with another post soon!