CCR Question #4

The fourth question for the CCR is “How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?” I want to discuss any technologies that I use while producing like hardware (cameras, lighting, mics, phones and tripods) and software (planning tools, editing tools and Blogger) and then how I use these technologies and if they helped me solve problems. 

One of the main problems we had was choosing which tool we would use for filming. We used about 3 different tools, but we landed on using Santina's mom's camera. First, we decided to film on Fatima’s small digital Canon camera but then we realized that the quality wasn't the best, and we couldn't find the charger for it. Then we started filming on an iPhone, which had good camera quality, but it was lacking a sort of professional look that we're going for. Our last option was using Santina’s mom’s camera, which was mostly for pictures, but we made it work to record video. That camera made our shots look so much more professional. There was one problem with this camera though and it was the filming process. Even though we had a tripod, the tripod would fall over due to how heavy the camera was, so we had to hold it and try to stay still for most of our shots which was hard to do and some of our shots did look a little shaky in the end. 

The main software that I used were Canva and Blogger. On Canva (a graphic design platform), I created the animated production logo for the opening, and I also created various mood boards for the project like what the contrast would be in Maddie's old life versus her current life. On Blogger (blog writing platform), I documented every step of the process of creating these opening from the planning to the production. There I shared behind the scenes videos, weekly updates on what we changed and what was going on, Pictures of our props and sets, and all the research I did on both the drama genre and the coming-of-age genre before I started filming. We edited the whole opening on Adobe Premiere Pro which was helpful since we had it on both the school computers and our own. 

 

CCR Question #3

 The third question for my CCR is “How did your production skills develop throughout this project?” I'm going to discuss my research and planning procedures. Then I'm going to scroll the approach to production. So, what I did to adapt, and then I'm going to end with a reflection on how it started and where it ended, and what I learned along the way. 

From the beginning, I started researching the two genres that I knew I wanted to do for this project, which were coming-of-age and drama. I researched 3 Drama movies and analyzed the techniques that were used to establish the setting and to develop the story. Then within the drama genre, I decided to. Directly analyze 3 openings for three different movies and take into account the opening sequences, the fonts, and what was being shown. Once we had the basics like the genre conversion. And the plot of our movie. We started with storyboarding. Creating a Storyboard was extremely helpful as it allowed us to put our ideas down on paper and kind of visualize what the filming process would look like and what the final product would look like. Before filming, we started creating our props and set design elements that would be important to our opening.  

One thing I learned was to not underestimate the filming process. I thought that since we had prepared well by creating storyboards and having a clear idea of what we needed to film, that the production process would be quick and easy and the least of our worries but it’s not like that. On our third day of filming, when we had 99% of the shots done, we realized that what we had filmed wasn’t something we would want to submit. The whole thing was way too long, and all the shots looked rushed, which was terrible since we wanted the opening to be slow paced and raw. Luckily, we still have enough time to reshoot. The whole thing again, but this time we cut out the first half and only focused on what we felt was important to our story.  

CCR Question #2

CCR Question #2  

The second question is “How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?” I want to make sure to discuss how I arrived at my target audience with some research included, then talk about my production choices and how they work to engage with the target audience, and how I plan to make my film available to audiences.  

First, I researched the target audience for both genres of my movie, drama and coming-of-age.  

Drama  

Age Groups:

Young Adults & Adults (25-39 Years Old) this group shows a broad spectrum of preferences, leaning toward a mix of action, comedy, drama, and romantic genres.  

Older Adults (40-60 Years Old) older audiences often appreciate complex narratives and character-driven stories, making them an important demographic for drama films. 

Gender: themes such as illness, compassion, and strength in love tend to be empathized more by females as they can relate better than males 

Movie Audience Demographics: Insightful Study Data

The Target Audience for Drama Films: Who Loves Drama? | AMPLIFY XL

Cinema Audience Demographics Analysis: Insights & Data

Coming-of-Age 

Age Groups:  T

Teenagers (13-19 years old) these films are often set in high school or college environments and address themes such as first love, identity exploration, and peer relationships, making them particularly relatable to teenagers. 

Young Adults (20-30 years old), young adults may find nostalgia and reflection in coming-of-age stories, reminiscing about their own formative years. 

Adults (30+ years old) some coming-of-age films show complex narratives and universal themes that appeal to older audiences seeking insightful storytelling. 

Gender: while certain coming-of-age films may focus on male or female protagonists, the genre addresses universal themes that resonate across genders. 

Psychographics: Viewers undergoing personal growth or life transitions may connect deeply with the themes of self-discovery and maturation presented in coming-of-age films 

Who are the target audience for coming of age films?

My Answer: 

My target will be teenagers and young adults (ages 16-25) who can relate to the loneliness, mental problems, and stress of high school. Maddie's situation, a lonely girl with no social life and troubled family relationship, is one that most teens can relate to, either through their own lives or observing it in the lives of others. My movie taps into themes that are universally applicable like friendship, loneliness, and the battle to cope with depression. Teenagers, particularly those who may have experienced something similar in feelings or relationships, will relate to Maddie's experience. 

To reflect Maddie’s mental state, we emphasized isolation and melancholy. The dull, lifeless atmosphere of her room conveys her internal emptiness with lack of color, barren spaces, and cool lighting. This will resonate with teenagers who are used to seeing vibrant representations of life on social media, contrasting the fake joy of Snapchat with Maddie’s painful reality. The moment Maddie deletes the message to her friend after looking at her social media is something that many teenagers can relate to. The way the diary entries are portrayed, initially colorful and filled with memories, will create a sharp contrast with her current, dark writings. The quiet, almost melancholic score will heighten that sense of isolation along with the pauses she takes when writing in her diary. 

By focusing on Maddie’s internal world and showing how her mental health deteriorated despite attempts at getting better, my film can engage viewers who may be struggling with similar issues or know someone who is. The portrayal of her diary as a way of coping with her emotions will resonate with those who have used journaling or anything similar as outlets in their own lives. The role of Maddie’s parents will also resonate with the audience since often teens may feel like their parents don’t understand them or don’t give them the support they need.  

My film’s target audience will connect with its authentic look at the challenges teens face today, especially around depression and mental health. By making Maddie’s struggles feel real and relatable, and showing the disconnection between her and her parents, the film will speak directly to young viewers who understand these emotional situations.  

As an amateur filmmaker, using YouTube, Vimeo, and submitting to film festivals are two great ways to get my film out there. YouTube is perfect because it's free and easy to use, plus it has a huge audience. You can upload your film, share it with friends, and even use social media to help people find it. It’s also great because I can get feedback from viewers, which can help me improve my skills for the future. On the other hand, film festivals are a bit more competitive, but they can be a great way to get noticed. Even if my film doesn’t win, I can still make connections with other filmmakers and industry professionals. By submitting to local or smaller festivals, I can get a chance to show your work and get real-world experience.

Group Meeting #2

 In today's group meeting we talked about the difficulties we faced during the production process, and brainstormed ideas for our CCR (creative critical review) 

For example, Brianna filmed some clips with her camera and some with her phone, but when she started editing, she noticed that her clips looked very different from each other. She also had been experiencing problems with the camera, like being unable to use the flash while recording video, so she just switched to recording on her phone. Brianna also told us about having to change the beach party scene to a park due to her and her teammate's schedule not lining up and the only day they got together to film the sun had already gone down by the time they arrived.

Hannah had problems with creating fake blood. Her first attempt looked too runny and not realistic at all so she decided to make it again. The recipe included using corn starch, cocoa powder, and food coloring, and the first batch had too much cocoa powder and the color didn't look real. Here is Hannah's blog post about the fake blood: My Posts: production #4

Gabriel had a problem with filming scenes in the gyms since not all of his teammates didn't have a gym membership at the gymnasium they chose.

After that, we all started coming up with ideas for our CCR. Gabriel mentioned that he was thinking of doing a sort of family feud game including one of his friends as the host and another contestant. He said he will have a buzzer, and the questions will all be relating to his opening. Brianna came up with the idea of doing an Oscars red carpet interview with various sound effects of camera clicks and visual effects of flashing lights. The carpet was going to be from her front door to the inside of the house and she said she will most likely use a red roll of paper for it.

Hannah suggested doing a Google peel-off questions interview and have the questions be the ones needed to answer for the CCR. Here is an example:

Editing Process

 We started editing on Adobe Premiere Pro. There isn’t much to edit other than the title, the sound, and the coloring. At first, we planned on having the coloring of our opening be very dull almost as if it lacked vibrance, but once we exported the videos from the camera, we noticed that the lighting choices we made already helped us achieve that look.  

Fatima said she had previous experience editing so she offered to edit most of the clips. She didn’t have much time to edit this week so this is what she has done so far: 

 

 One thing we still need to figure out though is the title clip for the opening. We wanted to make the title appear on screen as if it were being handwritten after the screen fades to black when Maddie closes her curtains. We wanted the title to look handwritten since one of the most important aspects of the movie will be Maddie’s diary whcih she will write in as her depression gets worse. I already started looking up on how we could create this and found this tutorial https://youtu.be/cHNJ8Ankq

For the music, my team member Maria, who happens to play the piano, offered to create some instrumental songs to include in some scenes so our opening isn't completely quiet. Obviously, since our opening will regard a very serious struggle, we don't want the music to take away from the raw feeling that we are trying to convey.