CCR #3 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

The third question to answer is the following: 

• How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

I want to answer very informally. Yes, I know I am doing everything more relaxed rather than stiff and just reading out loud. But, I honestly think is the way I like the most to watch and express content. People nowadays value way more what is authentic and natural rather than very produced productions, so showing that side of me while answering the questions I think is the best that I can do. 

I would answer that my skills have developed massively throughout this project. I have learned more here than probably in the whole year, as I have experienced what is really like to produce the whole set to record, lighting, editing, sounds, everything required to get a good result and the time it actually takes, specially that. It took much longer than what I expected, and I think I really grew with my skills and ways to do things in order to be successful in my productions. 

CCR #4 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 The fourth and final question is the following:

• How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

My whole hardware and software sources are my phone and computer, which are all the devices I used for the developing of this production, footage and editing. For online, I used youtube and social media to distribute my project and adobe premiere for the whole editing part.

This ccr format will be much shorter than the first one, but I still expect it to still work as effective as other ones with much more screen time.

CCR #2 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

The second question in the CCR to answer is: 

• How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

My product will engage the audience by feeling anger and disgust towards the antagonist, the stranger, and compassion in some way by wanting desperately to help de kid to beat this guy and his twisted desires. 

It would be distributed through You Tube and all social media, because, I am not a major distributor and not even close to that. Realistically, the only way my project could be seen is through free sites and not paying for a drastic cinema whatsoever because I don't count with the enough budget nor impact to afford that. 

With the brownie video, I will respond to this question and question #1, then I will use the other format for the other 2 to make an even distribution of content. My way is also to blend in the questions with natural dialogue, not just being a whole scripted sequence where I respond things like a robot or just reading out loud. 

Engaging the people watching is my main goal, which is the main goal any type of production has to have, because if not you are just boring and no one will want to watch the stuff. I hope to have the whole CCR ready throughout the weekend so I can just focus on final details on the last week. 

New Script - Cambridge Portfolio Project

A lot of changes on  the script has been made in the opening, as I told before, I did not do it with my friends but my family. 

Now, the new and final version of the story, is me as the main character, receiving a pizza order from a guy. Everything seems normal, but a series of hints imply that this guy is not the normal guy he seems to be. 

My dad will play this person, and it will be located on a normal house. The shots will show my arrival to the house, and then the movie ends with this guy asking for help with stuff inside and the antagonist locking the door behind him. This will create the mistery towards what will happen next and make the people want to continue watching.

I had to come up with this idea due to obviously the issues I mentioned before, but also I think this version is the better one of all I did. I am really happy with the result and hope that everyone does too. 

Group Meetings #2 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 With the group today we discussed about everyone's projects, and we are all doing very similar and very good. We had some doubts about the CCR and what creative ways we could use to make the best out of it. I also realized that I need one more format for my creative reflection, so in consequence I have to think about one more way to answer the questions. 

I came up with an idea, maybe not the best, but at least I think it's original. I will do a what do you do for a living video, where she tells me that she likes my car and what do i do for a living.

There I then will answer that i’m a film producer and proceed to explain what my movie is about etc. Then, they will ask me about the last 2 questions of the CCR but informally, it will be natural and will be really just a normal guy asking questions for his video.

With that set aside, in the meetings also we discussed about how they used the color gradings and mainly editing, which helped me realize some things about my own project and look forward to change them.

I will upload in my next blog my answer to the 2 question and explain my plana thorough.

CCR#1 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 The CCR is probably the thing I am most excited about, because I am going to cook brownies.

My idea is to be with a friend in a kitchen and be cooking brownies while she interviews me. We will be totally informal and the idea is to do sort of what Gordom Ramsay did with Matthew McConaughey cooking stake, but brownies in this case.

It’s kind of long and OBVIOUSLY this one’s not going to be that long, but you get the idea.

The first question is, 

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

The horror conventions are followed but in a way you really feel what the character is feeling, by incorporating a lot of point of views and close ups that make you connect with the story.

My story represents all the people that suffer any abuse or anyone that suffered a traumatic experience, which is the whole definition of this opening basically. 

This although is not my script, for the moment I have not written anything that I am going to say, but hacing this question answered really helps me to set the ground for my CCR, which I am going to film this next week.

Editing #2 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 The fun part has begun! 

Editing I can say is one of the things I like the most. Making the perfect cuts in the right moment and really get into the feeling I want to create on the production.

I am using the colors of lumetri for the basic tone, and in some cases the blur, which in this case with the little opening, being a pov and just being awake, is neccesarry.

I am also keeping the yellow tone, as it shows the incomodity as I said before in this blog 100 times.

For some reason I still can’t upload videos, but i’m doing my best to keep showing the content. 

I don’t know if showing much pictures right now is going to help to show my progress as it’s mainly the same because I can’t show the sounds or use of cuts, but I will keep working on the missing elements and try to make the best out of my modest product; i’ll keep you all updated.

Editing #1 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 I will take this first part of the editing as my space to organize and express my way of how i researched the best ways to protray the story.

I started as a normal person looking for youtube explanatory videos, that is the way I learn the most, when I came up with this video:

This video explained me the basics to do a good horror, and in implementing it I always have to take into account those points, also accompained by abvoisuly the lightning and sound portions, which I tried to understand more with this video:

This video is great, as it guide me through the proper manners and also by taking into account I have a very low budget in this production.

I’m not going to bother you guys more with research, so stay tunned to see how i actually use it in my production 

Production #4 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 Hi blog, this week I got finally things moving.

My friends turned out to be all of a sudden celebrities and no one could be available to shoot anywhere soon. So, I recruited my family members, and in consequence had to change the story a little bit.  

The shooting is now in my house, and the whole garage scene had to be replaced as I don’t have one, the device is going to be my phone and instead of being a group of friends, ironiccaly it’s family. The beginning scene is still the similar, with obviously the slight detail that the script and sequence is not the same. 

The idea is that now, the setting is my laundry room, and the character is my brother, so I can develop my shots correctly. The antagonist will be my dad, which will be the uncle (the antagonist) of the story.

An example of the shot:

Due to technical dificulties I could just take a picture of one of the takes to upload, as my videos are not loading.

In the after process i’ll make everything darker and with more other things that i’ll show you in the next blog, for this to be the best that I can. I may have to re shoot some sequences because I probably let too much light through and it’s going to be more difficult to edit. Also, I may have to actually make up blood on him, because I thought about making the thing different and him being tied up to be kept safe, but as I am writting this I am thinking more about it and may end up re shooting the whole thing.

What’s up with the flashback now? The idea is for them to go on a fishing trip, as I already count with props due to my brother being fascinated with the sport. He’ll be ready with the stuff and they will talk until leaving to their adventure.

My next post is about the editing process which is the most difficult part. Wish me luck!

Production#3 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 As my last resource before filming, I watched a couple videos about how to make a horror movie addictive, and I came up with this and think is the best video that can help me out develop my project.

This guide explains how the suprise, expectations, and other factors help develop background for the character we try to represent.

As I try to make the character look justified on his actions, I can build up his story and also create a slight jumpscare and/or a dark scene were the villain makes a sudden appearance.

All of this, although are not direct production updates, help me guide me through all the steps needed when I can finally shoot this week, and i’m very excited to see how the final result turna out.

Production #2 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

For the lightning, I used the following video to guide myself at keeping up with the lightning to be impolute and create the impact I want it to.

This help me make an image in my mind for what I want to do, and especially when it is such an important part of this excerpt.

I have already started to try some things out with some video clips from youtube in my computer, and it went out well overall. I can do a lot better and i’m trying to learn new things everyday tovmake the most out of the production.

Production #1 - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 Luck has not been on out side this weekend.

We were supposed to film on friday 2/28 or the following 2 days of the weekend. Unfortunately, One of my friends had an emergency going on in Orlando and he had to leave for the weekend, so We were bot able to film antthing as he is the one with the camera and also plays the part of the killer, as he is the older looking person.

Although all the ods against us, we tried to make something out of it. I forgot to take pictures, but we set up the garage and room for the ocasion for the following week, and we now got the setting and lightning complete for when the shooting begins.

I will keep showing my progress and also explain our steps of production planned for the next week.

Planning - Cambridge Portfolio Project

 I am a bit closer to filming now, this week has been a complicated one. I have just been sick and getting better was tough, but tomorrow, Friday 2/28 I will most likely start filming. My team will be conformed by 2 of my actual best friends. 

The movie will be in Spanish originally, but will add subtitles in order to help all audiences to know what is going on. I chose this language because it's all but specially mine's native language, and it's more comfortable to develop a script, and also for us, the characters, to really feel what is going on.

The setting will al be on a friend’s house, where he has a garage and the perfect room I am looking for the filming part.

Will probably be filming soon, so I’ll keep you all guys updated