#8 ITS DECISION DAY

 Decision Day! Woohoo! 

This has been a long time coming, and plenty of ideas have stirred my mind for our big video. For example, I had an idea to do a thriller based off the idea of jeepers creepers (and then i realized that is unrealistic ),  secondly, I wanted to portray the feeling of being lonely [aka bringing the emotion of loneliness to life. ] and lastly, i wanted to over the life of a girl struggling with her faith in Jesus and the mental toll life has been taking on her.

My ultimate decision was to incorporate that second idea with the romantic genre. I want my video to cover the idea of a couple having the time of their lives, yet something comes between them, and they have to do long distance. (aww…)

So, who is on my team? 

Drumroll please… (🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁)

No one :)

A bit of a juxtaposition I will say, and though there are plenty of creative people in my class, I prefer to work by myself. Also, the video idea I would like to execute involves romantic “scenes”, and it will come off more naturally if done with my own significant other. 

Although it will be difficult, I will be using help from the outside. Or for context, my brother, dad, and any of my friends not in the media studies course. 

What I have right now. 

My camera. My computer. And my mind. 

Through every assignment we do in this class, I find more ideas to incorporate into my final video, such as trans-diegetic sound, that I utilized in my editing assignment, different filters and colors, the use of different shots such as close up and over-the-shoulder. 

One idea that I have thought about, was to have a scene change/transition from one place to another to be transitioned through a car passing by. I know that description is not the greatest, so here is a visual: 

It will be setting one

Car passing by

then setting two

But it will be me in the same position to visualize me being in different locations.

How confident am I?

With the more knowledge I gain in media studies, I become more confident in the result of the video. 

Every person is different and will take the assignment differently, that is what I loved about this class.

Although, I will not lie, after seeing many other people’s video assignments, I will compare myself and “degrade” what I have produced, that is what I have been feeding into my mind, no one has actually said that to me. I will truly be confident in my video when I achieve and use those ideas I am thinking. I am not expecting to have a Walt Disney Productions type result but creating a video that emits the story I want to portray will make me nothing but happy. 

Updates on the video coming soon!

#7 So, what is editing?

 Editing!

In our already long unit 2, another chapter was added: Editing! (yay…) Not that it is not important, it is just something known to be a long process, so I was expecting the chapter to be the same. 

Although, it was quite interesting, apart from the knowledge I already had because of my digital experience. So, let’s take a deep dive into editing. 

What is it?

So editing is the “... technical and creative process of media production. It is a post-production process and involves the enhancement and assembly of raw footage and sound.” Makes sense.

I initially took it as just cutting, placing transitions on your videos, and putting some sound and effects. But editing is a crucial part of the post-production process. It specifies the media text and brings the text to life. Just filming is one part of the process, the editing brings it all together. I am sure the directors of photography and other editing and visual supervisors during filming, constantly remind actors “imagination”, simply because it's hard to visualize being in another planet when you’re behind a bright green screen with 20 people staring at you. 

What do you do? 

Something standard in editing is transitioning from one scene to another. This can be done through a variety of cuts like standard cuts, eyeline match, and cross cutting. Although they seem like standard processes, it makes the texts understandable. 

For example, eyeline match is where the camera cuts from the person looking off-screen to who/what they are looking at, adding context behind the scene. An example of this technique is in the infamous candle scene in Barry Lyndon (1974), though an earlier film, it captured the feeling of uneasy-ness while the woman was looking up and down from the table to the man in front of her, signaling that there is some relationship between them. 

Another example is not a fictional film, but a reality tv show: DCC Making The Team. This surrounds the audition process and lives of prospective Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and their veterans. [Not to be confused with the latest docuseries America Sweethearts, about the cheerleaders that is airing on Netflix]. 

This type of media text does not require much special effects or technical editing, so it primarily uses standard cut and fade transitions. An aspect of reality television editing that is important, is where scenes are being cut and the sound effects added, to make it more “entertaining”. This show also uses plenty of slow-mos to accentuate the cheerleaders’ dance moves and look. Take a look at this clip to understand my drift. 

So how did I use this? 

In the recent editing assignment, we were tasked with creating a 30-second video utilizing what we learned in class. 

For my assignment, I chose to stay alone (again…lol), so I created a plot surrounding the idea of me coming home myself and going to water my plants. Techniques I used were standard cuts and fade outs to capture the simplicity and calmness of the video. Additionally, to make my video more eye-catching, I used different shots from different angles, such as a wide shot, point of view, and low-angle shots. Not only that, but something also that always caught my eye in films were trans-diegetic sounds (when sounds go from diegetic to non-diegetic in the same scene). Since I had a miniature radio in my room, I wanted to create a scene using it, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. When I wanted to “listen to music”, I used a POV shot of me turning on the radio with music playing from there, to then a standard cut to a wide shot of me walking as the sound plays in the background. 

This definitely could’ve used some improvements, but I had fun grabbing techniques I've learned and making it into a great product. Hope you enjoy it as well. See you next time!

#6 Lighting and Mood (how they connect!)

 Lighting and Mood

Lighting in a film is another important aspect in a film’s final product. Not only does it illuminate the scene, it creates the mood in a particular scene, moves the audience’s eye/focus, and can emphasize the feeling the character(s) are experiencing in that scene as well.  

 Lighting is what brings your scene to life, it brings the dark to light and hides secrets from the audience in the dark. An example of this in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Pt.1). In the opening scene, there is a low lighting on the minister of magic when he is performing his monologue. This is to reflect there is more to what is being said, there is a secret waiting to be revealed. 

A particular scene in the media…

Although not a film, Outer Banks is a piece that focuses plenty on natural looking lighting, to convey the sense of realness (reality) that the show is trying to portray. It is set on the beautiful beaches of the outskirts of South Carolina and emphasizes the split between rich (the Kooks) and poor (the Pogues).

One part of the show that stands out is how the lighting changes from so saturated to shadowy. One scene in particular was the main group of Pogues searching for the “cross of gold” in the church. The lighting is warm and portrays the one of the Sun in the afternoon, and it creates the sense of heat and urgency to find the cross. When they return to the church after someone got injured, the shadowy lighting to create the feeling of night, also gives off the feeling of betrayal and secrecy, which later in the scene, the Pogues found out that some Kooks stole the cross without their knowledge. This makes the audience feel the excitement of the discovery to the disappointment of knowing that all that hard work has soon been taken away, showing how just from lighting, it makes the scene come alive and understandable. 

For my video…

The concept of my video surrounds the idea of long-distance. The mixture of heartbreak and hope. Similarly to the Outer Banks example, I would like to use (in correspondence to my composition of scenes), warm and shadowy lighting to show the difference of the couple’s feelings/thoughts at specific moments. 

For the beginning of the film's opening, I will use colorful and bright lighting to represent the abundance of love, and natural, dull lighting (almost monotone) to reflect the distance between the two and the weight of the feeling of separation. To further drive understanding of what I am trying to portray in the 2 minutes we have available.

  

#5 Personal Sound Motifs in Film! (and how I will utilize them)

 So…What exactly are sound motifs?

Sound motifs are a repetition of a sound that corresponds to a certain character, or part in a story. Every single time Superman comes on screen, you will know it's him just from the da daNa dananana (terrible rendition but you get my point). 

Why are they important? Like...what can they do?

Sound motifs remind the audience of a character, and what they bring to the story, that can reciprocate a good feeling or a bad feeling. These can impact greatly because when the audience hears a certain something, they will anticipate a particular action on screen. A prominent example will be Jaws. Every moment in which that sound appears, the audience will anticipate the shark or Jaws to appear on screen and some danger occurs. 

This continuous engagement from the audience is important, as they will understand the story more and be more immersed in the film’s plot. Like for example in Jaws, every time the shark theme is heard, the audience anticipates the great white to come along, and for someone else to be the next victim...

What does this have to do with me? 

For my 2-minute film opening component, the idea of a rom-com surrounding a long-distance relationship keeps on stirring my mind. For a sound motif idea, I thought that a certain song would be played every time they think about each other. 

Now, the sound can be diegetic or non-diegetic, or even trans-diegetic. Examples can be, one of the persons puts their headphones on and plays that certain song, or the song is played in the background when the thought of the other occurs, or the song is played in the background and switches to be heard from one of the person’s cell phones. 

Which sound would I use?

Various song/sounds have been roaming my mind, yet a few such as Pink + White [Frank Ocean], Return to Me [Dean Martin], (I Know) I’m Losing You [The Temptations], You Send Me [Sam Cooke] & Kiss and Say Good-bye [The Manhattans] have struck out. Of course, due to copyright restrictions there will be a small chance I will be able to use them, but the themes and instrumentation of these songs reflect what I want to portray on screen. 

What does it mean? 

For every time the sound/song is heard, the audience should be able to feel the longing love the two people have for each other, and for each time there is a mix of heartbreak and hope. The sound/song will be a sad reminder yet give each of the two an ounce of joy/hope that they need in the time they are apart from one another. (aww so cheesy…so sad)

#4 Our 30-second Creation!

 My first official video...😖

For our first video assignment, we were tasked in creating a 30-second silent film with a cohesive plot. We were able to work with a partner, individually or someone outside of the class (as background characters).

The first step of this video was to create a storyboard with the plot, the camera shots used, and the number of scenes. This was particularly my favorite portion because of my love for writing (and wanting to create the most creative plots). 

The plus to the video, is that sounds (synchronous/non-synchronous) can be included into the film, so it is entertaining and understandable (and for the audience to be immersed in the video)

So, what did I do?

I decided on creating a film called "The Dish", which conveyed a story of a chef stressfully cooking for a critic and delivering it to him. I was inspired by Ratatouille and my parents' career in the food industry, and since we were making dinner the day of recording, it was perfect. 

For the video I had my brother, and my father help me with recording, and have my brother feature as the infamous critic. 

For the video, it began in my kitchen with an over-the shoulder shot to see the food and stress of the situation just off the body language.  The second scene comprised of a mid- shot establishing a new character, the critic. (dun dun dun...). The third scene was from a high angle to show the finished product, and it was handheld, to emphasize shaky/nervous feeling of the chef. The fourth scene was at a low angle, two-shot, with focus on the critic to make him seem demeaning or scary. The fifth scene was a close up on the critic, taking a bite out of the food, and to see the expressions on his face. The sixth and final scene is another two-shot with the chef initially questioning whether critic liked it or not, yet the critic gave her the nod of approval, which led the chef to jump in join. 

Another important aspect was the sound, from the title music to the beating drums indicating extreme stress, and the joyful/congratulating music in the end, lets the audience be immersed in the film. It was all synchronous sound, emphasizing what the creator (myself) was trying to convey 

Here are some more pictures on how the story board came out:

How it came out!

Since I had done this project with my father and brother, there came a lot of bloopers and mistakes...

for example, the kitchen scene took the longest (since my brother is shorter than me...getting the correct shot took some work) 

Another scene, of the chef delivering the food, my brother kept on LAUGHING. Don't get me wrong it was a fun process, but it was JUST.MOVING. FOOD. Like, c'mon we have to be professionals around here. 

Although there are some design and framing elements i would change/add, I feel good with the final product...Take a look! 😊

#3 Our Digital Notebook !

 Now this is life…Canva…

When I heard how we are taking our notes for this class, my face actually lit up. Instead of the usual notetaking method, Ms.Ortiz (our media studies teacher) opted to assign a digital notebook. 

To create this digital notebook we use the great app called CANVA (this is not a paid promotion, totally wish it was…sponsor me Canva). This assignment not only calls for the notes and correct information from the textbook but CREATIVITY. Thank you Ms.Ortiz

The HomePage…

The first step towards creating this notebook is the homepage, this is what captures the audience (or Ms.ortiz or anyone who she shows it to.) A little “me” plug, Ms.Ortiz had actually shown my notebook to the author of the current AICE Media Studies textbook during her training, which i find very exciting. Enough about me, back to this notebook...

The homepage had to consist of a title, all units (8) with links to a page for each, and some imagery.

And this is how mine came out:

Each Unit...

So, for the notes themselves, they are housed in the pages of our quote unquote website. Each page has about 8,000 px (pixels) of length, large enough for each chapter, right? Nope. At least not for me i can be a try hard at times. My first chapter/ unit fit in the page WITH SPACE, then came along 2.2... This dealt with everything about camera shots, angle, frames, and composition, which is VERY CRUCIAL information. I just thought to put as much as i can onto the page, because *cough* *cough* i am a try hard. 

Well, it all came in handy because Ms.Ortiz said she loved how it looked, and asked if she could use it as an example (oh yeahhhh...-this was said not sarcastically)

The Gallery / Walkthrough

Doing a little flashback, after completing our first chapter, we had to "check out" everyone's homepage and how the notebook is coming out. [I will be honest, I was just ready to finish my work and go home, but I kept on], so I turned my tablet around (device I was using at the time), so people can see and i was wondering as to why, no one stopped to look at mine, until one girl came up and said, "where's yours" to which I replied "right here, of course..." because obviously that's the only place it can be, but turns out my tablet was off almost half the time... (embarrassing...); although, when I turned its back on (and ensured it did for the rest of the time), people said it looked great and professional, I call that a win. 

This is how it looks so far...

I can't wait to continue this notebook and see the completed look later.... 

#2 Analysis of Film Opening!

 

Analysis of film opening

To further drive my Harry Potter obsession…

In class a  few days ago, we were tasked with analyzing an opening of a film, and of course I chose what I knew best, Harry Potter. (Specifically Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ). 

The task consisted of watching the two minutes of a film opening and to analyze the camera shots, angles, and compositions, a perfect assignment for this class. 

Initially…

I was confident in knowing the movie and that this task will be soooo easy (girly– you thought wrong). Once i began rewatching the movie, it clicked to me how complex and so much stuff it has JUST IN 2 MINUTES.

 It's an amazing movie don’t get me wrong, and i had a blast watching it and writing so much about it, but i ended up filling TWO COLLEGE.RULED. SHEETS OF PAPER.BACK-TO-BACK MAY I ADD– My hand was out for the count after that. 

Throughout the assignment…

There was a realization on why the director made the choices he did. (yes i made sure the director is a guy). The establishing shot or really a black screen, was to symbolize the dangers coming, but if i have never been in this class (or watch the movie), that would’ve been overlooked. 

Another realization was how important the ministry of magic scene was. The extreme close ups and shallow focus on the minister (leader/man performing monologue), made the scene more intense, it brought more importance to the subject at hand. Additionally, a camera shot that also gave hints towards the future plot in the movie was the one facing the minister’s back. This (from what I learned), represents hiding. There is something that is hidden from the audience, and from some people in the film and it will be revealed to the audience later. 

Final Thoughts…

I want to do another assignment such as this just so i can examine further different films and TV shows of my choice (honestly, I just might do another Harry Potter movie). I am excited to further my skills in media analysis, more so than already, because tbh [to be honest] every time i am watching a certain show/commercial/movie/tik Tok/YouTube video, I am analyzing the choices and effect of those choices. 

Sneak Peek (well, not really) ...

Here is a link to the movie opening, and I hope you see how great it is (it will be great)! Enjoy and see you next time!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (pt.1)

#1 First Impressions on the Big Project !

 

Welcome to my Blog! 💗

Hi, my name is Kayla! I am in 12th grade, and this is my first blog for my media studies class. I'm excited to share my media studies journey with you! Let's get started...

Yay...😐😮

 So, it was decided that we will be focusing on a 2-minute video or movie intro for our final exam project. Quite creative, and exciting for sure...there was a bit of sarcastic-ness simply because it was not my initial choice, yet I am sure I will soon love it. 

So... 😕😛

My initial reaction was not surprised simply because I'm sure most people do not find interest in writing magazines and assume a video will just be the easier option--which from how Ms. Ortiz (my media studies teacher) described; it must be--Another reaction I had was the realization of the enormous opportunity that comes with a video, that a magazine may not have because of limitations on what you can write about, such as topic or theme. Whereas a video, from the examples we've watched, allows for our creativity to shine through imagery.  As of right now, I do not know who I am going to pair or group with, I am still thinking to work individually simply because I trust myself (and God), and my ability to write and film -and edit, maybe, it's been a minute (not actually a minute, more like a looong time) since I edited in Mr. Melton's class. So, that is one of the things I am unsure about when it comes to this project. Another thing is the actual idea and concept of the video that I am stuck between, but pretty much I have a couple (or few...or many).

This is what I got...🤓

Some ideas that I have surround more of a dramatic/non -fiction type of moving opening (or movie in general). As a scriptwriter in Shark PAC, I have always wanted to lean towards a dramatic, realistic, and an eye-opening play and with the ideas I have, I hope to do that with the 2-minute video. The ideas in my head are:

1. a coming - of - age genre movie intro about a girl struggling with her faith. Being between giving life to Jesus and living for the world. 
2. a rom com about two people who were going back and forth into a relationship with one another. 
3. a dramatic piece on a jazz club in the 1960s, and how it overcame the hardships of that time, yet had hope, joy, excitement and more
4. and....TBD

My goals...💟☝

some goals that I have for this project is to settle on an idea for the movie intro, finalize how I am going to do this (whether individually or with a group from class), focus on the video and complete all aspects of it, be creative as much as I can, and ultimately, have fun.