AICE Media Studies

Critical Reflection   1.       While brainstorming ideas for my short film, I wanted to create something that was powerful. I wanted to convey a strong message that would ignite change. Even if it wasn’t going to change anything, raising awareness was important to me. I thought of some issues that invoked strong emotions for me personally. One of these was domestic violence/child abuse. My short film about a teenage girl killing her abusive father is a powerful message that has the potential to raise awareness about a variety of social issues and represent many social groups. Firstly, the film can shed light on the issue of domestic violence, which is a genuine problem affecting people of all ages and genders. By showing the severe impact of domestic violence on families and communities, my film can help to raise awareness of this important issue and potentially inspire victims to seek help and support. My film can also represent the social group of teenage...

Website Postcard What Goes Around Comes Around

 Today, I needed to start the postcard process. Felipe and I agreed that I would do the postcard and he would do the website/social media sites. We decided this because we both have different strengths and weaknesses. I am good at designing things. He is good with technology because he is in AP Computer Science. Today I started to brainstorm ideas for the postcard. I also decided to make an outline for what I needed to do to make a good and effecting postcard. I started researching movie postcards. I found that most movie postcards all have things in common: a picture that represents the movie, a layout that complements the picture, a catchy headline that will grab people's attention, a short message to briefly introduce your film, and colors and fonts that align with the tone of the film. I made an outline for how I wanted to tackle this postcard. Step 1 would be to choose a picture. Step 2 is to come up with the headline for the postcard. Step 3 is to write the message I want to...

 Today, we were supposed to start filming at 10 AM. I texted Felipe and asked when he wanted me to come over. He wasn't responding and I was really confused because he usually wakes up pretty early. I just decided to get ready and then relax until he texted me back. I showered and got dressed first. Then I did my makeup and hair. I decided to watch some Netflix and eat breakfast. Around 11 AM, Felipe finally responded. He apologized because he overslept. I told him no worries because I got some extra time to relax! I let him have a few minutes to get ready and then I started heading to his house. I got there and Felipe told me that Logan was also coming to help us film. I got there first so we waited on Logan. We talked about what scenes we needed to film/reshoot. Felipe told me that Logan was bringing his drone for the establishing shot. I thought that was really cool and was excited to see how it would turn out. Finally, Logan arrived. He set up his drone. He realized it was low ...

 Today, I had set aside time to film more of the scenes that needed to be redone. This was until my plan got rudely interrupted by my boss calling me into work because one of our employees had gotten sick.  At first, I was frustrated. I had been looking forward to making progress on my film, and now I had to spend the day at work. But as I got ready for work, I realized that this was an opportunity to learn how to deal with unexpected interruptions and to be flexible in my plans. When I arrived at work, it was super busy. There were more customers than usual, and my co-workers were all running around trying to keep up. My boss thanked me for being there. I'm glad I got that recognition. I was hoping for it because of the plans I had to put on hold for work when I wasn't even scheduled. I realized that this was a little bit selfish, especially since one of my co workers was sick. I fixed my attitude, and I jumped in to help them. I started taking orders at the register. After t...

  Felipe and I had planned to reshoot some of the scenes I wasn't happy with today. He texted me to come to his house around 1 PM. I got dressed and ready and headed over there. As soon as I got there, it started down pouring rain. This put a wrench in our filming plan. I was disappointed at first, but I didn't let it ruin our day. Instead, I suggested we stay inside and enjoy our off day that the weather gave to us. Felipe rolled his eyes at first, but finally agreed. Felipe has a pool table in his rec room, so I thought it would be fun if we played a couple rounds. Felipe didn't know that I am actually really good at pool. We started playing and I quickly won every game. He was surprised and impressed. Then, since Felipe was mad I kept beating him, he picked a game he is really good at. Of course he picked chess. I used to play chess when I was younger, but I'm not the greatest at it anymore. Of course he beat me multiple times. He laughed because he deemed it as ...

 Today was a little bit of a frustrating day for me. I am not a person that has a lot of patience. Today, I had to teach Felipe how to use iMovie. It was mostly frustrating because Felipe insisted on doing the editing. For all of my past AICE Media Studies projects, I have been the editor. I do this because I like editing. But also, because I want it to be perfect. I know how to use iMovie really well so I told Felipe I could do it, but he insisted on doing it. I don't like butting heads with him but this really frustrated me. I expressed my concerns but he persisted with wanting to edit. I finally just said yes because I did not feel like arguing with him anymore. This meant I was going to have to teach him how to use iMovie. This was not easy because iMovie is a little confusing. It also takes practice, but I did what I could to try to teach him the best I could. First, I taught Felipe how to upload the files to iMovie in the correct order. Then, I taught him how to start adding ...

  Felipe brought up the idea of going to the beach and out to dinner with a couple of friends. I LOVED that idea since I had not been to the beach in a long time!  The day started early with a group chat text from Felipe to decide on the meeting spot and time. We agree to meet at the beach at noon, giving us plenty of time to soak up the sun and enjoy the day. I pack my beach bag with sunscreen, sunglasses, a beach towel, and a frisbee. I also bring along some snacks and drinks to share with my friends. When I got to the beach, I spot Felipe and my friends already setting up their towels and beach chairs. I make my way over and we all greet each other with hugs and high-fives. We start spreading out our towels and setting up our umbrellas, making sure to secure them in the sand so they don't fly away. W e decided to play some beach games. I toss around a frisbee with Felipe. I thought it would be a fun idea to play a game of beach volleyball. Everyone agreed, and it was perfec...

 Today was another filming day. This filming day was a little bit different than the others. Today, I really needed to be on my A game. This was because we were filming the more serious/emotional parts of the film. Felipe texted the group chat to come to his house soon. I started getting ready. Felipe told me to wear extra eye makeup. This was to make the emotional aspect look more realistic. I got dressed first. Then, I spent a lot of time on my makeup. I used mascara that was not waterproof. This was to make sure it would run down my face in the event that I need to cry. Then, I was on my way. I drove to Felipe's house, which is only about 2 minutes away from mine. Then I parked in the parking garage in his building, which is always a nightmare. I went up to his apartment and he had already set everything up. He had the body bag and the fake alcohol set. He was also already in costume. I was happy about this because I wanted to get started as soon as possible. Finally, the sun se...

Today was a very busy day for our group and I was pumped to get started. Felipe told us to be at his house by 3 PM sharp. I arrived on time and was ready to go. When I got there, Felipe was already in costume and he asked me to make sure all the cameras were ready to shoot.I had a bit of a slow start because the rest of our actors were late. Kaya came first. Logan came right after her. After our whole filming crew arrived, we eventually got the ball rolling. First, we filmed a scene where my friend Kaya and I walked home together. Then I shot scenes where Kaya and I were by ourselves, except for the last one. The tricky part was remembering all of my lines. I did so many takes to get it perfect. I also couldn't stop laughing. In the film I have to be serious so I needed to keep my composure. I was so relieved when I finally got the perfect take! The other two scenes were way easier. They only needed a bit of movement with minimal talking. After I wrapped up acting, Felipe realized ...

Today was a complete disaster! I had been trying to send Felipe the files for the movie from the other day. His service was so bad that the files wouldn't send. Finally, when they did arrive, it took forever to load them onto my phone. He suggested we meet up to make it easier. I agreed and headed to his house. But then, when we met up, Felipe told me to bring my laptop.I noticed he texted me to bring it after I had already started driving, so I did not see it until I got there. I completely messed up! I was so embarrassed. I am thankful Felipe wasn't mad at me. I had to drive all the way back to my house to get it. When I got there, the laptop was dead, so I had to wait for it to charge for two hours. It was such a waste of time! Eventually, I was able to start editing. Things were going well at first. Then, the laptop wouldn't save my work, and I was too scared to restart it. It took me a while to figure out what was wrong, but I eventually managed to solve the issue. And...

 Today I was supposed to film. Felipe had to take his SAT first though. After, he told me he was feeling sick. I heard there was a lot of sick people at the SAT. I have been seeing the same thing at school. It is still close to winter so cold season is still going on. Felipe texted me letting me know how he was feeling. Him and I, along with the rest of the crew decided not to film. I was a little disappointed. I had been so excited to film all week. I could have filmed without him. But he is a very important part of my film. Plus I  can film another time. Though there was some scenes that did not involve him directly. I chose to create draft scenes. They were surprisingly well shot at the end. I sent them over to Felipe. He loved them! Let's all just hope for Felipe's recovery! See you all next blog for more info about our movie!

 Today was our first scheduled day to film. I wanted to at least get all the supplies we needed first. Maybe after that we could shoot 1-2 scenes if time permitted. I wanted to get an understanding of everything we needed to do for our film. Felipe has a cop costume that he ordered. Unfortunately it hadn't arrived yet. But I knew everything was going to work out. Felipe and I went to the store to grab a few extra parts. I saw some stuff I liked but I couldn't get. I then grabbed food with him after before filming. Felipe and I looked out the window to see rain coming down. So badly for us, filming outside was not possible. I still got some great shots indoors. After the filming I got done, Felipe and I packed our stuff up. He grabbed a tub, we packed the supplies up, and I went home. I had fun filming and buying the materials we needed for our film. I am so excited to finally put my movie vision together! Last year when I did my opening sequence I had the same excited feeling. ...

  What Goes Around Comes Around Storyboard

Props : Since this is a "murder" oriented short film, our props would include: a fake vital/pill of "tranquilizer"  mens shoes to act as "Ben's shoes" a trash bag as a "body bag" zip ties fake blood handcuffs Schedule: 1/28/23-2/11/23: film all scenes, this will be easy to get done on the weekends of this time frame due to most of the set being at Felipe's house, giving us this big of a time frame  will allow Felipe and I to make sure our work schedules do not conflict  2/12/23: start the editing process Location List: Our main location is Felipe's apartment building. His apartment itself would act as "Lily's house". His recreational room lounge area would act as "Kaya's house". There is a creek in my neighborhood that we will use for the scene where we "dump the body". There is an empty parking lot across the street from my house that we will use as the "police station parking lot". B...

This is the screenplay for our short film,  What Goes Around Comes Around.   After getting some feedback from a couple of my peers, Felipe and I made a few adjustments as needed.  I enjoyed creating the script with Felipe and I'm very happy with our finished product.  I am very excited to start the filming and editing process for our short film.  Although problems might occur while acting/filming, I know we will be able to navigate our way through any situation. What Goes Around Comes Around  

  If I had to pick one feature that distinguishes Double Happy, it is its keen observation of children—their shy gestures and bold dares, as well as the strange sociology of their group dynamics—the constant and fluid shifting of in-group and out-group designations achieved and enforced through secrets and put-downs. Even when you care, you can wind up stomping on each other at this age due to basic inexperience, fear, and carelessness. Rory likes Rebecca, and we get the impression that she reciprocates, yet Rory is a misfit, and the crises this produces can be seen on Rebecca's face.  While he has a thoughtfulness and talent for craft that will serve him well and make him interesting later in life, he currently has companions, particularly the other lad, Des, who are attempting to tear him down in order to demonstrate supremacy. It all adds up to an amazingly clear and nuanced image that Daud is able to create, as Rory's denigration is built up slowly and methodically both em...

  This short film is based on a college fraternity house.  A brother in the house almost killed a student by making the student due a pledge task.  In the film, the student is in the hospital after falling off the roof of the frat house.  With the fate of the house and their college careers at stake, brother will turn on brother.  The way this film was developed was more detailed and complex compared to the short film Mutt.  The plot for Mutt was more straightforward and simply portrayed.  Traitor Knight had more mystery to it than the short film Mutt.  Traitor Knight had the audience wondering whether or not they were going to kick out the brother who was involved in the accident.  Both films still fall under the drama genre and I will explain now.  As I researched in the past blog about the short film Mutt, many conventions from the drama genre were used.  This film also uses common convention which makes it a drama.  Common ...

  I watched the short film Fauve by Jeremy Comte. This was a Canadian 16 minute French language film. With the language being one I can't understand I had to use subtitles. When using subtitles you lose some certain aspects of the film. For example you can lose emotions in the dialogue of the characters. Our two main characters are young boys that seem to be living alone out in an abandoned area of town. They seem to be playing a power game where when one would overpower the other they would get a point. This leads the boys to a cement factory where they end up playing. A dump truck drives through and scares the boys into a reservoir where they continue to play their game. On this pit there is a wet area where the boys go. They first think this area is fun to play in but soon find out its hard to get out of. After one pushes the other boy into the middle of this pit he gets stuck inside to where he cant get out. The other boy runs to get help but never finds anyone, once he returns...

  The way this short film was developed was very straightforward.  Although the short film is only 13 minutes, it still grabs the audience's emotional side.  The plot is on addiction and is a well known topic to everyone.  The topic can be related to others due to the fact it is a real world problem.  The short starts off by this girl ringing someone's apartment building.  Once she is let in, we see a guy wearing dark shades and gulping down orange juice.  He then takes off the shades and he doesn’t look too well.  The sister then asks if she wants to go to her place.  From just this first scene we can already infer that this film is based on addiction.  The short film is a drama which is clear from the acting, sounds, editing, and more.  The common sound used in this film was diegetic sounds.  The use of diegetic sounds helps to add more emphasis on some of the characters physical state.  For example, as Micheal, the alco...