ccr!!!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1acTpT39iRXr4BiltvjiOOcboazozw1GX/view?usp=sharing

click me


Can't believe it 
Couldn't have done it without my fans!!!

CCR Script

I have done a couple practice rounds and boy oh boy have I gone over 10 minutes. Here is my final script so I don't bore you to death

Hello Cambridge. My name is Danielle Velez and I created the film opening drive. My main actor was my sister, Samantha, and I decided to work alone to challenge myself and my creativity.

Leaving college is something that I am facing right now, and when I thought about it I realized that I personally had not seen any films that address this.

 My opening uses drama conventions as drama  films tend to follow the emotional development of a character that is usually related to some type of conflict.  Dramas show humans from their highpoints to their low points. It can be argued that dramas have the most subgenres: crime films, courtroom dramas, melodramas, epics (historical dramas), biopics (biographical), or romantic genres.The target audiences for Drama usually appeal to males and females in both young and older audiences. I believe that my opening will be one of a "teen drama", so my target audience will most likely consist of 12-18 years old females. Some of the best-known drama film producers are: Steven Spielberg for Schindler's List,  James Cameron for Avatar, Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk, Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and Martin Scorsese Taxi Driver.

The Protagonist usually is the main character in the film. The audience usually can relate to this character and root for them throughout the film. The protagonist is usually played by a male character however having a female protagonist has recently increased.

My film represents the latinx community. More specifically the challenges that first generation americans face.Here is an article about how first gen kids aren't represented.  It's different when your parents grew up in a completely different country, with different customs. You take some of those customs but you grow up here and you adopt those as well.  Then comes the day where you cannot really identify with one group. You are either too "gringa" or not "American" enough. You can relate to and identify with both (or all) cultures, but you're not completely accepted by either.

In these articles ,the New York Times and the University of Southern California (my old dream school:(! ) find that Latinxs are grossly underrepresented in Hollywood. Representation is how the media portrays a group of people.  There are enough stereotypes about all minorities. Portraying this family in an accurately normal-ish manner would be beneficial. 

Some famous hispanic/ latinx actors are Penople cruz pedro pascal selma hayek antonio bandera 

I would like for my audience to be within the ages of preteen too early thirties. Because of this, I would like to have my film first be promoted on social media. online platforms are going to be my major source of engagement. Not only with ads of trailers on twitter, instagram, youtube, FACEBOOK and snapchat, I believe that tik tok will be even more important. TIKTOK HAS 800 million monthly active users. Explain the ads. By putting my adon the for you page, a common feed most users view  Through ads i will be able to reach a large audience. 

I would like to say My production skills improved throughout this project

I am still not where I want to be but i realized how much work really goes into this. So many little things, make the end result beautiful and coherent, so i definitely learned how important it is to plan.

For software, I started to use wevideo but I really was not that comfortable. I know that imovie isn't necessarily the best but it was what I was most comfortable with. If i had ventured out and used some other online software perhaps I would have been able to manipulate some things more to my liking.

For hardware, I used my dads noce camera, the Nikon D3200. I also used a tripod. However during the pandemic….. So i never got the tripod back soi had to use a ladder for some shots…...

Next time I want to have a really clear idea. For this, I kinda knew what i was aiming for me at it wasn't advantageous if anything it harmed me more. Being able to finish my project early would have let me have extra time to film more and or cadd things to make it better. Thank you cambridge for giving me an opportunity to complete this project, I hope that you are safe and well, bye 

*trumpet noises*

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u3-kURWsd5T64RXrci4Xtle2_GNM-ne2/view?usp=sharing

TAA DAAA

want to see the finished video? Click ME

Music

After much avail, I choose my song. I found the Free Music Archive.  Because of corona I really feel like I was limited in my filming. I did not feel like my shots really encompassed the drama I was trying to convey so I guess how I choose the music. I wanted to find the most dramatic song I could. It was difficult finding free songs that also fit what I wanted. I typed in "sad" and sorted through many scores until I found Ketsa's "Somewhat Sad".  

At first, I kinda thought someone stole the Harry Potter score. But the more i listened the better it sounded.  As the title gives away, it is * drum roll please * somewhat sad.  The beat is sad but eventually it gets lively and i like encompassing the highs and lows the character will go through.

https://www.freemusicarchive.org/search

Editing

My favorite part 
let's get right to it 
In post I found that a lot of my shots were shaky (omg really no way) 
So what did I do 
1. I had to reshoot the reshoot 
           Some of the footage was not salvageable 
2. I used an online resource. I download a lot of sketchy things on my computer I have absolutely no idea how I do not have a virus. 
I used this nifty website. I had to upload a lot of my videos and it definitely did help 

was not fast 

I tried to use Filmora as my main editing software but as soon as I told that to my friends I was warned that the software would cause the quality to lessen, and quality of the shots is one of the only things I have going for me right now. So I stuck to my handy-dandy iMovie.  

Paper, Paper Read All About It

Today I was jogging with my boy Max when I received a Canvas notification that my CCR was extended until April 19th YEEHAW  🤠

As I have mentioned before, my mom is working with COVID patients so if I leave my house at all I must wear a mask and it gets very humid in there very quickly.

But in all seriousness, I am very grateful for this extension. It gives me more time to work on my actual opening. Thanks be to Stoklosa 

More Footage and Obstacles !

Today I shot some more footage. I was editing what I had and it was not enough.
I asked my dad to bring the camera again and surprisingly he did because he doesn't come by anymore now that my mom works with corona patients.
I was already ready to shoot when I realized something very important
My dad did not bring me a tripod
Devastating
I knew this would end up in shaky shots. So I did what I could

I had to pull out my handy-dandy-15-year-old ladder.  

I did not love it but it did not come out that bad 

I also had to use a full-size mirror to stabilize the shots in the bedroom. 

The situation was not ideal but it came out decent 

What am I doing In MY Swamp?

I feel sick. I am drowning.  I was informed that even though my Florida Governor DeSantis said graduation requirements would be waved it turns out I still need to sign up for an online PE class. This is so pointless. I did not sign up for this let me tell you that.  
Professional Mode On
One may think that being at home all day every day would result in a lot of work getting done. One may be wrong. Atleast for me, my home is a place of relaxation.  I try my best to associate my home with peace and tranquility. The American School System has lead me to not associate school with peace and tranquility. Since I am home i feel like i do not have to complete anything. 
I cannot move forwards with this project without the footage from my dad.  I have tried many times to show him what I want, but he is not a convincing actor and is taking this as a joke.  That is a big problem that I have.  I took a film class during my freshman year and had to create a short film for my final.  Let's just say everyone was speechless when we presented because no. 1 they had no idea what just happened no.2 the quality of acting was pitiful.  My family also felt that way, so when I try to film this project, they feel it's ok to be goofy.  If we do it right the first time I will stop annoying them with the constant nagging, I do not understand why that is difficult to understand.  
I am not at a complete standstill since I have edited my sister's part, however, my dad's part is integral.

I very much hope you find yourself well <3

Ugh

I am at the point where I have edited everything I have the way I need it. And I think its great, but it is 1 minute and 19 seconds longs. And it does not do a good job of introducing the plot.  I definitely need more footage of my dad. And I'm supposed to be on quarantine since my mom is in contact with corona patients. I am biting my nails now.
I would love to give myself a huge pat on the back because this is what you get for procrastinating. 
Anyways what I need, more close-ups with my sister. Since I have so little time of the actual "drive", I am planning on adding my sister getting ready and nonchalantly glancing over at her welcome package.  Its gonna be more about the process than the actual drive.
The real problem is getting more footage of my dad. He is a salesperson and for whatever reason, his company believes selling timeshares is an "essential business" so he is still open and selling to people who definitely should not be buying a vacation right now.  My dad had to lay off 65 people the other day.  He is scared now since there is no one under him left to fire if they need to fire more. But he has been with his company longer than anyone else he uses that to reassure himself. 

Anyways, 12 days and a lot to do.

:)

Hello again my lovely
Today we had a delightful discussion with my teacher Señora Stoklosa. New updates and adaptations to online school. So much fun. Like I said in previous blog posts, I expected my media studies class to stay the same in the work given.  She does it fairly unlike other teachers who will remain nameless and anonymous (if they stay on my good side and do not act up).
Developments in my production.
So far I have no music.  The wonderful Matt Champion has yet to reply to my desperate pleas. I am not too worried because I have a feeling that I am going to have to change a few things.

Some nice, royalty-free music
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/Satin_1564/Kai_Engel_-_Satin_-_01_Augmentations

A Nation of Immigrants

Let's talk about REPRESENTATION, baby. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be........

Samantha NoLastName. A senior in high school. First-generation American.  Colombian parents with Colombian beliefs.
For the life of me, I cannot remember where (but here is something like it) (and an incredibly insightful study), but i read an article on the represenation of first gen kids.  Its different when your paarent grew up in a completely different country, with different customs.  Obviously, you take some of those customs but you grow up here and you adopt those as well.  Then comes the day where you cannot really identify with one group. You are either too "gringa" or not "American" enough.  You can relate to and identify with both (or all) cultures, but you're not completely accepted by either.
In 2 minutes I cannot convey this.  I will try to have mise-en-scene elements that hint she is a daughter of immigrants but I doubt I can convey Identity issues.
New York Times and the University of Southern California (my old dream school:(! ) find that Latinxs are grossly underrepresented in Hollywood. Representation is how the media portrays a group of people.  There are enough stereotypes about all minorities. Portraying this family in an accurately normal-ish manner would be beneficial. 

Some of my favorite Latinx Actors 

Salma Hayek

Pedro Pascal (I loved Narcos)

Luis Guzman

Zoe Saldana (Dominican Boricua actress who had
important roles in "Avatar" and "Avengers Endgame")

Penelope Cruz 

https://sundial.csun.edu/109126/opinions/first-generation-americans-in-conflict/

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/177598/pdf

Thank you to BBC for this insightful article

Call me Maybe

 Mrs. Stoklosa replied to me that this situation is still ongoing. No one really knows anything which is not super helpful.  This is unexplored territory for almost everyone.  I was supposed to be scheduled for 3 exams this testing season.  And now apparently I do not have any. What a year to be senior. It is so funny how every 100 years something happens. In 1820 we had yellow fever, 1920 the Spanish Flu, and now Corona.  My canvas page is constantly being updated with assignments.  Pointless and unrelated assignments are being posted and it's so dumb.  I know this is starting to sound like a diary entry but this is frustrating.  I do not understand why you are throwing useless assignments at me for no reason. It's more grading and then teachers get cranky because they have to grade so much.  I do not understand.

Anyways back to more important issues: Danni's film that she still has not come up with a title.  The due date is looming and I still have to work on my CCR. At least I'm home all day. Oh wait, how could I forget the million assignments I have due...

I do not want a cheesy name. But cheesy is easy. 

"MOVING" is an idea my Dad gave me. I am not too sure how much it relates to the plot.

"BABY" is my least favorite 

"EXTRA LARGE" I got from a random word generator. It is vague but it seems it needs, to be pertinent to something in my opening. I am not sure what. I like it.

"DRIVE" may be my favorite. I am very indecisive so I probably won't pick my title until April 12 @11:57 😎

A few of my favorite fonts 

(just realized blogger does not accept fonts so screenshot time) 

I did notice I tend to prefer the more "handwriting" type fonts. The film is from the perspective of Samantha, she is a teenage girl. What do (most) teenage girls have? Cute handwriting. Eventually, I will upload a picture of my sister's actual handwriting. It looks like a 3rd grader's chicken scratch. She claims last year one of her teachers called her out on her "great" handwriting and asked her to take notes for a person who was not there that day. I do not buy it.

TTYL

yOU did what now??

    I was having a great "Corona-cation" and then I receive this text

If only you could have seen my face

I double-checked the website to make sure it was not fake news a lo and behold it is your official website. I must say I am impressed.  I do not believe Collegeboard made the right move in moving their tests online. Most schools are not in session, and not one person can lead me to believe that online classes are just as effective as in-person classes.  We were just going to start finishing our learning and start aggressively and rigorously reviewing concepts. Mock season was just around the corner. This is making it so real it is crazy. 

I have read countless stories about teachers assigning busywork once their course transitioned to online classes.  That is not the way it should be. I can bet my bottom dollar that that will certainly be the case for a decent number of teachers at Cypress Bay.  It'll be a cold day in hell before that is true for Tstok. I'm sure it will be business as usual for her.No one in my family has ever experienced anything similar to the situation we are in now. When you read this I hope you find yourself well and healthy and that things are at least starting to revert back to normal. Honestly, this is a wake-up call for America. There are billionaires buying islands to escape and nurses and doctors are dying because they don't have the equipment, gear, and supplies they need to combat and protect themselves from the virus.  

Anyways, I did not understand the update. Sitting exams are canceled, and I assume that this component will still be required, it will probably be a big grade. No pressure. So many people are unsure what this means. I need my AICE diploma so I can receive 100% Bright Futures. I do have 75% but that is not enough for me and parents to send me away to college. I am sure other people are in the same boat too.  I have devoted much to you and I know that you will do the thing that benefits the most people, whatever that may be. 

Besitos

Love you 🥺

Good News!

Turns out my Dad actually had his drive in the attic! Also turns out that my mom has a backup. Why she just decided to share this information I am extremely unsure, however. There are THOUSANDS of pictures on the drive. I am so relieved.  
A little side note there are no baby pictures of me because in 2002 my parents were still getting the hang of digital photographs and cameras and put all the pictures of me on a computer that was fried after a bad thunder/lightning storm      :(
I have picked out about 40 pictures. I am not sure how I am going to execute this, however... Should I print the pictures and then record them? Maybe place them in the same frames changing the pictures out to show that Samantha is growing? Digitally upload the pictures and digitally add them to the opening?
Too many ideas I'm not sure, I would love a group meeting right now😩.

Amid the global pandemic, everything is fine with me. No worries here.  Except my mom is now transferring to the main hospital to take X-Rays of Corona patients since all the Xray techs at her hospital are short-staffed...I am a bit worried about her...Well, I'll let you know how it goes. 
I love you very much!! I hope that by the time you read this everything will be ok again.
Stay safe 
xoxoxo xoxo xoxoxo

News

I had my first online class today. Crazy.  The all-glorious Stoklosa debriefed us on what she knows.  On Friday my school announced that it would be canceled until who knows when.  It was a weird week. It felt wrong to have that much time off.  She let us know that our virtual learning is actually going to start on March 30th, which should be quite interesting.  Anyways, TStok did what no other one of my teachers did and let us know what she knows. Thanks to you guys for letting her extend the deadline, I know we are all going to need it.  I am worrying for Dominiq, he was supposed to film a lot of his opening in New York..... I am sure his travel plans were canceled....
My media teacher just said to work on the portfolio as much as we can.  Of course, the Corona Virus will affect us but we have to adapt, its a fluid situation. With all the great techniques she has instilled in us we will be able to overcome.  Also, almost nothing is set in stone. It is your project you can change it.
I do not quite know what this means for me... my dad still does not want people coming over. I have to start picking out the pictures that I want to use for my opening.  I still need the drive from my Dad, however.... oh god I hope the storage unit isn't closed. That would suck so much. Now I am scared. Ok I hope all is well with you and that you stay safe!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

La Musica!

I am so sorry I cannot believe I forget to tell you. Forgive me. It just so happened that while I was driving to Tallahassee for my initial shooting, I heard "Mansions" by Matt Champion on the radio. I thought that the song was so perfect because it had such a somber tone (and it talks about driving and monotony in his life😧!). When we were having our group meetings a few weeks ago I realized that I could just ask him on direct message through Instagram if I could use the song, so I have been trying to get permision to use the song. If he answers it will be great, but if he doesnt it will be fine becasue i am not sure whether i should use an english soing or a spanish song........ maybe even a Spanglish song (obvouisly by the Spanglish King Mr.305 [Pitbull] ).
The message I so thoughtfully and meaning composed states "hi matt!  I’d love to use “Mansions” in my portfolio project. I am a senior in high school. I have to create a film opening and Mansions would be the perfect song. This portfolio is part of an end of the year exam for AICE Media. If I pass this class I will get my college tuition paid for. All I need is you reply saying “Yes”. Even if it’s not ok thank you so much 🥺🥺"
As you can see in the video, he is not answering. Sometimes I spam him when I'm bored but I know that celebrities have a setting on their Instagram that only lets them seem activity from other celebrities which is most likely why he has not answered. 
When I first started looking into Mr.Champion I thought getting a hold of him would be really easy since he did not appear to be that famous, but I was mistaken. Turns out he is part of a band, BROCKHAMPTON, a band that captivates many of my contemporaries.  Like I said I am not that worried, but I would like to have a backup plan. 
Here is his beautifully slow, sad song.

Target Audience

More Research ;)

Right off the bat, the 2 main characters are a teenager and her father.  
Since this is a coming of age story for the teenager, the target audience is most likely preteen and teen girls, 12-17 years old.
The main character is a 17-year-old, people want to see themselves on screen so we are expecting most of the audience to be young Hispanic females.  Of course, other younger women from other nationalities and ethnicities will come see the film, Hispanic girls will identify with Samantha. 
As stated previously, Sam is an assimilated Hispanic American who lives a midclass life.  To get really specific 
Representation and Marketing/Distribution do go hand in hand with Target Audience, but they will be discussed in later blog posts. 
In this video, the subject explains that you don't make a movie for an audience you create. You make a movie and then, hey would you look at that there already a group of people who would like my movie! And thanks to the internet it is SO much easier to find and distribute media and content to these people since almost everything is online!
I am expecting this story to touch the hearts of families. The target audience are those children who come from a strict Latino family with overbearing parents  that are seeking independence. I expect for the base of the audience to be highschool or college. Obviously, some Moms and emotional Dads will come in to see the film too. 
This resource advises that I should label my audience into Life-stage categories and Attitude Categories. My Life-stage category would be Teens (<25 yrs) and my Attitude Category would most likely be socialites since my film is not going to be a movie made to go down in the history books.  







https://www.filmmakingstuff.com/define-your-movies-target-audience/
https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/advice-support/how-to-start-a-cinema/understanding-audiences/

Similar Films

Who doesn't love a little research?

I purposefully just stuck with "Drama" so that i can have a lot of wiggle room.  
The films that are similar to my film would be 

LOL (to a certain extent, more similarity with coming of age but not as promiscuous or serious as this movie)

and BoyHood (the child is ready to finally depart in their journey to adulthood). 

While none of these films are quite similar to my film, these films do have similar aspects.

In LOL, the main character is ready to leave at the end. She has a not so happy relationship with her mother (like my story!) and is fed up and as a result, does some not-so-smart things.

LOL did not do too hat i the box office. LOL was a remake of a French film, LOL. Most critics found it to be just another teen movie with no substance.  I do not plan on executing an incredibly profound, meaningful, and/or abstract film, I just want to convey a story that I have more or less experienced.  

BoyHood is what the Dad sees in my story. His daughter had grown up right before him.  He doesn't want to let go for his own selfish reasons. Critics found BoyHood to be very good.  The concept was simple, but the production was unique which allowed it to be emotionally significant.  Again. how the audience feels after watching BoyHood is how I want the Dad in my film to feel.  

Plot

As of right now, I cannot set anything in stone, especially since we have to deal with this global pandemic. Here goes nothing.....

Samantha is a typical high school senior. An only child to an overbearing Dad and distant Mom, Sam worked hard to get into her dream school.  Her Dad, Raul, does not want his baby to leave him. Samantha gets her acceptance letter and is overjoyed! (I did want to do a scene of her talking about it with her friends at school but seeing as how COVID-19 is affecting the Broward County Public School System, not very likely).  Her Dad is skeptical and does not plan on sending her hundreds of miles away and paying almost 20,000 thousand USD a year.  They travel to the college with a grain of salt, Sam tries not to get her hopes up but it is inevitable. 

A Little Change

So no more doggy park. My dad is still sick from Tallahassee, and amid all the threats from COVID-19, my family decided it is best to self-isolate.  We are now only leaving the house for school and work. My mom thinks that schools are going to get canceled very soon. 

My Dad is one of the main characters.  If he cannot leave and film I'm not sure where I am going to get most of my footage.  I am very worried. I was thinking that we can just go over to my dad's house and film there.  But I sincerely doubt he is going to want people over.  

I do have the footage of my dad and sister in Tallahassee, so if push comes to shove I can use that.  I am going to out my dad before this project. While Bright Futures sounds really nice to me I do like my father lol. The deadline for this project is sneaking up behind me.  I guess I could start working on the storyboard and those aspects however, I need footage to put together an opening...not very happy. 

Also, my doggy is feeling better.  He is 14 years old and I think we are going to know when its time. I do love that dog but I am not going to keep him alive for my own selfish reasons. 

The Lord's Day

Unfortunately, this blog will start with bad news.  My doggy is sick.  He is 14 years old so it might be time.  This is not the dog I will be bringing to the dog park, however, this might affect some of my previous scheduling so I apologize profusely in advance.  

This weekend I tried getting pictures of my family but there is not enough pictures of just my dad and sister in chronological order - I mean that the picture that are just of dad and Samantha are spaced like several years apart so it does not flow nice, big chunks are missing.  

My dad had the master drive with all of the photos in a storage locker that he does not know where the key is.  I am hoping that if I nag him enough he will get off his lazy butt and look for it.

Since my opening is going to take show different places, times, and events I do not know what type of music I am going to use.  I feel like I need a song with words for the beginning, but I am unsure if I want to keep that same music throughout my whole film.  I suppose that I will deal with this once I get more footage.

Good Night, Lovelies 

Schedule No. Dos

Just a little elaboration, I am going to the dog park Friday with my dad and sister so our puppies can finally meet! 

Lazy Daisy

Maxie Boy

I am hoping that once I have my storyboard done I can develop a script that my dad and sister can use so that they are not making dialogue up on the spot.
Also, due to the Coronavirus, my dad's trip to Italy got pushed to November.  Thank God, I need more time with the camera!




P.S. Today is 3/05 day (Miami = 305) so I will be celebrating with the family, so probably no blog post tomorrow

A Little Snippet For My Fans

This is what I managed to salvage from my trip.  I am not too happy with it.  This is not necessarily the sequence I will put it in, I just want to show you what I have. Again, I have not played with sound or lightning, nothing is edited.
Just to talk about some of the elements, this is my car.  I am 17 years old, so I am going to have "teenager" things in my car.  The air freshener is from "Rick and Morty" an adult cartoon aired on AdultSwim.  The little pink alien I have tied on the rearview mirror I bought at Cici's Pizza (one of my favorite places in the world, I pity you if you have not tried the absolutely amazing macaroni and cheese pizza, the brownies, and the D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S apple dessert pizza.

After research I have found there are no Cici's Pizza in England, thus none in Cambridge.  I advise that you buy a ticket right now and fly to the States so we can experience this together.  I will be 18 in June so let me know.
I digress.  All these elements represent the "teenager" that Samantha is, this comes with the quirkiness and rebelliousness that she will convey in the opening.

Group Meetings

'Ello Guv'na! Top o' the morrow to you!

Today I had a lovely group meeting with my contemporaries Brianna, Dominic, Juli, and Sophia. It went wonderful.  Like me, some of them did not have a clear and precise plan that they were following.  We all explained our ideas and described how we were going to execute our opening.  My group gave me a wonderful idea.  Since I am showcasing the relationship between a father and his daughter, I should open the film establishing this relationship with pictures!! Luckily I am using a real father-daughter (my father and his daughter) relationship so I have LOADS of pictures! Yay me!

Just a picture I happen to have
on hand

My dad thought he was a local celebrity back in the day so he always had his picture taken...that was before the divorce...Anyways I am very happy to have more direction in my film!! Good thinking, Tina.

No Bueno

       ok, so I'm on my way home now.  I was able to sort through some of the footage while my sister took over, but I was not able to really look through everything. All I had was some generic establishing shots. 

       Now that I am looking over what i have, I can see that I really do not like what I have.  I love my family but they are shitty actors.  My sister was extremely adamant about being the main character, so I decided to work alone.  When the time came to start filming, she gets in a bad mood and doesn't want to film.  I can't win with her.  Then my dad is adding crazy statements into his dialogue like how Tati's ( who is now Samantha ) mother died because her breast implants were leaking which gave her sepsis. At this point time was running out it was getting darker and colder and my dad didn't feel good: I felt like not even trying.  

So this is where we got about 1/2 of the shots.  I tried moving around and messing with the tripod but the shadows were too intense and I was losing daylight so I had to just do standard framing.  boringgggggg

To the left is an issue that I could not figure out.  Focusing the camera was hard enough but I was unable to have the background and the foreground properly lit.  Every time I would try to balance out it would just 
shift to the outside of the car being blindingly bright and having the character well-lit, or being able to see outside and having my characters poorly lit.  I am very un-optimistic right now.

We Outchea

              Guess who has 2 thumbs and drove all the way from South Florida to Tallahassee?This girl!

This picture shows my very vigilant Father sleeping while his
 daughter drives for the longest she has ever driven before

            It was the most boring 7 hours of my life ( and I attend American High School).  Here is a fun little tidbit about me: I love "The Office".  Unfortunately, I have ruined it for myself since I have watched it so much, however: I am planning on cutting myself off cold turkey so that I can forget and enjoy it all over again.  Anyways, I really wanted to listen to The Office ( i have watched it so many times if I hear a scene I can see it in my head) but I really did not want to be one of those selfish people who text and drive, so I was stuck listening to the same 32 songs on my playlists for 3 hours as my dad and my sister both fell asleep not long after we started the road trip.

         When we finally got there, it was not what I was expecting.  I come from a very flat South Florida.  Some people refer to Tallahassee as "Floridabama" since it might as well be Alabama.  It was cold, there was A LOT of confederate flags and anti-abortion billboards, and such steep hill that if you were to take your foot off the brake you would start rolling backward.  To be honest it was a little bit of a culture shock to me.  Anyways, my family and I were very impressed with the campus.  It really did have the traditional college feel, seeing as that its almost 200 years old. Also, it was pretty funny that while I was there the decisions for its rival school ( University of Florida ) were coming out.

the three velezs 

seeing his first college football
stadium in real life

   



















    The campus was huge, so we weren't able to find a lot of what I wanted to film 😕 Also my dad was extremely under the weather, so he wanted to be in the 40-degree weather as little as possible, which made it even harder.

me pretending I know what I am doing

                                               

me sending out mixed vibes out due to
 my very thick boots and very ripped jeans

           
                 By the time we had finished with the tour, it was almost 5 o'clock so the sun starting setting (thanks to daylight savings).  I filmed most of the footage in 2 places in front of the Visitor's Center.  There was some footage that I got under one archway that was beautiful, but the light was in my actors' eyes so it does not look that good which I am very concerned about.  There were little kids running and yelling right next to where I was filming.  I was set up with my tripod and they literally walked right in front of the camera while I was recording my actors.

               I am super excited to look over the footage!



and a little nervous.............

Equipment

            Hello.  I was so excited to leave for Tallahassee but I realized that my iPhone 7 camera would not suffice. Thank God for dads who don't pay child support but buy expensive equipment. Anyways, my Dad is going to let me borrow his camera and his tripod. He needs it back buy the 12th of march since he is taking a trip to Italy and Dubai (so much for the child support ey?), so we may need to do more of the shooting earlier than I expected.

            Being totally frank, I have no idea what I am doing.  Yes, I have just learned so much thanks to the all-holy Stoklosa and we have done plenty of videos in class, however, I need to put on my big girl panties and do this.  I do not usually do things by myself.  I am almost always guided by someone else.  It is going to be a challenge that I will not necessarily enjoy but I am excited to see what I can do. 

Tripod

            I can already tell that the tripod is extremely flimsy, and I practiced panning and tilting and it does not produce a nice fluid movement, especially with the pan, which will probably end up being a problem.  We aren't there yet 😃 It should be noted that my Dad was very unwilling to lend me borrow the tripod.  I texted him asking to borrow the camera and within 1 minute he told me he had already put it in his car to give to me the next time he sees me ( it is pretty clear by now my dad does not live with me ).  I proceeded to ask him if he could lend me his tripod and he started giving me attitude.  The mysteries of a 54-year-old man. 

Nikon D3200

            Here is the camera. Manipulating it is very straightforward however I am having trouble focusing.  If I want to focus solely on one object it has a difficult time doing so. In the case, there are 2 more lenses that I have not messed with yet.  I fear that I might drop, loose, or mess up something. I just got the camera today so I am not too worried since my dad is coming up with me to Tallahassee so if anything he can help out :) I have never been good at configuring all the little settings that these cameras have.  Especially with the "mode dial".  I remember just messing with it when I was a little girl.  This camera has a digital display which is pretty cool, there are a lot of settings I can mess with but once again, I have no idea what I am doing. 

            Lastly my microphone, my iPhone 7.  I watched this Youtube video, uploaded by D4Darious, that explained many different parts of producing a low budget film.  Near the end of the video, he shows us how he conducted one.  Specifically, he had his actors re-record what they said.  The only microphone I have is on the Nikon camera which will pick up a lot of unwanted background noise.  D4Darious advised that I show my actors the specific clip I want them to re-record before I record the speaking again.  

Where Oh Where?

            I have been to Tallahassee a total number of 0 times, thus making the Florida State University campus extremely foreign to me.  Unfortunately, I do not have the amazing capability to find, beauty in everything I see thus I have to research exactly where I can film. 

To the left, we see the James D. Wescott building.  Here I think we can take some establishing shots.  Since this area is so "prominently" FSU I believe this is where most of the desirability and the 



"wow, I cannot believe I am really here/ this is gonna be me/ I deserve this" comes in that our actor, Samantha (Mantha for short) will have to portray.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find out the exact location of this picture.  The lighting along with the iconic Spanish Moss (bottom photo) will make some really pretty shots 

Edit: one of my friends who attended   FSU finally got back                             to me and 

informed me that that lighting can be found in most parts at night.

Lastly, Landis Green seems beautiful. Many students hang out in this area, making it a great location for having a realistic background.  The Legacy Fountain along with the flower/garden make for great composure 👍