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 👍

It needs to be Done

               After 12 years of school, I still cannot time manage efficiently.  I cannot have a productive week where I get 8 hours of sleep if I do not plan everything I have to do.  Hence, I have decided to make a schedule for next week, as next week I will actually be able to film since my family and I will be taking a trip to Tallahassee! (which I am very excited for). Tallahassee is about 7 hours north of where I live, so I will have to make sure I get what I need while I am there.  I am not too worried about this because I do not believe that the actual tour is going to take up that much of the opening time.   

               I will most likely make schedules for every week, so be on the lookout for those.  

My Story

             I believe I have finally decided on my plot.  A high school senior gets accepted into her dream college, yay! She is ecstatic however her parents (Dad) are not as excited.  He will be losing his baby girl.  I don't want to make this cheesy. Yes, other cheesy productions have been made using this story and I am an amateur, however, I hope a can put a modern spin on it.
             Below I uploaded an extremely brief vague outline of what I believe the opening will encompass. I hope to complete my storyboard next week

🤠

           The main character, Tati, is excited, yet hesitant to be completely thrilled since she can sense to resistance in her family.  She goes to school and her friends are excited, she puts on a mask and pretends to be too.  Her family worries about losing their daughter to the "evils" of college.  Also, Tati has never had to work a day in her life.  Tati will have to get a job in order to support herself thanks to an insane amount it costs to attend.  The film will document her journey from a hopeful senior to a stressed-out freshman.  

Drama Film Openings

A Star is Born 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7lsiRtpBnU
            The opening scene definitely establishes the conflict.  A man comes out on stage while rock music is playing ( he is most likely in the band so this also establishes background) and downs pills that are most likely unnecessary.  He has a seemingly great performances.  Later he gets in his car and looks very unwell and is coughing.  To feel better he drinks straight liqueur (no chaser wow couldn't be me), this isn't something normal people do. The opening introduces us to this character who is famous and is most likely fighting inner demons. 

If Beale Street Could Talk 
Hulu
            I'm not sure where the opening ended, but I watched until minute 3:01.  We are first presented with a quote that tells us that Beale Street is significant to all black people and that the film will portray the importance. The score definitely establishes tone, the gloomy, sad instrumentals hint that this will not necessarily be a happy story.  It also alludes to the conflict when the women mentions she hopes we never have to see anyone we love through glass, which most likely means jail. 

Moonlight 
Netflix 
            I watched until about 2:31.  This film does an excellent job of establishing setting.  The houses hint that we are in a lower-class area, drug dealings happening in the middle of the day usually do not happen in higher-class areas. The cars, except for the man in blue who most likely is a drug boss, are run down.  

Genre Research : Drama!

                    After much thinking, I have decided that I will create a film opening for a dramatic film.  It just now hit that I really have to make something good. yay. 

                    Anyways, 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.
                    

                    Common Characters for Drama Films

                     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 have recently increased.

                        The Antagonist usually creates or is related to the conflict the main character (protagonist) is going through, thus the antagonist becomes the "villain". The antagonist tends to be cold and selfish, which makes the audience jeer for this character. 

                      The protagonist usually has a best mate/friend that aids them.  This "sidekick" has been known to ultimately betray the protagonist, however, usually, they aid the protagonist in whatever way they can. It should be noted that the protagonist and the friend are usually the same-sex, and if they are not they may end up "falling in love" at the end of the movie.

Music Blog Post

          My partners and I were tasked with creating a marketing campaign for San Cisco's "Awkward".  San Cisco creates Pop Rock. 

A quick overview of our target audience: Men and women aged 14-25 from middle class to high-class socioeconomic backgrounds, those who have a particular interest in indie bands and guitar-based tracks, large audience base comprise of college or high school students, those who seek independence. Young people often want to hear and interact with other people their own age, so we created a young band that can interact and relate with people of the same age.

           The information we compiled showed successful pop-rock artists like Foster the People and Hozier had been heavily marketing their music.  Digital distribution takes a huge role in promoting their music.  Advertising their music on social media whilst releasing the music on different accessible platforms aids artists in reaching a larger audience. 

          Fire Meets Gasoline attracts those who may perceive themselves as rebellious.  Fire can be strongly associated with rebelliousness, thus fitting within our own genre convention.  Fire Meets Gasoline will take the same road as most Pop Rock artists will, starting with live performances at small venues to get there name out there and continous social media postings.

          We created a Spotify playlist that suggests similar songs to our single, Awkward.  Fire Meets Gasoline also created a website that has upcoming tour dates, merchandise, and our music video.  Our Instagram counted down the days until the music video released and announced new tour dates.  Lastly, one of the biggest social media components was our Tik Tok, many songs have been discovered here so we created a video showcasing our song.  

          Our group discovered it is hard to be original.  Marketing is essential in creating a successful campaign, so having a unique idea will be extremely advantageous to have more people curious and intrigued by our idea.  Taking the same steps everyone else has is not necessarily a bad thing, however it does not benefit us whatsover.