AND I'D LIKE TO THANK-

Today is the day I've been looking forward to forever: RESTING DAY. 

I've finally finished THE WHOLE PROJECT and it wasn't easy.

It's been a journey and what better way to end it than sharing my amazing strategies to help you guys understand even further...

With you.... my CCR! 

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Hope to see you all again, thank you for coming with me, it's been a pleasure.

Till next time,

Alessia :) 

aaaaaaaand IT'S A WRAP!!!!!!

 THE DAY IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With a lot of excitement and anticipation, I'm happy, proud, and relieved to say:

I HOPE YOU ENJOY.

With you, ladies and gentlemen.... is Headed Out. 

sincerely, Alessia. 

One Last Reflection...

 

To begin, my film takes place in a small town, specifically Weston, Florida, where a young teenager named Soul who is played by my sister, Elisa, suffers from a terrible mental illness, Schizophrenia, and has been trapped her whole life by her mother Portia, played by my mother Rosalba, who we don’t see in the opening, in fear of the dangers of the “outside world.” Moreover, as Soul’s symptoms worsen over time, she finds herself curious of what is really out there and the beauty of it all but instead, the universe only brings her the worst.

 

Unlike other mental illness-based movies who usually portray these illnesses negatively, and leave the audience with a sense of pity and sorry, my film is solely aimed to advocate and bring awareness to a group who’s only struggling as much or more than others. In my film I aim to establish the setting and who Soul really wants to be and overcome to better her mental health, only that to do so, she must overcome everyone’s biggest fear, getting kidnapped.

 

My film is classified as a psychological thriller. this genre combines the thriller and psychological fiction genres and is commonly used to describe movies and books that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. They’re also the type of movies who will leave you wondering your entire existence, probably. What makes a thriller psychological is that the biggest questions revolve around the minds and behavior. Psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of mystery and include themes of 

crime,

morality,

mental illness,

substance abuse,

multiple realities or a

dissolving sense of reality, and unreliable narrators.

 

So, in my film, the main character would deal with not only a mental illness but crime and morality as she fears for her life just when she started to explore it.

 

Because the film is modern and based on today’s world, almost all kinds of shots will be included as well as numerous camera movements. Additionally, slow-motion editing was heavily used as well to show distress, fear, and suspense. I would always try to film close to dawn but ended up filming darker than planned every single time.  I learned to play with the colors in every shot and added an almost blue to gray filter in every shot  to resemble spookiness and terror while at the same time giving a sense of nostalgia and sadness as these colors often resemble such feelings. I achieved the perfect scenery by bringing down the exposure and brilliance, desaturating the colors, and bringing shadows, highlights, and warmth up while giving it a blue-ish tint at the same time.  Furthermore, I achieved a more professional look by adjusting the camera settings to go from 720p HD at 30 fps to 4K at 60 fps.

All these tips and suggestions not only were discovered while I played with the editing and camera settings but also inspired by Greta Gerwig, director of Lady Bird but also an old student from Media Class who offered to help me achieve the look I was looking for. Greta’s suggestion was to resemble a scene to a picture to give it a more nostalgic feeling.

 

The plot I had initially thought of was simple. Soul's mom would knock on her door and they would exchange dialogue with the whole "we're going out tonight, no going out" thing. As I was editing, the first scene, which was mom and Soul, took up way too much time away from the rest of the film, so, what did i do? i took it out. I made a whole different plot and idea for the movie that at the time, I didn't even know would be possible. The second thing I did was, I made a whole plan and thought about how the opening film would be a background story to what the movie would actually be about. The opening film is a compilation of scenes while jump-cutting to others and at the end, it introduces the title and THERE is when the actual movie starts.

 

Soul’s dad is not mentioned in the opening at all as later on it is mentioned he’s a very busy and well-known man who can let this secret of keeping her daughter captive get out to the public.

Anyways, as said before, I planned on having dialogue and having all types of birds chirping, maybe some cars passing by, etc. Yeah... no. While editing, I realized the less sound there was on each scene, the more aesthetically pleasing (if you will) it looked. I didn't entirely take out all sounds, however. Soul rolling over on the bed, opening the window, grunting after falling out of the window, doors closing, the car engine, etc. were things I decided to keep while the rest is silent and it definitely gave it that sense of suspense. 

As far as music goes, I did use iMovie's audio to play some spooky background music. I know Mrs. Stoklosa said we should ask for permission first so I did some research to see if iMovie's audios were copyrighted and if I was able to use them and found this: 

 

My license: iMovie Software License Agreement

 

So yes, basically I can use iMovie music and sounds free as they are licensed to me only for reproduction, modification, publication, and distribution of non-copyrighted materials, materials in which I own the copyright or materials I am authorized or legally permitted to reproduce, modify, publish or distribute. 

 

Finally, Designing the titles was actually one of my favorite parts of editing my film. 

I used Canva.com and generated my own fonts and titles. I actually paid a subscription to get "professional features" and it helped immensely. I then proceeded to remove the background and place on the scenes I wanted the titles and credits to be displayed. 

 

On the other hand, it is important to consider how my film will be distributed and how it engages with my target audience as well, so… how will I do it? First, I would start by reaching out to multiple artists who would collaborate in my film and make a song that will be familiarized only with my movie, for example, in the movie fast and furious, the song see you again was written as a  tribute to Paul walker, one of the cast members who tragically passed away while racing. Another example is all of the starts by SZA and Kendrick Lamar which was written for black panther bringing a much-needed sense of musical identity to an element often overlooked by Marvel movies. By doing this I can bring not only the artists fan base to watch my movie but the movie will forever be remembered every time the song plays. Furthermore, psychological thrillers have shown to increase their demographics after “The joker” and “Get out” came out which means majority of my target audience would be anticipating my film and be excited to see another thriller like one of those.  As learned in Media Studies this year, social media has played a huge role in advertising any form of media such as music and film. To promote my film I would make sure not enough teases are posted on social media by the actors who sure have a great social media following and influence as well as I do. Also, I would try to get my friends to help me spread the word. Furthermore, a lot of people are familiar with Vimeo which is a website or app where aspiring filmmakers like to post their work  for recognition so that would also be the main platform to display my film and for free! And the last but not least way to promote my film would of course be one of the most important ones, film festivals I can find it on my area and also have to do with younger people getting involved with film. Furthermore, my school usually hosts a film festival so I would try to display and promote my work there for other students to watch it and share their opinion on my work. The last step would then be going bigger and aim to display my film on Netflix, Hulu, DVD, and more.

 

My production skills have developed immensely throughout this project. Not only have I been impressed with what two minutes of film can communicate to an audience but also how hard it is to perfectly achieve.  I have learned how much research and effort has to be put into not even on the whole thing but just the planning alone. Things such as costumes, getting everyone together, figuring out the lighting and audio, and even outside factors such as this years coronavirus that have played a huge factor in the outcome of this project. Long hours of editing and filming just to get the perfect shot is very time consuming and sometimes can be dreadful. And at the end though, my skills have developed to become stronger and even more professional than they were at the beginning But of course doing everything by yourself will be impossible so considering the help of other people is definitely an essential to achieve your vision.  The main skill in major lesson that I came out after all of this, was definitely manipulating the lighting and color hue as they were both incredibly important for my setting as filming in the dark is very difficult and sound editing as well since at night is easy to hear outside noice from insects, cars or even the light poles.

Finally, The integration of technology made most if not all of my project. First of all, I recorded the entire  Process on my online blog where I included pictures, outlines, and everything I encountered while working on my project. Of course are used Google and safari which helped me research not only the genre I was working with but also infinite information about the most important thing, schizophrenia, I had to make sure I did it perfectly to not offend anyone and make justice to such horrible disease. Furthermore, I also watched videos on YouTube on experts breaking Down mental illness-based films and explaining what they mean and also those breaking down psychological thrillers and what goes on behind them. Thanks to suggestions from my Media Class I was able to find some soundtracks on ASCAP which is the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.

In terms of hardware however, I used my IPhone camera along with the headphone’s microphone to film outside. My computer and IPad were also very helpful to edit the footage and research the information on my blog. In terms of hardware, I used iMovie to edit my entire project which was suggested by many peers and previous media students and it’s actually the one I’m using to edit my CCR as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HUGE CHANGES!

Hello Everyone,

For the last week, I had never thought that my final product would end up the way it did.

I had completely different ideas in mind as well as a different vision. In the end, however, it came out better than I would've ever imagined. 

I will show you guys the final product later this week but first, let's talk about the (last minute) changes that I made. 

PLOT-

    The plot I had initially thought of was simple. Soul's mom would knock on her door and they would exchange dialogue with the whole "we're going out tonight, no going out" thing. As I was editing, the first scene, which was mom and Soul, took up way too much time away from the rest of the film, so, what did i do? i took it out. I made a whole different plot and idea for the movie that at the time, I didn't even know would be possible. The second thing I did was, I made a whole plan and thought about how the opening film would be a background story to what the movie would actually be about. The opening film is a compilation of scenes while jump-cutting to others and at the end, it introduces the title and THERE is when the actual movie starts. You guys will see soon and it will all make sense. 

I will attach a modified version of the storyboard I posted earlier with the adjustments made. 

*crossed out scenes are either removed or replaced or modified according to new plot*

LIGHTING-

    In earlier blogs, I remember saying how I wanted to saturate colors to kind of bring calm before the storm hits, well... plans have changed. I have used both iMovie and Camera settings to bring the brightness down in bright shots and vice-versa, desaturating the colors in every scene and giving each scene a blue-ish or gray tint to make every scene look sad, spooky, and suspenseful but most importantly, to symbolize isolation (a symptom of schizophrenia). Moreover, I had mentioned before how hard working at night was and that I would hope editing would save my life. I will say, it did not but it definitely collaborated a little. Some shots appear to be less HD than others as grain is usually found thanks to low brightness and exposure. Either way, the more I played with editing the better it came out. 

AUDIO-

    UGH, the audio...let's talk about it. As said before, I planned on having dialogue and having all types of birds chirping, maybe some cars passing by, etc. Yeah... no. While editing, I realized the less sound there was on each scene, the more aesthetically pleasing (if you will) it looked. I didn't entirely take out all sounds, however. Soul rolling over on the bed, opening the window, grunting after falling out of the window, doors closing, the car engine, etc. were things I decided to keep while the rest is silent and it definitely gave it that sense of suspense. 

As far as music goes, I did use iMovie's audio to play some spooky background music. I know Mrs. Stoklosa said we should ask for permission first so I did some research to see if iMovie's audios were copyrighted and if I was able to use them and found this: 

My license: iMovie Software License Agreement

So yes, basically I can use iMovie music and sounds free as they are licensed to me only for reproduction, modification, publication, and distribution of non-copyrighted materials, materials in which I own the copyright or materials I am authorized or legally permitted to reproduce, modify, publish or distribute. 

TITLES-

Designing the titles was actually one of my favorite parts of editing my film. 

I used Canva.com and generated my own fonts and titles. I actually paid a subscription to get "professional features" and it helped immensely. I then proceeded to remove the background and place on the scenes I wanted the titles and credits to be displayed. 

Let me show you: 

With all that being said I should maybe stop talking and finish my project because I am so excited for you guys to see it!!! 

AAHHHHHHH, see you guys later!!!!!!!! :D

Alessia. 

Ups and downs

I’m getting worried. 

My friend who contracted COVID last week has fortunately been feeling better but hasn’t tested negative yet. I don’t know if they will be okay just in time to film the final scene they partake in. I’m starting to think about plan B and the only thing that comes to mind is substituting the actors but will still play the same character. I have already asked one of my friends and he agreed to do it I just have to let him know in time. 

Furthermore, I’ve written down some of the things I need to keep in mind while editing next week (final week) and also the adjustments I have to make to other scenes, here’s a sneak peek. 

Lights, camera, ACTION!

Today is day 3 of spring break and things are going well. Today was another day of filming and once again, thanks to my team, it was easy. 

Today we filmed the scene where Soul had just jumped off the window to explore the “real world.” This is the moment Soul is left speechless by all the beauty around her she’s never seen before. Once again, the same issues were presented today such as audio problems, lighting, and other factors. I will once again attach some shots from today’s filming and remember, no spoiling! 

SPRING BREAK (with no breaks)

The first day of spring break is finally here and there is no better way to enjoy it than taking the day off and take advantage of the beautiful weather to film. Although I had to skip a couple of scenes because of the COVID incident, I think the scene I filmed today will do justice. This scene consists of Soul jumping out of her window to go outside and explore. This scene had a few complications due to the lighting and surprisingly there were many interruptions such as cars passing by, outside noise (construction), and joggers. However, although I filmed about 30 times to get the perfect shot, my whole team was very helpful and we finally achieved what I was looking for. 

As far as changes made, there weren’t any big ones. I will advise because I live in a two-story building, Soul can’t literally jump off the window so a lot of editing has to be made to make it look like she does. Jump cutting is key in this scene and precise angles as well. Overall, today was a successful filming day and I will include some shots from today, no spoilers though! 

SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!

Not the ones you might be thinking of. 

Today, I went outside and with the help of my fellow, healthy characters, I was able to capture some of the shots needed for my second scene. 

I have found many pros and cons to filming at night and also some solutions and improvements I can do for next time.

There are definitely more cons than pros but I think these are all bareable and we could work around them. 

I will attach the list made below and I hope next time I see you there will be plenty solutions and maybe I’ll be done by then!

See you later, alligator! 

Alessia. 

It’s reflection time...

I take it back.

This week was cut short. It was all going great. 

One of my actors actually got sick and it turned out to be COVID-19. As disappointed as I am, it’s important to recognize these times are rough and there are way more important things to take into consideration like our health. My team and I got tested and luckily we are negative, but this means the filming process is detained for a couple of more days until this person tests negative and feels okay to continue. 

Looking at it from the bright side, I now have more time to make some changes and even film some scenes that do not include this character, progress! Right? 

Moreover, I have done some research and found some microphones on Best Buy that are affordable and can make a great impact on my film. I’m thrilled! 

We shall keep our heads up. No one said this would be easy and I realize now. I will keep working and trying my hardest to push forward and make advances to my film and my vision and I can’t wait for the final product.

Thank you for understanding, 

I will keep you all updated.

See you later, alligator!

Alessia. 

THANKS TO... BREAKOUT ROOMS

Hello Everyone,

It’s been an excellent week, with the planning and shooting of my first scene, it’s safe to safe I feel more accomplished every day.

You’d think by now I would know all the tricks and tips anyone has to offer but the more I go on breakout rooms, the more ideas and tips I bring to the table, let’s talk about them!

First, I explained to everyone in my breakout room (there were about 5 of us) what my opening scene talked about and it seemed like everyone enjoyed the idea and gave their opinion on it which for the most part were positive. As I explained to them some of my struggles such as audio, lighting, and editing, they have blessed me with some solutions that I will definitely be taking into consideration. This time, I wrote them down on my iPad and saved it to my “planning portfolio” and I will be soon be doing more research and maybe purchasing some of these items that will help with the development of my film such as a microphone. 

Below I will attach what I wrote down. 

Thank you to my group members who collaborated with me and did not mind sharing their secrets so that we can all succeed in this amazing project!!

See you all later!

Alessia. 

THE PROCESS

Today I woke up with my right foot. 

I recorded the first scene of my film and it went spectacularly.

With the help of my mom and sister, I was able to put together the first drawings of my storyboard and bring them to life. 

The process of filming was hard though. A lot of bloopers and mistakes were made. For example, my sister who plays the role of Soul, had a hard time memorizing her parts and my mom also forgot some of the lines. My cat who plays Lennot, Soul's cat was not able to stay still in one spot which made it very difficult to film. Nevertheless, the scenes turned out exactly how I wanted them to and my vision and ideas were spot on! I'm thrilled. 

I made a list of things I need to adjust at the end:

• Sound
• lighting
• background music

I will attach some scenes as well as behind the scenes of how this day played out and you guys can start creating an idea of how the movie will turn out at the end, no spoilers though! 

Special thanks to my sister, Elisa and mom, Rosalba, who've surprisingly helped me out tremendously and collaborated with the process, I would've never been able to get it done without them. Thank you! 

Thank you all for checking in, see you next week! 

Storyboard

After long planning days, I think the most exhausting day and post would have to be this one. Although it is not perfect and probably unfinilized, I think it’s safe to say this storyboard represents the best idea of how the opening scene of my movie is going to look like. In my storyboard I have included the type Of shots and angles each scene has. Take a look!

And that folks, is all I have right now. I hope you enjoy and are as excited as I am for my film!!

See you tomorrow!!!

Alessia. 

THE SCRIPT

 Hello Everyone, 

Today I have some very exciting news... the opening scene's script is finally here! 

Many of you have been anticipating it since the beginning and I'm so glad I was able to get it done. 

I will say this will not be the final script as they are some modifications and new factors that will come into play later on. Writing the script was fairly easy as I had a picture of how the whole opening scene was going to turn out. At first, it may look plain and simple but there are many things that will be added and removed through the whole filming process which by the way, is approaching very quickly. 

Some things to point out about the script are:

• Some characters such as Carlos and Rafael are only introduced at the end and don't have much dialogue.
• The dad is not introduced in the opening scene.
• It's not the final script. Modifications will be made along the way.

Furthermore, I've done deeper research about schizophrenia and I noticed not a lot of this illness will be portrayed in the opening scene which may be a problem. However, I do still keep in mind this is only an opening scene and the illness and plot twist will be portrayed later on in the movie. 

I will attach the script below and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. 

Production & Modifications

 Hello, welcome back! 

Certainly enough I knew this would happen, some changes need to be made in order for everything to flow and I have also come up with a brilliant idea that will help with the overall finish of the opening scene.

First of all, I was thinking the other day about how this movie could be more personal and of course, hit the audience deeper. I came up with the brightest idea ever, why isn't the movie recorded in the first person? Let me elaborate...

Soul, the protagonist of my film, spends her days locked in her room bored out of her mind. She decides to blog about her day-to-day life and the film will show everything in her perspective as if the tapes from her camera are her story if that makes sense. Later on, as she goes outside without permission, she documents the entire thing on her camera, which will later in the movie be very helpful, and all her thoughts, symptoms, and experience is documented on the tape.

Furthermore, as I reflect on my production, I think keeping a positive mind throughout the whole process will definitely facilitate every step of the way. Coming up with ideas and giving meaning to them is only the beginning of my journey. I don't know what's to come but It will come if I am determined to get to it IF THAT MAKES SENSE.

I will leave you guys here and intrigued with my new idea. Will I do it? you'll find out next time I see you as I prepare to get the camera on, characters together, and ideas in one place. 

I will see you all next time, 

Alessia. 

Key Moments

 Hello Everyone, 

Thanks for coming back!

Time is ticking and filming day is so close I start to get nervous every time I think about it. What if nothing goes accordingly? what if something doesn't work out? I would ask myself these questions frequently and clearly, I was beating myself up. Planning out the script, costumes, lighting, and more has been very stressful I"ll admit. However, looking at the bright side of it, the process of brainstorming with the help of my friends and family has helped tremendously by making it easier. 

Now, some key moments in my opening scene will definitely be the messy room as I want the audience to really understand who this character is and what she is suffering from with heavy detail. The next key moment will consist of emphasizing the character's moods and how her environment affects them. 

More studying and research are being made but I am so glad I can finally start working on the production and filming as soon as possible. I will leave the audience starstruck. 

Please come back tomorrow for more updates!

Alessia. 

YOU GOT THE PART!

Hello, everyone,

Today I have some very exciting news that needs to be shared, obviously...

 I have finally found who will be playing each character!!!

After days of auditions and many participants, I have finally decided who fits each role best. I will admit, t wasn't easy. In my opinion, everyone deserved it. My characters, however, deserve justice, and it will be served. SO, I was looking for actors who not only played their characters accordingly but also, who understood my ideas and were willing to bring them to life. 

But first! I would like to disclose who these characters are since I've only gotten into detail with the protagonist, Soul. 

(Protagonist)

 Soul - Played by my sister, Elisa Romer 

(Antagonists) 

Portia, Soul's mother- Played by my mom, Rosalba 

Rafael, the first kidnapper - Played by my cousin, Gerardo

Carlos, the second kidnapper- Played by my best friend, Gabriel 

Lennot, Soul's Cat- my cat (a personal favorite)

For now, these are all the characters I need for my opening scene, but surely I will let you know if something changes of course.