Creative Critical Reflection

 Creative Critical Reflection

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xQiWCO1u6CJkiAxtMfokcAuXeSSEUWBw/view?usp=sharing

Film Opening

 BORDERLINE

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-4Idchhl1iFn7n1FJR6qGscPJWDWQtIG/view?usp=sharing

Revisions and Final Touches

     As editing comes to a finish, there are some notable issues, revisions, and other characteristics improved. For example...I am astounded I was not aware of the issue earlier but we overshot. Way too much. Although I felt each shot was the perfect amount of time for the tones and characterization established, the film opening's time limit is 2 minutes, not 3-4 minutes which would have been the time without scrapping many shots and shortening the ones used. Despite this, I barely managed to create the near-perfect product within the timeframe which I am proud of. Another issue was the underwhelming/unnecessary effects of the audios. During the royalty-free sound researching, I came across anxiety-inducing sounds but each of them led too deeply into the horror realm rather than something simple like I desired - a pounding heartbeat or an increasing-tempo violin. Nyx and I discussed how to resolve this issue after I sent them the excerpt from my opening, and relied on simply not having any sound during the looking-at-painting sequence instead of using sound since it would lead to similar effects without leaning into differing and abnormal genres for the product. 

    However, one of my favorite issues, favorite because of the way it was resolved, was that upon reviewing the final version, both of ours combined with the best aspects, was the way the title sequence was portrayed and the effects added. I did not expect it to come to the quality the final product did, especially with two seemingly minor revisions added: color correction, and credits. The issue at hand was that the painting seemed extremely underwhelming and not up to par with the rest of the opening, which was amplified by there being no sound - a choice being upheaved against our favor. However, Nyx added a distortion effect along with darkened, colder colors that solved this and was supported by the choice of no sound. In relation to that, the title transition, as it transitioned back to the painting, naturally became whiter colored as a result of regaining focus on the surroundings - it looked like some effects I have seen before in movies and shows where such lighting was used to imply lucid-like states, as if coming out of a dream. I requested to see if the effect could be amplified and it came out perfectly:

    And so, finally, the film opening has been completed! Link will be coming soon!

   

    Otherwise, the CCR needed minimal final touches and revisions to it, since I generally finalize the product as I work through the clips in Adobe Premiere Pro. The final product did not come out to be stagnant, a talking head, because of the other shots I used from the opening as well as inspirations from Parasite and Dead Poet's Society. 

Editing Process CCR/Film Opening

    Having completed filming, we are able to start editing for the rest of the break. Unfortunately, the artist's song we wanted to use did not reply in time for the editing process, so to royalty free music we go. I spent hours looking through innumerous catalogs, landing on similar genres of jazz and one for a suspenseful vibe to be used during the anxiety sequence and when the character looks at the painting. I discovered "Talk to Me" and "Smoky Lounge" by David Renda on Fesliyan Studios, ones that I both really enjoyed. The latter is the one I will be utilizing in my version of the product. Despite having a large history and familiarity with Adobe Premiere Pro, I am not confident in my ability to produce the title and credits in the way that we desire, so the task will be left to Nyx, same as color correction. 

    For the CCR, I plan to continue with the Ben Stiller/Tom Cruise format, with voiceover for the questions. I will include numerous inserts of the project, other product inspirations, and excerpts of resources I studied for important topics like target audiences and genre conventions. 

Filming Complete! An Ill-Fated Finale

 As the title suggests, we finished filming! An unforeseen dilemma which was one I should have predicted from the beginning: My sister getting tired and annoyed with the project leading to her degrading performance, so it took more time and takes than what was needed. Filming completed with 2 hours to spare. However, I did not have the time to repaint the obstructive piece. For one, it would have obstructed some previously taken shots, thus necessitating reshooting, and two, the time range in which shooting was available (there's a much better word for that - let it be known I am severely depressed and irritated by the fact I can't think of the word. Hint: I feel like characters said it in some of the Star Wars movies. Specifically A New Hope and/or the Rise of Skywalker - for your sake, don't watch the latter) would have been decreased significantly. Therefore, under unfortunate circumstances, a completed version of the obstructive piece was not used. 

    I have also realized that the blueprint reference painting by Jill Dowell also had the white square in the middle. For copyright/plagiarism avoidance purposes, the white square was added in by Nyx, not that it was already there and included in the painting. This is the original painting:

    To continue, I realize that these "unfortunate" circumstances were not unfortunate at all, they were completely avoidable given more proper use of time management, otherwise known as the consequences of my actions. People should probably learn from those right? (But humans consistently don't, that's why wars, prejudice, unjust hatred, rampant injustice, sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity, continue and persist across time, including perpetuating the cycle of hatred. Politics! Emotional and mental immaturity of the masses! Am I right?) I will be finishing the piece myself, for personal values and to complete a product I truly believe in, over the summer, when I have time again. If you'd like to see my finished product, please return to this post on July 1st, 2024. That is, 7/1/24. 7/1/24. I repeat, 7/1/24. I know you didn't add that to your calendar... 7/1/24... I'm watching you Wazowski... Always watching... - Disclaimer: This includes both Ms. Stoklosa and the Cambridge graders who I know are reading this. 

    Again, for personal values and my determination to create a product I truly believe in, I am determined to create another version of this film opening with the finished piece, since I already wanted to finish it, why not create a much better film opening product when I have the available facilities? For that one, review this post on 8/21/24. That is... 8/21/24. Yeah. Do it. I'll be waiting...

        EDITING

    The editing processes will be drafted as follows:

Nyx and I will create two separate products, incorporating our different interpretations of how the product should come out to be. Upon review and extreme dissection of both pieces, we will collaborate to create another product - the FINAL...product... (Where did these drums come from!?!!? And the bass?!! Is that... -SUSPENSE!!?). 

    The reason for this variation and tediousness is because I believe this is the most optimal way to create the best final product. I am very meticulous, and as previously stated many, many posts ago, I take charge in most of direction, production, and storytelling. I want to utilize shots and techniques for a specific purpose in developing thematic material or generate tones required - be it suspense, serenity, love, etc. This includes lighting, sound, movement, and much more. However, my meticulousness is not sufficient, despite its... meticulousness. Both the product and I require a third party. All arguments require third parties to combat properly - in other words, a Devil's Advocate. The closest analogy I have to this is the efforts of Daryl Davis, a blues musician who traveled the country for decades, seeking members of the KKK and similar organizations and changed their ways. With each one-on-one encounter, he started: “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?”. How can I believe a product is perfect to the utmost of its potential if I am the only opinion? How can the opinion of the one in power dictate the law of the entire world? The world cannot and should not abide by the one. Furthermore, how can I improve my performance, my abilities, mentality and comprehension if I do not allow comparison, review, critique? And this is most definitely not to say that acting as such once is sufficient - that is pretentious, an egotistical take over to appeal for appearance rather than generosity, charity, improvement, and just simple, simple respect. Such a lack of respect, from all generations really. An improved and more perfected performance relies on the insight and input of a community, built on observation. Strive for improvement, not perfection. Perfection does not exist, it is mistaken as knowledge and experience others don’t have. There should always be insight from critique, whether implemented or not. Therefore, I require, as do all arguments based upon perspective/opinion and such - especially because of minority populations being largely outnumbered by majority populations in different instances where the majority is generally in power, for example, disrespect and disgust because of differing religions, color of skin, physical characteristics, genetics, sex, social constructs, etc., all really circling back to unjust hatred, sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity - I require a differing opinion to challenge my own and incite me to develop deeper reasoning as to why one thing should/is better/any number of reasons as opposed to another, thus, overall improving my final product. Obviously, despite such meticulousness, this will only improve the product to the most of its potential, otherwise, the utmost potential of what is already had/made. The product can be indefinitely improved to the maximum of its potential, but if the maximum isn’t a (for lack of better word) good product, it is because of the internal components already constructed, such as direction, production, shot technique, etc. These areas will improve with time’s and experience’s knowledge. Meaning we have already performed to the utmost of our ability in direction, prod., etc. and now perform to the maximum potential of their culmination, or, the final product. I must make it clear, Nyx is not a third party, they are my partner in this project. I feel the wording of “third party” in a way demeans them in a way in which they are not. I look forward to the experimental versions and the final. 

CCR Creation

    The format for my CCR will be an interview-style Q&A, but not like a late night talk show, but rather similar to the Ben Stiller/Tom Cruise body double skit. I would simply be sitting in down, the camera filming from an angle, and I would be looking at the interviewer off-screen, answering the questions they ask me which will be:

  

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups and issues?

2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

4. How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware, online - in this project?

    These questions would appear at the bottom of the screen in captions, since the interviewer would be speaking like how characters in Charlie Brown speak over the phone. For what reason, you may ask? It amuses me. Although there is some concerning copyright issues there probably, might change that later. To avoid having a long video of just me talking, I will incorporate images, videos, behind-the-scenes of production/post-production and of research to demonstrate the different points I make. I would also split these questions up in two videos, with the first having the first two questions, and the latter having the last two. 

    A decent amount of the necessary information has been detailed throughout my blog posts, such as the specific hardware/software, reasons (more like arguments) for specific shots/techniques/content inclusions, representation of mental health and target audience, and challenging/adhering to genre conventions. Furthermore, there is also references for the research's URL's, movie excerpts, and representation in different media forms. However, there is evidently a lot of information missing, which I will outline over a script for what I will discuss in the CCR. 

For your amusement:

Heart Attacks and Heartbreaks

     As the gods have foretold since the beginning of time (start of the project), there had to be something to absolutely ruin my schedule. Case and point, the obstructive piece got rained on. And me and my mother's hard work - sweat and tears and blood!!!! And also mosquito bites!!! Damn the mosquitoes!!- gone. The darker portions that we recently worked on (unfortunately, I did not take a picture of our progress before it was demolished to mere atoms - neither did I of the ruined aftermath since it also demolished my mental state to mere atoms) became smudged and wore off, and also bled into the middle white square. So this pushes back the schedule much more than I would've liked and am comfortable with. This final week before spring break was going to be dedicated to finish editing and filming, especially within the limited time of 6 daylight hours total, will now be spent repainting what's needed and then filming. In reality, filming and editing could be accomplished at any time and would be relatively easy to complete. However, Beacon does not allow checking out equipment during that time so filming is still limited to the 19th and 20th. The 19th is now dedicated to filming the remaining scenes not needing the obstructive piece and repainting, and the 20th is dedicated to filming scenes with the obstructive piece. Unfortunate, but doable. Probably. 

    Fortunately, the utilities available is in our favor. For example, Nyx is back so painting will be much quicker, in which I may enlist another friend because time, and we have spray paint bottles, specifically white and black. For the smudged interior of the piece, we will use the white to do a thick coating to even out the paint and cover up the mixed colors. As a result of my absolutely obliterated mental state, I weighed my options of how to continue with the project: 

1. Repaint.

2. Spray paint a different version (for time's sake).

3. Change the story.

    Issues with 1: T.I.M.E...and stress

    Issues with 2: Disrupts our previously determined meanings of our painting and its relevance to the character's issues and opening's themes. Probably wouldn't look as good too. Hurts my well-being as well because of my extreme meticulousness which is frankly my strong point for wanting to cover all details and create a product that I am confident in through production and content, and also a pain in my butt since I can't just let things be without reason nor can I wing and call an evidently insufficient product to be its final. Due to time, it unfortunately seems like I will not be able to redo the sequence of building anxiety (as previously discussed).

    Issues with 3: We can no longer do the brilliant title transition, and also: T.I.M.E. Also hurts my meticulousness. 

    And so, evidently, we are doing option 1. Good luck to us!...right?