Production: Figuring out camera settings

    Hello and happy first week of production! Thankfully I my teacher is allowing me to use one of the school cameras for this project. As I have mentioned I did not want to use my iPhone camera, with the Canon Rebel T7 I believe I could get more of a professional feel to my film opening. In todays blog post I will be learning how to use the Canon Rebel T7. As I was signing out this camera to use, my teacher taught me some basic features like how to access the photo library, where to charge the battery, and the different settings. 

Tommorrow I have a saturday practice from 9 am to 6 pm, where I hope I can get major filming done. Especially because we have an hour lunch break where I can use that time to film the scene I need done at practice. Unfortunately I couldn't see my cousin to get her part done so that will get done in the following week on my Kodak PIXPRO FZ45.

Currently i'm not sure if I want to change the settings on the camera to adjust it for videos instead of photography. Or, I could also adjust my video in Adobe lightroom and Premiere Pro. These two platforms can help me better convey features of a Bildungsroman genre. However, knowing I have this option I will still be looking at youtube tutorials for some ideas.

After playing around with the settings, these two photos show how I would access the filming setting. At first, I was confused on how to film because whenever I would click the photo button a message would pop up "Still photo shoooting is not possible in move mode". After this I figured the red dot would be the button to film and it was!

In this short clip I was testing out the film setting:

As I was looking at camera settings on youtube I came across a short film, that was filmed on the Canon Rebel T7. I thought it was nice to see how someone used this camera to create a short; this inspired me.

Lastly, here are links to youtube tutorials I will be considering to use for certain settings while filming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SPgPOH21S8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6tPpctsYNI

Planning: Props

 This blog post will show what props I am planning on using in my film. First, off let me explain what each prop will be. Although I wont have many I am currently thinking of a kids backpack, guard rifle, and guard gloves. Yes, these many be only 3 but they are essential to my film opening.

Guard gloves are essential in practice, competitions, and practically anything involving equipment. I believe having these in my film opening will really help show how much struggle is put into this sport. Over extensive use guard gloves become to wear out fast and holes grow in them as equipment touches the floor. So, using this is perfect for the bildungsroman genre showing struggle and growth.

The next prop is also essential which is a gaurd rifle. This is one of the three possible equipments you can spin in guard, and personally my favorite. It is important to have this as a prop because I am going to be filming on practice grounds where a rifle is used in a major part of our show currently. This just shows how what exactly you are working for in this sport.

And lastly, before performing Aliya will be filmed cooling down during warm up using both a fan and a water bottle. This is very real before going into the gym to perform. I always bring my hand held fan and water to cool myself off from the hot sun.

Planning: Writing my script!

    Hello! From my last blog post your saw my storyboard process. Now it's time to put that into writing and actually plan out an effective script. I was guided from a website article titled "Script Writing: The A to Z of Script Writing Explained". This helped me tremendously, after reading this article I understood the basic needs when writing a script. I wanted this script to be as effective as possible so when it comes to the actual filming process it could be smooth sailing. 

Now here is my script:

My process on script writing consisted on a few websites for guidelines and advice and my storyboard as a guide. After more research on script writing I came accross an actual script wrting platform. (https://youmescript.com/) This website came with a bunch a tools that helped me effectiveley write a script. By pressing enter and tab you can switch from  "scene heading" to "character" which was really helpful because the next entry would either be the action or dialogue depending on what was being written.

Here you can see how the platform formats what you write, and you can change this by pressing "tab" on you keyboard.

    The next helpful website I used was (https://www.wevideo.com/blog/scriptwriting-basics) which is where I found out what sluglines were used for. Also, I defined the meaning for the abreviation INT. and EXT. which means inside or outside.

After the use of these website I got to writing. What really helped me in this process was my storyboard. My rough draft really helped me connect my ideas and have an over guideline to where I wanted this project to go. However, I am left with somequestions like what  if I go under the 2 minutes? I need to figure out exactly how long to film each scene to have a complete film opening.

Planning: Storyboards!

 Hello!! This week I will be focusing on my storyboards. I got a physical template from my teacher to plan out essentially what this product would be. Although it is a ROUGH draft and I had to sketch out the figures this process was really helpful. I got to map out what this project would be and I felt like I grasped a lot of what a bildungsroman genre really is. From my opening scene of the protagonist's childhood to the narrative dialogue the protagonist shows the reality and doubts.

Before starting the sketch process I searched up ideas on essentially what the storyboard process was. I got a few examples online which really helped me understand exactly what had to be done. From the following pictures below you can see the notes taken from the first example. After reading and analyzing I began my storyboard, however; without these examples I would be completely lost.

Here are my storyboards!

After this process I will begin writing my script. Although I wasn't sure if i should have began my script planning first or the storyboard. However, I am glad I chose storybaording because I have a visual represenation rather than just words to go off of. Now I will use this visual represenation to create my script. Which I thought of a few ideas I could add onto my script after creating my storyboard.

Planning: Production Timeline

This blog post will focus on my production timeline from now till march. Some things I have to keep in mind are my practices, school schedules, and competitions to film during these times. Also, I have to see when my younger actress is free because the following weeks will be a lot of filming and producing. Having communication and coordinating is important for this project.

Here is my production time line:

Week: Febuary 16th - 22nd

This week is my final week for project planning and I have lots to do. First off I have to finalize a rough draft of my script and complete my storybaord. These two parts are essential for the following three weeks which I will be producing and filming. The last thing I will be doing this week are my moodboards for each scene of my film opening.

Week: Febuary 23rd - March 1st

This week marks the first week of my production editing + filming. This week I will be soley focusing on the younger actresses part of the film. And my plan is using a digital camera to emphasize the different phases of life between the two actresses and parts of my film. I want to have atleast 30 seconds of my film complete and roughly edited.

Week: March 2nd - March 8th

This week continues filming + producing, and I want to start planning my CCR questions. Atleast the script part of them to have them complete and ready to film in the follwoing weeks. This week I will also focus on my older actresses part of the film filming the competition part of the film and the "growth" section of thsi Bildungsroman film.

Week: March 9th - March 15th

This week is the final week of the producing + filming process. At this point I should be completely done with filming unless I need to re-film certain scenes to adjust to my edits. Also, I should focus on making the final edits to my film. This week I will be answer one of the CCR questions while planning the other two. Because I have a competition this week (WGI Stuart regional) one of my CCRs will be a vlog! I have been thinking about doing this for a while to add a creative touch when answering my CCRs. And what is a better way then to complete it at a competition!

Week: March 16th - March 22nd

This week I will completing my remaining CCRs which are three of them. Which they should already have been planned in my past weeks of editing + producing. I want to film and edit each of these CCRs. Im thinking of doing a directors commentary for one and a GRWM. For my last question I want to do either an interview or a podcast.

Week: March 23rd - March 29th

This week is spring break and it is crunch time. Everything should be done logistically now I want to make sure every blog post made doesn't have any typos, or if my CCR's aren't finished they should be close to done. Also, I want to overall go through my whole portfolio and make sure everything is right and ready to submit.

Planning: Characters Makeup and Costume

 Hello! Today's blog post is on characters makeup and costume! I gave my cast a personal rundown on what their style will be. Which is very distinct giving that they will be acting different parts of the same character. But, now it is time to update you guys on potential makeup and costume ideas. Or a guideline for the aesthetics of my film opening.

I will be starting with my younger actor who will be playing a young child in the 2010s. This character is kind of built off of myself except I wasn't doing colorguard at this time instead. I was in band longing to be in guard. However, because the film is centered on guard this child is around 10 years I believe (at this age many people begin this sport). Now here are some ideas from pinterest I found that will fit the vibes of the costume. I tried keeping it playful to sort of imply the idea of childhood. 

I used https://www.pinterest.com/ for the following photos.

The hello kitty shirt and overalls are very nostalgic to me.

Of course I had to get baby photos of myself!

I see a common theme when it comes to children clothing that they are bright a colorful, playful with their hair, and NO makeup. Which these details are very important to note when creating a character for my plot. After the search for photo and ideas I ruled down to: pigtails, jeans, and a colorful shirt. So, Mariana (my younger actor) will be refer back to this as a guide when filming and producing starts.

Now let's move onto my older actress!

This character will be in the larger part of my film opening. She will be acting out two potential settings practice and competition. So, she will be wearing our current season's costume for one of the photos I will be adding onto here, and practice clothing. This part of the film opening doesn't have a certain year i'd like to say its dated like 2025-2026 because this is my current school year and winter season year. 

These are photos of our current costumes!

Here are some photos from Paramount Independent World Guard's instagram:

Alright some things need to be pointed out up about these photos that are important to a guard's practice. First off, most of them are wearing black this is the precedent to most guards across the nation's practice clothing. Next, guard gloves are essential in practice because this is what you use to catch equipment. Also, hair is usually kept up to not bother you during run thrus. I let Sophia (my older actress) know to keep her usual style for practice. And for competitions to obviously do what we are assigned to. 

This is an advantage for myself because both of my actors can provide their own supplies. Also, they know how to dress themselves according to this film. Essentially, I don't have to provide anything and it makes overall production easier because these logistics are already applicable to my actors.

Planning: Titles draft

Hello! This week I will be focusing on my titles for my film opening! I already have a list (seen below) on what title elements I will be including. However, since I have not started script planning, nor storyboarding (which will be done next week). I haven't set my mind on music and my Movies title but I have some ideas. The following titles will be included in my film opening and the chronological order they will go by: production company, director, cast, written by, photography director, music, produced, edited, and the title of my film opening.

Production Company-

The name to my production company is "West Broward Story Productions". The cproduction company name gives the audience credibility as to why they should be watching the film. For example, A24 films are super popular and have that authority when grapsing audiences interest. So, the production company matters because it sets an expectation and establishes professionalism.

Cast-

My two cast members include Sophia Vega and Mariana Suarez. These two names will be used for casting titles. The cast title gives the audience performers name and also signals main characters in a media text. Especially with my genre it is important to know exactly whose story you are following throughout the journey of growth.

Music-

Now since I don't have my mind set on music yet I can't say for sure what I will be crediting. However, essentially this titling will have the creators name. My teacher enlightened me on the music needing to be copyright-free music. So, knowing this I searched up a few websites that have copyright-free music. I have an idea that the music I will be using will be played in the background in the beginning of my film when my younger actor is portrayed to have add a playful mood to the scene. Which is what I am trying to convey, a young character before she matures.

Music gives the audience a set tone and mood immediately. Especially because I am most likely using music at the start this is important. The type of music also allows the audience to predict what kind of movie they are going to be watching. After searching thrigh copyright-free music I have some ideas for music see them below.

Here are the websites with I will be using my music from:

https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music

https://alibimusic.com/tracks?q=upbeat%20RomCom&nq=&lq=&catalogs=All&mixes=Full&mix_lengths=Full&bpm=%2a&bpm=%2a&order=relevance&order_dir=desc&page=1

Font/color - (not decided yet!)

The color i'd pick is something playful and bright like yellow or white. I would like to wait and see how my film opening aesthetic looks so the color chosen matches.

Edited, Written by, Photography Director, Director, Producer-

These titles will all say my name Valeria Vasquez, since I won't have any additional help and everything will be produced on my own. The editor shows who puts all the scenes together. With controlling how fast or slow the movie feels and helps shape emotional scenes. The producer shows the audience who helped organize behind the scenes. With logistics like money, planning, and schedules. The director is who is in chrage of the overall production. This shows the audience who is in charge in all the big creative decisions and gives the audiences an expectation on the level of quality for the film. Showing the audience who the film is written by gives the, and overall idea on the creator of dialogue and storytelling. The Director of Photography, gives the audience who is responsible for lighting, camera angles, and color settings.

Title of Film Opening-

Alright so I haven't had a set title however with guard you spend hours and hours practicing to perfect your routine. Something that has always been in the back of my mind is the 10,000 hour rule. Where mastering anything is commonly associated with 10,000 hours. Because of this I spent countless hours out school practicing, and countless hours out of practice practicing. I think this title will give the audience questions on why 10,000 hours or what took 10,000 hours. It also foreshadows the idea of struggle and perserveance which is tied with Bildungsroman.

Planning: Casting Sheet

    For my project I will be casting two girls who will be playing as the same character, but in different periods of the characters life. One girl is a 8 year old child who will show the immature stage of childhood. However she will play as a middle schooler who is in her first year of colorguard. As the film opening proceeds, this character will "grow up" into a stronger color guard member getting ready for her final performance as a senior. This shows elements of Bildungsroman with a protagnoist going through changes from immaturity as child to a mature senior. I tried to ensure that these two actors had similar features to make two versions of the protagonist obvious.

I know these two cast members well Sophia being one of my best friends who currently performs with me in colorguard, and Mariana who is my cousin and I see her often. This is a major advantage because I get to film at practice with Sophia. While I get to spend more time with Mariana and create something meaningful with her. My idea with Mariana is to film her doing basic guard skills, and transition to Sophia and showing her talent now. Some questions I need to ponder on if I should have Mariana saying any dialogue, and if I do should it be limited since she is young? As I advance with my planning I will answer and have more questions stay tuned.

Other than my protagonist role (Aliya) I will have one more member who will help the protagonist before she goes onto perform. Theres no specific role the audience won't know a name since this film is focused more on Aliya. Here is the casting sheet for this side character:

Planning: Project Proposal

    This week marks the start of the planning process for my portfolio project. After the extensive research I have finally curated my project proposal. For this project I have decided to work on my own. This is because I had an idea of what I wanted my project to be about before starting. The genre I have chosen is Bildungsroman sub genre to a Coming-of-Age genre. I chose this because I needed something that could help me convey meaning through my sport. The bildungsroman describes a protagonist that goes through growth and shows the psychological part of it. 

Story Elements

    I want my audience to be directed towards Gen Z and anyone that feels the pressure before performing their art. Whether it be a drama performer before taking the stage, or a soccer player receiving a pep talk prior to starting. I want this project to depict that it is okay to feel nervous, and my goal is people feeling understood. My cast will consist of two girls: a teenager and a child. They will be portraying the same character, however; this will be done during different times of the storyline. This will help convey Bildungsroman showing a change in maturity. 

    My film opening will adress modern social issues of comparison culture among teenagers, particularly in a competitive activity like colorguard. Teenagers often measure their self-worth against others leading to intense pressure and a growing fear of failing. The comparison is often built through social media standards and being in a high-achieving environment. Through the Bildungsroman environment I will explore the protagonist's psychological growth as they develop confidence.

Technological Elements

    Although I don't have major practices with cameras and editing. I have always enjoyed the concept of films and have created tiny skits with my friend when we were younger while editing on iMovie. However, for my current project I will be using Premiere Pro provided by my school. With the help from research and my teacher teaching the basics of Premiere Pro I can guide myself through the software. However, I'd like to watch more youtube videos on certain effects I can use to help convey my genre even more. I will start following creators on social media and youtube that use this platform to learn from them as much as possible.

   Currently I dont have set equipment for this project, I will not be filming with my iPhone. This is because I personally do not like the camera and as I have used my phone before I think for this type of genre using a Canon or Sony will be much more effective. I have a Kodak pix pro digital camera which can film videos. It has more of an "old school" feel, but I could use this to film my younger cast member before the protagonist matures. As of now I have options from family members that own canon camera, and they have experience with photography. They will help me understand the settings and everything I need to know to start filming successfully. 

Video taken by me with my digital camera:

Schedule Plan

Although this is subject to change here is my schedule for the following weeks of planning and filming! This is spread out between the months of February and 2 weeks in March. Where I will start my CCR planning and filming in March. Outside of this schedule I plan to update my cast on scripts, and have a table read with them seperately. With my cast I plan to do everything seperate since they are apart fo two differents periods of the protagonist's life. I also plan to film at practice with my older character, usually I have practice every thursday, tuesday, friday, and saturday. Which is perfect to complete my weekly blog posts before sunday.

Research: Character types, Narratives, and Color Theory

    Before beginning my research to focus on my genre I want to have an understanding of exactly what color theory and narratives are. Color theory is the study of how color mix and interact. This can affect emotions and how someone may interpret something. Traffic lights are a great example of this, when the light turns red you react by stopping. 

Color Theory

    The use of color theory in Bildungsroman is depicted as a visual metaphor for a protagonist's pscyhological growth. The color palette shifts from playful colors like pink, orange, and blue. To warmer tones or monotone colors signifying growth in maturity. A pefect example of the color theory used in my genre is the film "The Color Purple". The protagonist Celie escapes oppression to independence. The color purple is used to symbolize detachment and conveys themes of self-worth. This highlights her growth which is used in the Bildungsroman genre.

Narratives

Narratives are structured events that define the specific category of film. Connecting characters, settings, and conflicts to deliver a story using conventions like plot twists. Which is tailored to the target audience of that category. Some key components of narratives are conflicts, perspectives, and strcutured storytelling. 

Common narrative structures in Bildungsroman are the journey, conflict with society, and loss. The journey describes a protagonist moving away and encountering themselves with various challenges. Conflict with society shows tension between a protagonist and society restrictions. Loss depicts a character who deals with losing someone who was important to them. Some key narrative types is first-person retrospective where a protagonist narrates their story from a later perspective relfecting on mistakes made in the past. This narrative type could be helpful with my film opening, I like the idea of reflecting back. The orphan narrative is another key type where the protagonist is an orphan and is shown detached from social norms during their growth.

Key Character Types

The innocent protagonist: A character that has a narrow view of the world and undergoes a loss of innocence as they confront realities of the world.

The misfit: A character who feels different/alienated from society before finding their home.

The mentor: An older character who provides guidence to protagonist.

The artist: A character who focuses on development of the creative consiousness.

The peer: Represents a contrast to protagonist who reflect on societal pressures while providing emotional support.

The antagonist: Society or a restrcitive environment that creates conflcit/ obsticales for the protagonist.

Resources:

https://www.colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory

https://www.serenaarchetti.com/blog/the-meaning-of-colors-how-to-use-colors-in-your-art

https://blog.logrocket.com/ux-design/color-psychology-chart/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzZK0sNQQB0

https://medium.com/@evolvebypaperclip/colour-theory-in-movies-how-filmmakers-use-colour-to-tell-stories-e7569cc490fa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzZK0sNQQB0

https://blog.sigmaphoto.com/2021/the-role-of-color-in-filmmaking/#:~:text=Bright%20and%20vibrant%20color%20palettes,used%20to%20convey%20certain%20moods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-yijZq0_aw&t=3s

https://misterdoctorcoachguy.com/what-are-genres/narrative/#:~:text=Narrative%20tells%20a%20story%E2%80%94that,Society.

https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/bildungsroman#:~:text=The%20following%20examples%20showcase%20the,are%20typical%20of%20the%20genre.

https://www.joinexpeditions.com/exps/630-bildungsroman-how-literature-responds-to-real-problems

https://gosparkpress.com/genre-101-bildungsroman/

Research: Bildungsroman Target Audience

Target audience is important to know so you can sorround your film to a certain bracket of viewers. So, this blog post will help me identify who this film opening will target, and how I can convey meaning to these viewers more.

I took the following screenshot from litcharts.com. This shows the structure of a Bildungsroman genre, how it introduces a protagonist usually in their childhood years. Later experiences shape this protagonist that eventually matures.

From this I took that the Bildungsroman genre usually surrounds it's story on a younger protagonist. What this means for the audience that it can be centered toward a younger audience as well. As they relate to the transition from childhood to adulthood. Including the struggles between first relationships, and accomplishments of graduating highschool. All of these possible stories contribute into making the Bildungsroman genre's audience.

The next possible audience is an adult viewer. While this genre often depicts a younger protagonist usually an adolescent. It is not limited to just a younger audience, and adults can often interact with Bildungsroman. This can be for a nostalgic feel reflecting on ones own growth.

sources:

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/bildungsroman

https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/bildungsroman#:~:text=A%20Bildungsroman%20typically%20begins%20with,pursuit%20of%20a%20higher%20aim.

Research: Bildungsroman opening sequences

Today I will be reviewing different media openings and a movie mashup with the genre of "bildungsroman" to get an overall picture of what my film should abide by. However, I had some trouble when trying to find my exact genre because it is a subgenre of the Coming-of-Age genre most examples for film opening came up with that genre. I learned from a source that Coming-of-Age is sometimes referred to as "Bildungsroman" following younger characters as they navigate through experiences of adult life. Although these two genres may overlap they are not the same. Bildungsroman focuses more on the deep psychological side of ones journey. While Coming-of-Age is broader and focuses on the transition from childhood to adulthood. Now that I cleared this up lets get into the film opening videos!

I watched Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) the first two minutes and this is what I noticed:

-Light hearted music

-Typing sounds of a type writer that matches the text font

-A long tracking scene through an urban city

-Text with names of actors, directors, products, etc.

-Cuts to the opening scene

-Protagonist writing a note

Screenshots from video:

The youtube video gives the first 10 minutes of Perks of Being a Wallflower. However, after watching the full video I was left with questions on how someone can depict the genre in the first two-minutes of a film. For example, in this specific film I was introduced to the proganist in the last 20 seconds of the opening, and I did notice that he was younger aged which is a convention of Bildungsroman. As I watched more and the scene progressed I saw more conventions such as being in highschool and hearing the narrative dialogue from the protagnists on his thoughts of senior year. Overall, I am left with the question on how I will convey my genre noticeably.

What I noticed in the "Coming-of-Age movie mashup:

-Car scenes

-Mixed emotions

-People communicating

-Colorful costumes

-Emotional dialogue

-Natural lighting

-Friendships

-Mother and child tropes

Screenshots from video:

Although these aren't necessarily from a film opening video, I believe it's important to look at a wide ray of different conventions I should keep in mind when creating my project. I also found it pretty conventional when I see some elements that I ahve researched pop up; like the use of natural lighting.

Video links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qypWtUeaD40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGoK2HJby98

Source link:

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/coming-age-literature

Research: Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro is the software I will be using to create my film opening, so this blog post will help me understand more about this software to excel when it comes to editing techniques. After learning the basics of the software in class, I can guide myself through the software well. However, by learning more tips I can expand the knowledge I have to be even more comfortable with Premiere Pro.

The first helpful trick that will help me based on my genre is color correcting clips. After researching different color theories and lighting in the Bildungsroman genre its important to edit my clips to a specific color pattern; romantic and natural lighting. 

By clicking the clip I want to color on my timeline, then going to lumetri color and clicking master I can color the rest of my clips. If i hadn't known this I would probabaly be coloring each of my clips manually instead of using the "master" option to make my editing process easier.

The next tip given for Premiere Pro editing is going to be really handy when it comes to editing and using lower thirds in my clips. 

By clicking on the program monitor first then edit and show rulers I can measure my lower thirds to have them more alligned. This helps make my film opening better when having my title text box be alligned rather than all over the place.

Two other smaller yet helpful tips I learned in this video. By selecting the timeline bar and then clicking sequence I can close the gaps that come between my clips. My first editing practice with Premiere Pro I had problems with closing the gaps between all my clips, because it was really time consuming. So, this helps me with the managing the numerous clips I will have to edit. The next one is bringing in clips with both the audio and the clip itself. Before learning this tip I would have to manually drag in by using the audio and video icon. Now, by mkaing sure the source path track A1 and A2 are colored in blue I can drag in a clip that comes with both audio and the video making editing a whole lot faster.

Overall, all of these tips are going to be useful and they are centered on my exact needs. For example, lower thirds is essential in this project, and to keep my film on theme with my genre color correcting is also vital. If I hadn't done this research I would be completely lost on how to locate certain options. Although I learned basics like where the timeline is located, how to cut clips, and adding lower thirds. This research being recorded on my blog post will also help me comeback to it in time for my film opening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfphGviYKWw