This is it, my final blog. It has been a long journey to complete this project, but I am happy to say it is finally over. You can really see the progression of this portfolio project in every blog post. Thank you for coming along the journey, and thank you to my partners Sebastien and Christian for staying along for the ride.
Here are the links to the final works: CCR #1 and #2 are combined as a director's commentary, and CCR #3 and #4 are combined as a presentation.
We had come a long journey in completing this portfolio. We have battled with multiple roadblocks, but luckily, with my partners Sebastien and Christian, we were able to complete it. There was a lot of build-up to achieve this project, including brainstorming, storyboarding, editing, organizing, filming, etc. I have learned a lot of new things along the way, both in the media sphere and in other areas of work. I want to thank my partners and my teacher (Ms. Stoklosa) for all the help along the way to achieve this work.
Personally, I enjoyed the beginning of the project, where I got to research and come up with ideas, but the later stages of the project, with filming and editing, I disliked, as it is so time-consuming for something that seems to produce so little. However, I will always have a love for the media sphere in my heart, and I enjoy my photography as a hobby.
Now, just like the production of the CCRs, the post-production/editing wasn't too bad, either. I used Premiere Pro to edit both of them.. For both, I had trimmed and adjusted the clips to make sure the voiceover matched the visuals to make it flow right. Also I added visuals to help the viewer get a better understanding of them.
For questions #1 and #2, the directory commentary, the editing was the most difficult as it required me to pull clips from online, photos, and make sure everything lined up correctly. I had added in examples that I talked about to help the audience get a better understanding of how it relates to our opening.This editing took me around 2 hours to do. I had some trouble lining up the narration and adjusting the volume for this one, but with trial and error, I managed to do it.But overall, I am happy with the end result.
For questions #3 and #4, the presentation was much simpler to handle because all I had to do was pull the presentation into Premiere Pro, add my voice-over, and line it up with the clips. This made the presentation look more engaging and professional. It only took me 10 minutes, and I was very happy with the results. However, the presentation and voice over itself took 3 hours to complete.
I had finished my recording for CCRs questions 1-4. Over it was pretty easy. Since neither of my CCRs required me to show my face, I only had to record my voice and it took away the distraction of having a face on the screen. And since I already had my script done(can be seen in my other blogs), it was pretty simple as all I had to was record my voice and if I wasn't satisfied I can redo it.
For questions 1 and 2, I used a director's commentary format, where the director voices over the film. You can now include your face in this format, but I decided not to. My setup for recording was quite simple: just my mic plugged into my computer and I was in a quite part of my house, which recorded the audio that ensured good audio quality.
Then for questions 3 and 4, I used a presentation format, where I had a slide and I voiceovered over what the pictures and bullet points meant. Each slide included minimal bullet points and pictures to help guide the viewer. My speaking over the presentation made everything easier to understand and gave a more in-depth explanation.
How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
CCR #3 and CCR #4 will all be in a presentation with a voiceover.
Slide #7
Technology played a critical role in our production process.
Slide #8
For hardware, we used a Nikon Z8 paired with a 24-200mm lens, a Rode microphone to capture the footage, and a Lexar Silver CF Express card to store it. One of the most important hardware I used was a laptop without it I couldn't do any work. We had used a monopod on a few of our shots, but on many, we were able to get it into the position we wanted.
Slide #9
For software, we used Clipchamp to arrange the clips, trim unnecessary parts, pacing, and add sound to achieve the final product. We also used some features in Primer Pro, like the stabilizing effect, to stabilize some footage that was shaky. OneDrive and Google Drive both helped me store data and share it.
Slide #10
For online tools, I used Blogger, which helped showcase the project's progression and plan by organizing my thoughts and storing them.
Slide #11
The use of different technologies helped me to complete each stage of the production process, from filming and editing to the final presentation of the film's opening.
How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
CCR #3 and CCR #4 will all be in a presentation with a voiceover.
Slide #1
Throughout this project, my production skills improved in several important areas, including planning, filming, teamwork and editing.
Slide #2
At the start, I focused on planning the opening structure. Including the idea, shots, and the opening would introduce the audience to the story.
Slide #3
During the film, I got a better understanding of how the different shows affect the audience's interpretation of the scene. For example, the POV shot from the bag shows that the bag isn't just an object but is alive. I had also learned why there is so much technology that comes with film, as with the film, I had wished that we had access to a gimbal, as it would have made a couple of our shots steadier.
Slide #4
Although I wasn't the main editor, learning to fix clips that weren't 100% correct, trim clips, adjust lighting, and pacing made everything smoother and more engaging. Also, it showed how everything I learned throughout the year came together. The editing also showed the progression of our ideas coming to life.
Slide #5
I also learned a lot from collaborating with my partners, Sebastian and Christian, because they taught me new things and showed me how to work more efficiently.
Slide #6
This project allowed me to review the skills I have learned and to learn some new techniques that would be helpful in the future for film production.
How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?
Voice-over
My opening engages the audience through suspense and curiosity. Instead of an explanation of the situation, the opening begins with a mystery. Creating tension and interest to keep the audience watching.
Most thriller films rely on suspense to keep the audience engaged. Similar to Scream, which is a mix of thriller and horror, it uses tension and uncertainty to keep the audience engaged.
A newer thriller film like Carry is an example of how tension is built through pacing, suspenseful situations, and high-stakes characters. According to Netflix, the film focuses on suspense and intense moments to maintain the audience's attention.
My opening also includes sound effects and music to build tension. As the music starts, it fades out, with stings and omission sounds. The contrasts sound by going from a sense of safety to danger.
For distribution, it would be released on YouTube. Because it is a low-budget film and a new company, the best way to get it out is on YouTube, as it would allow audiences to access it easily.
Social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube would allow creators to share the trailer, short clips, and behind-the-scenes footage to generate a fan base/interest. Also, these platforms allow for media to reach large audiences quickly.
Together, the thriller story with digital distribution would allow for this project to reach a large audience.
Overall, combining suspenseful storytelling with digital distribution platforms would allow this project to reach and engage a modern audience.
CCR is a major part of the portfolio project, and we have to answer a total of 4 questions. I have decided to take my teachers' recommendations: answers #1 and #2 in production, and #3 and #4 in another production. Now there are many types of productions I can do. So, for #1 and #2, I choose to do a director's commentary. I will play clips from my opening and voiceover explaining why we chose those techniques. The first question will be “How does your product use or challenge conventions, and how does it represent social groups or issues?” I will answer by discussing moments in the film where we used genre conventions, such as angles, lighting, and sound, and by explaining how the characters/situation represent social groups. “How does your product engage with audiences, and how would it be distributed as a real media text?” I will answer this by discussing how elements such as suspense, music, and pacing can grab the audience's attention.
Using a director's commentary allows me to connect my explanations directly to the scenes, so the audience can see exactly what I am talking about as I explain my decisions.
For questions #3 and #4, I will be doing a slideshow presentation. I will divide each question into several slides to be answered: "How did your production skills develop throughout this proj ect?" In the slides, I will show the progress of my project over time, including images from planning, such as the storyboard, and contrast them with the final project. Then with the next question, "How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware, and online – into this project?" I will show images of our camera setup and tripod placement. I will also include screenshots of the editing software.
I plan to use Canva to create this presentation, as I have plenty of experience with it and it allows for full creative freedom.
For our opening we need to increase loudness of some of the clips and we can do that by layering sounds over it. We need a total of four sounds: footsteps, car door opening/closing, getting out of the car, and zipper of the bag. These sounds were easy to form as one way to do it is to do the actually action to create the sound. Down below is the videos of us creating the sounds.
Now that we have recorded the sounds I will have to put them into the opening and make sure it is sync otherwise it wouldn't sound right. Putting in these sounds adds to our opening, helping us to achieve the best film opening possible.
