CCR's are almost done!!

Blogger I am doing amazing!!!! Last night, from 10 PM to 12 AM, I wrote the script for my CCR for the questions “..” and “…” That was the one that was supposed to be a normal CCR and I recount the script, but at the last minute, I decided to change my CCR idea to a house tour explaining my whole process. Without my friend Jessica I don’t know what I’d do. She filmed me from 1 AM to 3 AM. I am now on a plane on my way to Aruba and me and Jessica are editing this entire thing.

Ok I’m making this paragraph the next day but me and Jessica filmed the whole podcast scene and we did it on the hotel bed. We did a series of wide shots and then close-ups of each of us talking to add more of a real effect.


I’m scared that Cambridge is not going to understand that I’m not being lazy by doing it on a bed; It’s just the way that podcasts are filmed nowadays. It’s a more modern take on a podcast and really inspired by Jake Shane and Tana Mongeau.


Ok we’re back and I’m almost completely finished editing. I wanted to fill you in on some tactics that I used when editing. By the way, I’ve been editing on CapCut. I took clapping sounds off of YouTube and screen-recorded them for the intro of the podcast when Jessica introduced me. A lot of influencers do this when they film an edit so I decided to take that as inspiration. Use little popping effects for pictures that came up and I did this in not only the house tour CCR but also the podcast one. I still have a little bit to go for the second CCR but I’m gonna try to finish editing by tomorrow so that I can submit it.

For the second CCR, I had some technical difficulties with Jessica‘s sound as her voice was very muffled, so to overcome this obstacle, I just had her record a voiceover and I implemented it into the video.

Script for CCR #2

My second CCR video will include the questions:
"How did your production skills develop throughout this project?"
"How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?"


It is not set in stone but here is what I am thinking of saying:


I finally finished this portfolio project. 6 weeks later and I'm done. I never thought this day would come! So let's recap. It all started when I joined Aice media and we had to create something called a sound project.

I had yet to learn how to create a soundscape or anything. That is when I began to ask friends and watch YouTube tutorials because I knew I needed to know how to edit sound for some "portfolio project" we had to do.

The music video project really challenged me to not only be able to edit, but also act. Once our concept was established, we as filmmakers had to translate it into visual imagery through cinematography and visual storytelling techniques. This involves selecting appropriate shots, framing compositions, and capturing scenes that convey the intended emotion and message we tried to get across.







All of these projects helped to improve my editing and filmmaking skills. I encountered challenges and obstacles during the production process.


For example, when I forgot to bring my jeans for one of the scenes, I had to reflim and it was a huge setback. It taught me how to work around a situation and adapt to changes like a lot of the scenes were altered because they weren't how I envisioned them.


I improved my time management skills by prioritizing tasks, setting deadlines, and efficiently getting all of the actors and resources I needed.




Working on a film project often involves collaboration with a team of cast and crew members. My partner and I had trouble finding dates that we were both available for us to work on the film. I had to film some scenes without my partner which made it difficult but I overcame these challenges by having other friends help me film.







Paying attention to detail is essential in every aspect of filmmaking, from scriptwriting to post-production. While Madi was editing, she realized a huge problem. There was no throw up in the toilet, making it a very unrealistic shot. To fix this issue, Madi had to edit in a way to make the shot quick and not draw attention to the toilet.



And that ladies is how you use technology to overcome errors. Speaking of technology, you might want to know how I even produced all of this.


I used YouTube to search sounds and the music behind my project.



To film the actual project, I used an iPhone 15 pro max.






Madi and I used iMovie to edit.



I actually used the Voice Memos app to record the teacher speaking and the student's responses.








I also used Blogger to document my entire filming process.



Overall, when I joined aice media I really had no idea about everything that goes on behind the scenes of film making. There are so many different aspects of film that you don't see. From picking the location to wardrobe choices and finding actors,





I underestimated how much went into actually making my own film. I can't wait to create more in the future and I definetly have way more respect for filmmakers.

Script for CCR #1

My first CCR video will answer:

• "How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?"
• "How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?"

My script will include my friend Jessica interviewing me on the film.

Jessica: Hey Chlo, welcome back to the podcast.
Chloe: Aw thanks so much for having me. I missed ya.
Jessica: Congratulations on the new film, The Valedictorian, I loved it.

Chloe: Aw thank you so much

Jessica: Before we start, would you like to tell our viewers a little about it?

Chloe: Yea of course so basically I directed and starred in a film called The Valedictorian about a smart, popular, 18-year old girl named Lily, who has recently received Valedictorian but also has a big secret that she's been hiding which is that she is pregnant.

Jessica: I have so many questions to ask you!
Chloe: What do u want to hear about?
Jessica: Well of course this is a little bit of a controversial topic, so what made you want to do a film on it?
Chloe: Yea great question. actually one of the main reasons I wanted to do it was because it IS controversial. You know, we don’t see a lot of films about teen pregnancy, especially in a school setting excluding Juno which is a great film by the way.

Jessica: One of my favorite movies. But I get what you mean, teen pregnancy comes with social stigma, judgment, and shame.

Chloe: Yes, this is seen a lot in the media field. Teen pregnancy in films, television shows, and social media is frowned upon and can contribute to controversy by influencing public perceptions and attitudes which I wanted to challenge in this film.
Jessica: Preach
Chloe: The topic of teen pregnancy is very hard to showcase in a coming-of-age genre as the audiences tend to be younger like I don't want to normalize it

Jessica: Ya no def
Chloe: Because in coming-of-age genres the audiences are typically teens and I don't want to encourage risky behavior but rather promote safe sex practices and responsible decision-making.

Jessica: Yea, in your film, I think it was really important to include the friend helping her out in the bathroom because it really helped show that like you have support and people that love you

Chloe: EXACTTLLLYYYYY, And like depicting Lily's interactions with classmates and teachers, the film like really explores themes of social judgment like this pregnancy could really mess up the way everyone sees this smart, popular girl

Jessica: And the part when Lily starts to zone out... I was like girl is STRUGGLING to focus and it really impacts her academic journey

Chloe: Mhhhmmm. Especially having Jake in the same class as Lily caused her focus to really drift. I wanted to highlight themes of accountability and the consequences of past choices and relationships. It showed how symptoms of a pregnancy aren't the only thing that girls may struggle with.

Jessica: The tension between Lily and Jake had me on the EDGE OF MY SEAT. Like having him actually in the film AND IN THE SAME ROOM added another layer of excitement
Chloe: Thank you (smiles)

Jessica: So Chlo, I also wanted to ask you how your film will engage with audiences
Chloe: Yea so like I said before, our film is primarily focused on teens. This setting engages audiences by offering an authentic portrayal of high school and teenage life (emphasized), including its highs and lows.

Jessica: I think it was so smart to also do it about a teenager like you lowkey ate with that one
Chloe: Well I wanted it to be relatable to teens that actually go through this or maybe relatives of those who are pregnant and who may not see the struggles they go through.
Jessica: LOVE
Chloe: Thanks (blushes)
Jessica: I found this film on YouTube but like where else can our viewers find this film or how else will you distribute it?
Chloe: So guys I actually just submitted my film to "Sundance Film Festival" so you should definitely check that out. I made it available on free streaming sites like "tubitv.com" and online digital platforms such as Vimeo On Demand and YouTube Movies. I also partnered with local schools like Cypress Bay for classroom use and educational purposes.

Jessica: That's amazing, I'm so proud of you Chlo, you've come so far
Chloe: That means a lot Jess I love ya
(Hug)

There might be minimal changes while filming this, but this is pretty much my script!

CCR updates

Since Madi is now editing most of the project since I acted in all of it, and did lots of scenes without her, she agreed to edit the project. This way, I now have time to film and edit my CCR's. 

I'm not going to lie, I am procrastinating a bit. I'm going to Aruba on Wednesday, meaning I have Monday and Tuesday to create the scripts and film at least one of my CCR's.

The first video will probably be filmed on the trip. For my first video, regarding the questions, "How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?" and "How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?" I will create a podcast environment, based off of a Jake Shane, "Therapuss" vibe and a Tana Mongeau, "Cancelled' vibe. My friend Jessica will interview me using a cozy background much like Jake and Tana do.







If I film in Aruba, I will have a prettier background.


For the second video, regarding the questions, "How did your production skills develop throughout this project?" and "How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?" I will do these two as a normal, plain video like this where I create the CCR like a regular video, with multimedia and all, and then repeat the whole script as the video plays and say how it is my "special talent." I think this one will be more efficent.


I will create both scripts in my upcoming blog posts, with the multimedia and everything that I will show in the videos.

Day 3 Filming

My filming is finally complete!!! I am so happy that I finally got to film the bathroom scene with the help of my friends, Lily and Lauren. Don’t get confused because we have an actor named Lily, and me who’s fake same is Lily.

We filmed after school on Thursday, yesterday, and went to a Publix.

The bathroom scene took us a bit of time.

As you can see in the picture above, I am not wearing the right pants. I actually forgot to bring. This was kind of a really big issue as I’ve been wearing jeans the entire time and it wasn’t possible to cover the pants. This Publix was also a little bit crowded in the bathroom and we had to wait for many people to leave the room. It was very chaotic and it wasn’t happy with the outcome. After leaving the Publix, I told my actor friends that we had to refilm and I had to change my jeans.



After facing this little obstacle, I went home, changed my jeans, and we headed to Gator Run Park. I knew bathrooms were a little bit bigger, so there was more room to film and get a wide shot. Although the Publix bathroom looked more like a school bathroom, I think the Gator Run Parks one still worked and I still like the outcome better.






In the bathroom, I used my backpack, Lily’s backpack, two notebooks, and two pencils, as mise-en-scene elements. Lily obviously wore her backpack to show that she also is a student. I wanted to give the idea that I threw my backpack on the ground because I was nauseous and everything had fallen out of my bag. In the shots, my bag was kind of wide open with things out of it to give the effect that I had just thrown it down.






For the throwing up portion, I think that my noises were loud enough that I didn’t actually have to do a voiceover. the echoes, the bathroom was loud enough for my liking, but I have to see what Madi says as she edits.


We also added a scene. After I look back at lily to shake my head “yes” after asking if I’m good, then we both scramble to pick up all of my items off the floor and get back to class. it adds a sense of stress and an idea that the throwing up was more of a secret so we have to scramble to get back to class.



We took two different approaches of leaving the bathroom. For one of them, I would leave right after Lily, my friend actor, left the bathroom. And for the other one, I would follow her but look in the mirror for a second to pull my top down, insinuating that I have been gaining a little weight and anxious about my body.







Overall, I think my bathroom scene is pretty strong and I’m very happy with the outcome, even though I faced an obstacle.



We also treated ourselves to food after our hard work.

Day 2 Filming

Heyyyyyyyy!! So today, I filmed my walking into the school scene and my walking through the hallway scenes. I lowkey had a breakdown because I had to film in lunch, which is only 30 minutes, and my partner Madi wasn't answering the phone to meet up and film. I knew I had to start, as today would be the last day to film in school, due to Madi not being there tomorrow (which I could've filmed without her but I feel like I need her validation) so I had to use my 30 minutes wisely.

After my breakdown, my friends helped me gather people from lunch to help film me in the hallway. I knew I needed a lot of people, which has been stressing me out, so I grabbed about 7 people to come help me.

Until Madi came, we skipped the walking into the school scene and went straight to the hallway scene. I had my friend Alexandra film me walking through the doors of the school. We had a boy (that we randomly found) walk across the camera to give the effect that the school is busy and give it a realistic feel of a school environment. My friend Lucy came out of the doors as I was walking in, reinforcing the school environment idea.


We found two girls in the hallway and they agreed to be in the film as well, and they said, "Hey Lily."


The use of friends saying "hi" shows how the student body is aware of Lily and that she is well known partly due to becoming valedictorian. It really just establishes the idea that Lily is very present in society and is known by many others.







The use of teachers and staff included in my film opening shows an established relationship or even just popularity within Lily. The amount of staff that congratulate or say hi to her shows how she's popular among the faculty mostly due to her active participation in the school and the positive relationships she's made along the way of becoming valedictorian.
















As you may see, by the picture above, I did get to film the walking into school, and having the security guard say "Hi Lily" really enhanced the idea of everyone knowing her. This is one of the conflicts Lily has in this film's opening; her popularity and bright future make her so well-known that when people find out she is pregnant, it will have a huge effect on her.




The boy on the right also volunteered to be in the opening.







The girls in the left third represent what high school really looks like. We made the decision of leaving Liliy without a phone, to highlight that she is not influenced by trends or other peoples OPINIONS. This shot juxtaposes her with the other two girls, even if it is just for a minor second.


What am I most concerned about, is the fluidity of the scene. The scene is supposed to be a series of tracking shots but I want to ensure that it looks visually appealing and natural. I separated the hallway scene into 4 different shots, as one whole tracking scene would just be too much for the actors and I to continue repeating. I would turn the corner as a technique to make the cut less noticeable but I will have to see when Madi edits.

Classroom Filming

Blogggggeerrrrrr!!!!!! I have a mega update. So much weight has been lifted off my shoulders. So, yesterday I filmed all of the classroom scenes as well as the walking out of the bathroom scene. Me, Madi, and Mrs. Stoklosa arranged a way to incorporate all of my classmates to assist me by being actors and walking in the hallway, to make it look realistic and crowded.

I was so lucky that I had about 10 people help me in filming these scenes as it was effective in making the hallways seem crowded and natural.

Here is a video of me directing the actors on where to go.

Our tactic was to have some people walking toward the camera and some people away as people took different routes to their different classes. We also had some people chatting against the wall and some people chatting while walking. We also had someone walking from behind me, which made it seem real. We had Jake leaning against the wall, on his phone but looks up at Lily as she passed by.

In the classroom scene, we made a minor alteration of me sitting down in my chair to give the effect that I am present in the class.

We reduced the amount of chaos of finding a teacher to leave their class and help me out by having one of my classmates act as the teacher.

This low angle establishes his authority and I directed the two student actors to look at him while he speaks.

We thought that the teacher should first say “good morning” and ask the class how they are feeling as it makes the environment more comfortable and natural. My teacher suggested that we do a voice recording of him, saying this and layer it with background chatter of students.

Along with this, we also filmed audio of all of my classmates, responding to the question. Here's a behind-the-scenes video of my classmates and I filming an audio of the students responding to the teacher.

These additions will ensure that our sound feels like a real classroom even though it might take extra work to accomplish. I have to make sure that the audio of the teacher speaking aligns with the video of him, speaking.

I realized that I didn’t really have anything else for the teacher to say until after the flashback so I had my actor start talking about the theory of evolution which will become muffled as my attention starts to drift. As we were filming, I realized that, as my focus started to drift away, and I zoned out, the teacher's voice should become muffled, to reduce attention from everything else but Lily (me). The muffled sounds of the teacher, give the sense that Lily is no longer focussing on the words of the teacher, and rather the ideas drifting through her head.

I also think that the way we filmed the flash forward of the close-up of the teacher, was very effective, especially with the way the teacher pronounced “Lily.” I gave him a tip on how to say the name, but Mrs. Stoklosa liked the way he said it better. This is him saying Lily.

We also had some struggles with the lighting as Lily and Jake needed to be across the room from each other. This wasn’t the issue though. The issue was that our actor playing Jake, Dino, was facing away from the window which allowed for not as good lighting. Dino also altered the exposure to make it a little bit more low to give it more of an effect. We also made Jake look a little bit away during the eyeline match to show a sense of tension and regret.

My partner, Madi, had to leave for a lacrosse game so I had my classmate, Vanessa, help me in filming. In this video, you can see how I struggled to look zoned out and became distracted by Dino in the background.

I got a few different angles of the eyeline match of me, so I may use the farther one first, and then the closer shot, to show that I think more and more about that night, the more I look at Jake.

Jake was filmed from more of a distance, a medium shot, with an actor in the back, completing work, and enforcing the setting.

Tomorrow I will be filming other scenes so I will have to change into my original clothes which is kind of annoying, but anything for the film.

Since we’ve filmed every other shot, the last thing we have to do is the walking into school shot and the bathroom shot. The plan is to film me, walking into school, during my lunch and I’m going to bring about 6-8 friends. Actually walking into the white gates outside of our school, might not be as crowded because there are not as many people off school campus so I may use a couple of friends for the outside of school, but the halls should have some people in it and then the people that were in the white gate shot will be saying hi to me in the hallway. I want to get my Spanish teacher and last year's English teacher to pop out of their rooms and say hello and be one of my actors so I will text them tonight.