My last blog post

 Hello and welcome back, for the very last time.

After 8 weeks of hard work I proudly present to you my film opening and CCRs!

Sorry I'm late (film opening)

Critical Reflection #1

Critical Reflection #2

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

Production of CCRs

 Hello and welcome back everyone!

We are finally In the home stretch, YAYYY!!!

Yesterday I went back to the park where I originally filmed my opening, and finished filming my first CCR. It certainly was not without its struggles, but at this point I was in a time crunch and I'm in no position to complain. I tried a variation of different shots to make it more interesting. Though I'm starting to regret the clip with me hanging upside down on the monkey bars, mostly because now my arms hurts, but also because Mrs.Stoklosa laughed at me. I know you're reading this. 

The filming process for this was...definitely a process. Me and my Mom left around 5PM with a fully charged camera, two memory cards, two hours left of sunlight, and the rest of the equipment. By the end of the day I was covered in mosquito bites, sweating through my shirt, and ended up running out of space on not one, but TWO of the memory cards. I also apparently developed a stutter any time the camera was rolling because I could NOT for the life of me remember my lines. And when I FINALLY got my lines right, without a doubt, an airplane, electric scooter, or a loud ass bird would ruin the take.

Anywho, the entire filming process yesterday took me just about 3 hours. That was for 6 minutes of footage. I'm so cooked. But, atleast that means this next one will be significantly shorter. Now that I'm almost done editing my first CCR, I'm going to film my second one today. I definitely should have spent more time planning this out, but that's not to say that I haven't been thinking these things through. Trust me. I have. Way too much. So the plan is that today is my final day working on this project and I will hopefully submit this tomorrow morning! Realistically, I doubt this will actually happen, but I'll definitely try.

Update: I finished filming and editing my second CCR and it is currently 1AM. I ended up having to record it entirely by myself, besides one clip with my mom in it. But I put a lot of effort into it and right now I'm just waiting for my powerpoint to load so I can download it and put it into the video. I have T-minus maybe 2 hours if I'm lucky until I need to submit this cross your fingers for me!!!

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

Post production of CCRs

Hello and welcome back! 

Now that I've finished filming for my CCRs I have now begun editing and let me just say, I hate how its looking :(. I'm much more comfortable with the editing process now, but I'm very concerned about the actual content and length of the piece. Though this is probably just nerves talking but I don't feeling very confident about this, and it certainly doesn't help that I'm pressed for time. Not to mention, for some reason everyone and their fucking mother decided to get on a plane yesterday because the sound of jet engines were non-stop and I'm struggling to cut them out without making the visuals look wonky.

OK. Deep breathes. We got this. I decided to use my handy dandy friend ClipChamp to edit my CCR. I cut the clips, adjusted coloring and audio, and even added a sort of slideshow segment to add to my response. I know I sound like a broken record right now, but I keep having this feeling that I'm forgetting something. 

I talked to Mrs. Stoklosa today about my concerns and she thought I was being a little overdramatic. So that gives me a little bit more confidence that I know what I'm doing. 

Any who, I filmed and edited the majority of my first CCR yesterday and I'm currently working on my second. The plan was to have EVERYTHING filmed, edited, and finalized by today but that is currently a work in progress. So since we've learned to adjust we're gonna get feedback today and finish editing the CCRs hopefully by tonight so I can submit everything tomorrow morning. Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.

Update: I have never been more dramatic in my life. I have spent far too long editing, I have not slept nor showered and I feel like I’m going insane. However, I DID IT!!! I didn’t beat the timer and had to finish editing in Colorado, but after many breakdowns and panic attacks it is done. Thank god and good riddance.

Looking back on this blog, I'm realzing I was entirely correct to doubt my time management. And that any shred of hope I had for finishing this entire process before my flight the next morning was (excuse my french) complete delusion and straight up bullshit. 

I have screamed, begged, and pleaded with my computer for the past two days and this process has made me come to one final conclusion, god is real and he was kind enough to take pity on me and allow my clipchamp to export my projects.

XOXO,

Gossip Girl
 

Project Reflection

 Hello and welcome back everyone.

As this project comes to an end, it leaves bittersweet memories behind. Mostly bitter because of how much stress this project caused me (seriously I think I'm actively balding), but I'm also very grateful to have this opportunity. And whether I knew it or not, I was sending a message to teenagers as a whole with my new creation, including myself. 

During this project, I have faced many ups and downs in my personal life. And when I went back to my blogs and remembered the message I wanted to give to my audience, I realized that the story I wrote and produced was about me. It was a weird euphoric feeling as I realized I wrote out my future and was learning the same lesson as my characters. Loved ones will come and go, and we cannot force them to stay. The best we can do is enjoy the time we have left with them and grow from the experience. This message has a much deeper meaning to me now and I have never been so proud of myself for what I have created.

This project has a very special place in my heart and I am so happy with what I have produced, despite the sleepless nights I spent worrying about this. This assignment has taught me to trust myself and my decisions in many aspects of my life. I've grown so much from this experience in more ways than one and I can't wait to see what I'll do with my new found knowledge, creativity, and confidence in the future. It pains me a little bit to know that I probably won't be making anything like this in a very long time, especially not in school. But regardless, these past few weeks have pushed me to my limits and taught me truly how much I am capable of when I put my all into it. Like my canon camera, before this I would press "record" and hope for the best. Now I know what framerate to use, how to set my aperture, and adjust my ISO to any scenario and make the best out of what I'm given.

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

CCR #4

 Hello and welcome back everyone!

Since this is our last question to answer this means that we are finally reaching the end of this project!

So without further ado, today’s questions is “How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?”

SCRIPT:

Well for the planning process, I used online technologies. I obviously used my blog as a form of meta cognition to think about what I was doing and how it would create meaning. I also ended up using PixaBay and other sound databases to get my music tracks and sounds for the film. Anyways, during the actually production process I used a multitude of technologies.

When it came to hardware, I used stabilizers, lights, microphones, an Akon tripod and my EOS Rebel T6i Canon camera. I used these pieces of hardware to stabilize, capture, and manipulate my shots. The lights came in handy a lot during filming especially because it got really dark really quick around this time, and the stabilizers helped me to get some really neat shots like the overhead of the girls on the merry go round. I also used USBs and adapters a bit to help with transferring my content from the camera to the computer, and from my computer to school.

However, when it comes to software I had a bit more trouble, I originally tried using Adobe express to start my editing, but that ended up deleting my progress so instead I used ClipChamp. Using ClipChamp I edited the rest of my project, did color grading, added sound effects, etc. The system did start to glitch out on me the closer I got to finishing but everything worked out. I also used Canva throughout this process to create my title card and credit sequences. 

So as you can see I engaged with my fair share of technologies during this project and I learned a lot from it.

Sources:

Biola University Production Center. (n.d.). Computing suggestions. https://productioncenter.biola.edu/computing-suggestions

Kenyon, C. (2023, February 14). Software define? Microsoft Q&A. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5229707/software-define

Glide Gear. (2021, November). Professional video gear to start your filmmaking career. https://glidegear.net/blogs/news/a-list-of-essential-filmmaking-equipment

XOXO,

Gossip Girl 

CCR question #3

 Hello and welcome back everyone!

Today we’re answering the question, “How did your production skills develop throughout this project?” 

SCRIPT:

Well coming into this I didn’t have much experience with producing media asides from the projects we’ve done in class. This project has really forced me to take initiative, make decisions, and adapt to my situation. My editing, writing, directing, planning, camera work, and so much more has all improved throughout this process. This project has also prompted me to be much more creative and step out of my comfort zone. 

Before this I was terrible at editing, like I’m saying I couldn’t even shorten a video. Now I’m editing entire openings. Creating title cards, piecing together sequences, finding the perfect music, and making sure everything is smooth and continuous. I also learned about things like color grading and adding effects and compiling sounds and so much more.

The same goes with writing, when it comes to dialogue and expressing camera techniques and visuals in a script I would typically just wing it before, but this project has made me realize, that when I had an outline I was much more confident and prepared and it was much easier to explain to other what I wanted them to do.

And when it comes down to camera work Ive improved a lottt see I used to not even know what my camera was capable of. I had this big heavy duty thing but I didn't even know how to use it, I'd just press record and hope for the best. This project made me learn about ISO, aperture, frame rate, as well as sound quality, lighting, composition, there's so many things I could get into. But looking back on my old productions and at the one i've just created i'm surprised at how far i've come. Especially since I had basically no prior knowledge of producing media.

Overall, this project made me realize that having a plan is amazing and can prepare you for a lot that is to come, but experience is the true teacher behind the operation. During this process I would have things strictly planned out and I think you guys know if you've been following me throughout this journey that I ended up changing a lot of things on a whim, and not everything went to plan. So while it was a bit of a struggle what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Sorry bad timing, but my point is, this project has improved my skills physically, creatively, and mentally since we've used these blogs as a form of metacognition which really forced me to think about what I wanted to do, what I wanted it to convey, and where I wanted the story to go. So even though I may have adapted and shifted gears I can say with full confidence everything on screen is there for a reason and is meant to create purpose. 

Adobe. (n.d.). Video production: A beginner’s guide. Adobe Creative Cloud. https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/production.html

Fiveable Content Team. (2025). Media production processes (Unit 10). Fiveable. https://fiveable.me/media-expression-and-communication/unit-10

Harris, M. J. (n.d.). Production techniques. The Media Student’s Book (5th ed.). Routledge. https://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/mediastudentsbook/threshold/production-techniques.php

CCR research and script #2

 Hello and welcome back!!

Today we are going to be answering the second CCR questions which is, drumroll please... "How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?"

SCRIPT:

To answer your question, my production engages with multitude of audiences, and while majority I would expect to be female this genre attracts a variety of demographics. CoA is a very relatable genre that brings nostalgia, memories, and representation to its viewership. While this genre is geared towards young teens, older individuals may also gravitate towards these types of movies as they tend to see their younger selves in the characters. 

My film opening in particular would be classified as an indie film since nobody knows my name in the film industry...yet.

So you may be wondering, how am I going to distribute  this? Well there is this wonderful thing called social media. Or more formally known as digital distribution. I would heavily rely on platforms like TikTok and instagram to bring attention to my production, and platforms like YouTube to spread my film to the public. I would also enter my opening into film festivals and screenplay contests. This would be an awesome way for me to get my production out there and maybe even gain some credentials in the film industry!

Sources:

Pearson, E. (2020, August 10). The complete guide to film distribution. Topsheet. https://www.topsheet.io/blog/the-complete-guide-to-film-distribution

WFCN. (2023, January 28). Top film festivals for the beginners. https://www.wfcn.co/blog/top-film-festivals-for-the-beginners

FilmFreeway. (n.d.). Film festivals. https://filmfreeway.com/festivals

“How to self distribute film.” (n.d.). Video. https://share.google/FUB9jm6MQc1ifcqzi

CCR production ideas

 Hello and welcome back! 

So today since we are finally moving on to our creative critical reflections I've already started brainstorming some ideas for it.

My first idea was pretty genius if I do say so myself. I had the idea that like the show Fleabag, I could go on a "first date" with my boyfriend and constantly break the forth wall while he asks me questions like "Wow I can't believe he just asked me that on the first date", and than proceed to answer the questions. I would have him do this for the last two CCR questions I believe so that I could say things like "Bit personal no?" in response to question #3 (How did your production skills develop throughout this project?). And than at the end of the date I could have him say he has one more question and asks for a kiss, and the CCR ends with me slamming the door in his face and turning to the camera to say something witty.

My second idea is that I could connect my CCR to the film, so I could be wearing some of my character's outfits while playing on the equipment and doing a sort of vogue 72 questions format where they're asking me questions and I'm answering them while on the playground. This would be a nice touch since the main setting for this story is the playground. I could be hanging upside down on the monkey bars, going on the merry go round, sitting on swings, you get the idea.

My third and final idea is to accommodate my spring break plans So unfortunately, I'm leaving on March 12th for skiing in Colorado, which F.Y.I, I HATE. This obviously doesn't give me as much time to film, edit and complete my project, and cuts almost a week out of my expected schedule. So, I had the idea that if my second idea doesn't work out, or it just isn't creative enough, than I could answer my questions while skiing down the slopes. Yes I know i'm going to look insane talking to myself and being whipped in the face with wind, but c'mon give me credit where credit is due I'm working with limited options here.

Anywho, Plan 2&3 I would use to answer CCR questions #1 and #2 most likely, as they are more boring and require me to go more in depth on the topic and I think a less narrative style would be effective for these questions and that my ideas are still fun and creative enough to avoid the floating head debacle.

UPDATE:

So idea #1 isn’t going to work out as I planned because I can’t get together with him to film it before I leave, soooo Mrs. Stoklosa had an awesome idea to pretend that I’m being haunted by a ghost and have it ask me questions. So yea I’m going to do that!

CCR Research & Script #1

 Hello and welcome back today!

For today’s blog I’m going to be answering the question, “How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?”

 Now I've already talked about genre conventions in one of my earlier blogs, so I'll try not to bore you guys too much with that.

SCRIPT:

my product  features a mix of conforming and challenging elements when it comes to CoA conventions. When you think of coming of age movies, you often think of jocks, cheerleaders, school settings, malls, etc.

My film contradicts these expectations since they are only ever seen at the park and don’t appear to have a specific cliche. And you may be wondering, “why?” well I’ll tell you. I really wanted to illustrate the characters as young, immature, naive, and unsure of their place in society; and what better way to do that than to show them holding onto childish habits. The playground is often associated with innocence and children, so when this symbol is combined with the heavy themes displayed in the opening, it sets up the coming of age genre of journeys to self discovery, and shows the dark side of teenage life and grief.

However, my opening still features your typical conventions in terms of aesthetics. The film features bright colors with 2000’s inspired styles, not to mention the makeup and bright colors of Viv and the setting around her creates that typical dreamlike facade sort of look. 

Though, that quickly dissipates once her friend dies. Although, that also feeds into another genre convention. 

Coming of age films are notorious for showing the messy sides of adolescence, and sometimes it tends to be on the more dramatic side. This can be seen in films like The Outsiders or The Perks Of Being a Wallflower. My opening I would say is a happy medium between the two sides of the spectrum. The beginning starts out colorful, happy, and dreamlike. Until, everything goes wrong and we begin to see reality hit Viv in the face. 

My opening represents teenage girls and simply teenagers in general. In media we often see teens being mischaracterized as heavy drinkers, disrespectful, rebels, etc. While these things do happen in real life, most teenagers spend their days chilling with their friends. This film is meant represents the calmer side of teenage life and how much friends have an influence on your life and the decisions you make (to an extent). 

Moreover, my opening is meant to represent teen mental health. Teenagers often go through a lot of stress and struggles that they keep to themselves. I believe that it is important to see all sides of adolescence, especially in coming of age movies because while these films can be fun mall runs and late nights with friends, life isn’t always like that. The message throughout this film is about self discovery, Blair was Viv’s other half and vice versa. Now that they’re losing each other they have to learn to be their own people, accept the past, and spend the time they have left to the fullest. While in real life this isn't so literal, but there will come a time when friends and loved ones come and go and we need to learn to accept the change and better ourselves from the experience we gained.

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

Sources:

1. Metcalfe, J. (n.d.). What is a coming-of-age movie? Medium. https://medium.com/coming-of-age-with-film/what-is-a-coming-of-age-movie-7ebf1121ca1c

2. Glazier, J. (n.d.). Conventions and iconography of the coming-of-age genre. MindMeister. https://www.mindmeister.com/714294408/conventions-and-iconography-of-the-coming-of-age-genre

3. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Coming of age. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_of_age

4. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Teen film. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_film