Links to CCR's and Film Opening

 CCR questions 1-2:

(Click here)

CCR questions 2-4:

(Click here)

Film Opening:

(Click here)

Project Final Reflection

     I have made it to the end of the road when it comes to my portfolio project. I have finished everything from the beginning research to the final touches of my CCR's. As I bring this whole project to a close, I feel it is important to make one more post before I end off this final project with the links to my 8 weeks of hard work and dedication. I came into this project with a million and one questions and ideas on how I was going to do this. I went from an idea revolving around romance, to one of sports, to finally the idea I ended up pursuing, and even then I had to adjust my idea dozens of times. This project came with its difficulties, yes, but being able to bring it all to a close and see my progress and see my final products makes it all worth it.

    I also am coming out of this project with a different mentality on the class as a whole and my confidence in filmmaking. Before this project, I was honestly not as dedicated as I am now in the class. My dedication to this project and the work I put in helped me come out with a sense of motivation that will carry me on throughout the rest of the time I have in this class. I genuinely do consider these past 8 weeks of this project to be an overall very positive one, and I feel this will probably feel missing from my weekly routine for a while. I look forward to Cambridge seeing my work, and hope they see the dedication and work that I see when I reflect on my work as a whole.

CCR's (Editing)

    Before I knew it, it was time for my favorite part of any project, the editing. I decided to use this opportunity to edit my CCR's in a style that was less professional and rather more tailored to my preferred editing style. The editing for my CCR's gave me an opportunity to be creative and original with my videos.  In this blogpost, I will be breaking down what special elements I added to improve my CCR's

    I first made some minor adjustments. Specifically, I started by addicting colors, with simply addicting the contrast, whites, blacks, and exposure, I was able to make the footage look a lot more visually appealing. 

Before adjustments

After adjustments

    Next, I added multiple things from visual effects, integrations of the opening scene, and added other relevant things that helped keep the video engaging yet informative. Together, I was able to achieve my goal of making CCR's which are not only engaging, but informative and unique to my style of editing and content creation. Below is a link to a screen recording that shows the various layers that I needed to add to achieve the final product I wanted.

CCR's Timeline

CCR Production Process

    In the week between this blog post and the one from the week before, I have filmed both of my CCR's. I previously mentioned how I wanted to film my CCR's, I decided to do come preplanning to decide which questions I would answer with each idea I wrote about previously. After this, I did allot of preplanning and research before delving into the production process of my CCR's. Although my previous research helped me make prevent allot of issues, some did arise that were simply unavoidable. 

First, I ran into issues with my microphone during the filming of both CCR's. The first CCR filming was allot more difficult to make than than the other cause it required mounting up things like the background and everything took a good 20 minutes to set up and take down. I made the mistake of checking the footage when we ended the filming rather than checking as we went on. Because of this, I realized when we were already done and had everything taken down that my video had no audio because my microphone ran out of battery mid way through recording. This lead to me staying an extra hour at my dad's office to reassemble and rerecord everything. After this, although I had a similar issue happen with my second recording of CCR's; I was able to save allot of time by checking the clips as I filmed so I could catch the issue faster.

On top of that, I was limited to filming for 20 minutes at a time. This is because my phone would overheat in the hot environments of the office and the upstairs of my house. I was able to fix this issue  by putting a wet paper towel on top of the phone, helping to absorb heat and allow the phone to film for longer.

However, I did have a very good time bringing my ideas to life. As I finish filming, I realize that I am coming to the end of this project, which is interesting to think about. I am looking forward to editing my project.

Image from filming of one of my CCR's,
black thing on my shirt is my microphone.

CCR production ideas

     That I have established what I am going to discuss in my CCR's, how im going to discuss the topics, and my script. It's time I discuss the ideas I have on how I am going to film my CCR's. Since I have 4 CCR's I am going to split them into two separate pieces.

    The first piece will be tackling the first 2 CCR's. My idea for this one is to make a video inspired by the way the channel WIRED does question and answers. I have the intention to use key elements of this idea while still adding my own original touch and perspective to it by adding some key things that make it look appropriate to the production "Cyber Monday". Bellow is a link to one of their videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWl-LMxx5sg

One of WIRED's videos

For the second video, I want to approach it in a casual way. I want to go for a regular less professional question and answer video. My idea is simply me sat on a couch answering questions on my phone as if they where questions from fans on social media platform. I want to go for a similar unprofessional/creative vibe as the image shown bellow.

Question 4 for CCR post

     The last question from the CCR's is arguably one of the most straight forward and easy to understand out of the 4. The question is, "How did you integrate technologies?". With this question, I am being tasked to explain to the viewer what technologies I used to make the project possible and what where their purpose in the media text.

    For filming I used a smartphone, specifically an iPhone to record the entire piece. I was originally torn on whether or not I should use an actual camera or the phone to film the project. I ultimately decided on the phone because the sacrifice I made with a little bit of visual quality, I gained in the convenience and simplicity that comes with using a modern smartphone. I filmed some clips with the default camera app, but I filmed the majority using an app called "Final Cut Camera", since it essentially doubles the resolution of the videos in exchange for using up a bit more storage.

    Furthermore, I used wireless microphones to increase the audio quality of my production and used a simplistic light that was designed to be attached onto the phone to improve the challenging lighting that was required to make the scene the way I wanted. For editing, I used iMovie as I have been very confortable with its interface for a couple of years and it provides very helpful tools that are easy to use, cutting down my editing time compared to if I used a different editing software.

    Clearly, technology played a vital role in making my project possible. (bellow are images of some
the equipment I used.

Script:

I used a smartphone to film my project, specifically an iPhone. Although I was originally considering using a professional DSLR camera (Nikon D3100), I decided on using the phone since it was the best compromise between the quality of the footage and the convenience of the experience, I used a mix of the default camera app and one called "Final Cut Camera", which is a higher quality video recording app, to record my piece. I also used wireless microphones to improve the audio quality and lighting some basic equipment to enhance the visual appearance of my scenes, despite them having the dark visual experience that I wanted throughout the piece.

For editing, I used iMovie as I have been confortable with it for years and was able to save a lot of time using software that I am already familiar with rather than having to relearn a new one.

I also used search engines such as Google to look around the web to find helpful resources to learn more about my genre and how to do it well. Modern technologies played an vital role in making not just my project come out better, but also helped make my project possible in the first place.

Question 3 for CCR post

    The next CCR question that I have to tackle is "How did your production skills develop?". This question is essentially asking me go back and reflect on how I have improved throughout the year of being in this course and to point out the specific steps I took during this project to reinforce my abilities.

    It is safe to say that time humbles you. When I walked into this class for the first time I had it in my mind that I was already pretty well-versed in the process of producing quality media content. This is opinion was largely based on the fact that I has previous experience making content via YouTube videos for 3 years at that point.  However, I quickly came to the realization that although my previous work may have appeared good in my eyes, I would almost always make my decisions based purely on instinct, rather than properly thinking through the how I was going to execute the idea. As I progressed throughout the year, I would frequently look back at my previous work and see issues with is that would end up annoying me today but would never have even crossed my mind before. This shift from instinct to planning and deep analysis shows the progress I have made throughout the corse in the most prominent way. I used to think I was thoughtful and put allot of work into my creations, today I would have to disagree.

    Going into this project, I made it a goal of mine to push the envelope of my standards even further. I wanted to come out of this project reflecting on my previous projects for this class thinking the same way as I do about my previous videos. One area I have been lacking in for the entire year is lighting, so I got to work making sure that would not be the case with this project. In my previous work for this class, I would normally take maybe 2-3 takes for each shot, and not even think too deeply about lighting. With this project however, I made that priority number one to rectify. Because of this new found dedication, I ended up taking around 5-10 shots per scene to guarantee excellency in comparison to my previous work. The time and dedication needed did require patience, but it was all worth it since it translated to the quality of my production being increased. Bellow I will show a screenshot of one of my first projects, and a screenshot of my current project.

One of my earlier projects, shot is not visually
appealing and face has a obvious shadow

Current project, lighting looks allot more intentional,
and the shot is allot more visually appealing.

Script:

At the beginning of this school year, I had a decent amount of experience with filming and editing, as I used to upload videos on YouTube on topics that I liked. However, I never understood the why in what I was doing, and I never would put real thought or planning into what I was doing. As I advanced throughout the year, I improved my camera skills, how to more effectively frame shots, and how to use lighting to create a more professional look, this especially was something that I lacked understanding in.

I also developed my editing skills, which I used to think where pretty good, there is a weird sense of nostalgia that comes with looking at my past work. By experimenting with different software, and allot of trial and error I learned how to cut clips more effectively and add transitions in a way that made my work more engaging. Specifically, I learned that the more simple the transitions and editing was, the better the outcome of the piece as a whole was.

Overall, I became more confident as a content creator, and while I have gone a while since I made my last video on YouTube, this class and project has inspired me to give it a second shot. Who knows maybe I get back into content creation and will continue to learn. Maybe one day after a while of practice I will look back at this final project and feel that same feeling of discomfort and strange hint of disappointment that I have right now looking at the videos I made before being in this class.

Question 2 for CCR post

    "How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?" This, is the second CCR question that I will be answering. This prompt is basically asking me how do I incorporate a connection between the viewer and the piece, and how would I distribute this if it were to become a full production movie or series. In order to answer this question properly, I think it is important that I divide my answer into two parts.

    I made this product with the purpose of being targeted at a teenage and young adult audience. Particularly those who like pieces that are heavy on action, mystery, and technology. My piece engages with the audience in two distinct ways. The piece makes the audience feel suspenseful as expected from an action film, but also makes them have a growing sense of curiosity about what the main character is trying to accomplish with the attempted hacking. On top of that however, my project offers the unique touch which is that the hacker is a young teenager. The incorporation of a younger character not only changes conventions as previously stated in my first CCR blog post, but also helps make the younger target audience feel consequentially more engaged. Because the audience is of a similar age group, they are naturally more inclined to feel a personal connection with the character.

    Now, let's talk about what would be the most efficient way for me to distribute this if it were to theoretically become a real media text. In today's world, more and more digital is becoming the most popular, prominent, and convenient way to spread practically any kind of media. Specifically, the introduction of social media in the early 2000's has proven to be the most effective way to spread and more specifically advertise media text. Because of this I would most likely use the power of platforms such as Youtube for free and easy reach and I would likely later go on to distribute my piece on major streaming platforms such as Netflix or Hulu if the piece gathers enough attention and engagement. 

Script:

My product is aimed at a teenage and young adult audience who are interested in action, mystery, and technology. It engages the audience by creating suspense through the hacking process and building curiosity about what the main character is trying to uncover.

The use of quick cuts, close-ups of screen and keyboard, over the shoulder shots, POV shots, and selects soundscapes helps maintain tension and keeps viewers interested.

If released as a real finalized movie, it would likely stray away from releasing physical copies and rather be promoted on major social media platforms like Youtube as well as distributed on a major streaming platform such as Netflix or Paramout. 

Sources:

fictionallysam. (2019, March 8). Genre in Depth: Mystery. Fictionally Sam. https://fictionallysam.com/2019/03/08/genre-in-depth-mystery/

Monaghan, K. (2024, February 16). Five “Killer” Genres Unpacked: The Difference Between a Mystery, Detective, Crime, Thriller, and Suspense Novel - Books Uplift. Books Uplift. https://booksuplift.com/five-killer-genres-unpacked-the-difference-between-a-mystery-detective-crime-thriller-and-suspense-novel/