My final post

Hey blog!

I hope in the future i'll have another project like this or at least somewhat along the lines of something like this for one of my future classes. Anyways enough about how sad I am. I'm very excited to show you guys my project!!! Below this is my film opening and my CCR links. Enjoy!

Hopelessly Heartbroken film opening
CCR questions 1-2

CCR questions 3-4

Final reflection

Hey blog!

The project is officially over! It's bittersweet that this project has finally come to an end. I will admit it was a lot of work editing, filming, and creating the story, but it was a great experience, and I had a lot of fun. I learned so much in the duration of this project that I could use for future projects, either for personal purposes or for future classes. I started this project thinking it was just another project for school, but I ended it on a great note, and honestly, I'm sad it's over. I learned a lot from this project, like more about film techniques, camera shots, angles, and editing. 

My favorite part of the project

Honestly, my favorite part of the project was editing my project and my CCRs. Although filming and planning were fun too, I really liked editing because I got to see my vision in front of me and got to see everything I had been working on for the past couple of months come together. I also just enjoyed editing because it was the most relaxing part of the project, as I played music and edited my project in the comfort of my bed. Although it took around a week and many hours to edit, I am satisfied with the final result. 

Changes I would make

Even though I'm happy with the way the project and CCRs turned out, it doesn't mean they couldn't have been better. For my film opening, there were some clips that I couldn't get the voices to line up with the mouths. I did my best and refilled all the audio as many times as I needed for them to be on time, but they still didn't come out perfectly synchronized. I know no project can be absolutely perfect, but I was hoping I would at least think my own is perfect. It's okay, though, because it doesn't mean I think my project is bad. I just feel like it could use improvement. I also didn't really love the framing of some of my shots in my CCR for questions one and two but everything I feel as though I did wrong just helps me learn more on what to do for my next project! I don't think either of them is bad, though. But don't worry, those are only the bad parts, let's get to the good parts!

What I love about my project

For the film opening, I really like the sequence of shots where I'm getting ready. The camera is still and in the same place for every shot, which I personally really like because what you see is only my character, Maisely, moving while the background stays still. 

I also like my second CCR for questions three and four because of the way I designed it. I made a PowerPoint and did a voiceover for the video but the part I like is the PowerPoint. The words on the PowerPoint are very simple since I just put short bullets because I explained everything and went into detail in the voiceover and I used visuals too. What I like is how I designed the PowerPoint. I made pastel-colored slides, each having small decorations to match the color. I chose this to reflect my character Maisely's bubbly personality because you don't get to see much of it in the film with all the drama going on. I think the colors and choice of design were a very subtle way to emphasize my character's personality.

Last message

Well, this is officially the last blog I'll be writing other than the next one, where I'll post my final products, but I'm kind of sad it's over. Like I said, it's bittersweet because there's finally a weight lifted off my shoulders with this project being done, but I really had so much fun. One of my favorite moments was filming with my friends. It was so fun because we just kept laughing the whole time and couldn't even keep straight faces. Sadly, this project is over now, so goodbye, vlog. :(

CCR Post production

Hey blog!

Now that I have done a post on the production of my CCRs, it's time to do one on post-production. I chose to make this post specifically about my CCR video on questions three and four because it relied heavily on editing. Because the project is a screen recording of a PowerPoint presentation, I had to edit in many, many clips of me talking, which also goes back to production because it took me around an hour to record everything because I kept messing up. I used the voice recordings that I liked the most, renamed them, and then uploaded them to my computer so that I could use them in my project. When editing i realized some of the clips I thought worked out well actually didn't, so I had to go back and rerecord some of them.

Here is an image of all my reccordings all named, so it would be easier for me to edit them into the project. When recording, I realized some slides I hadn't recorded, so I had to go back and do that after. There was also a slide that I split into two separate voice recordings because every time I was recording it, I kept messing up on the same part. To fix that problem i just made two separate recordings because I knew that in post-production, it wouldn't be noticeable that they were two clips.

This CCR specifically took longer to edit because it had more visuals than my first one. In the first one, I was mainly talking, and the visuals were shots of a few edited ones and me, but in the second one, there was no person to look at when speaking, so I tried to add as many visuals as possible so the viewer wouldn't get bored.

CCR production

Hey blog!

I have finished the production of my CCRs and have already started post-production. I'm almost done editing them. I'm just adding final touches. Anyways, I'm not writing this post to talk about the editing process. I'm going to tell you about the production process of my CCRs. I want to focus on the first video I did, which was for questions one and two and was a LOT of work.

For this CCR, I did a video where I got a phone call from "No Caller ID" and got asked questions about my project. The questions were the two CCR questions: 

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 biggest struggle

My biggest struggle while filming this CCR was memorizing my script. I’m not that great at remembering long things, and my script ended up being pretty long, so it made filming harder than I thought it would be. I had to go over it a lot of times, and I would still forget the script or mix up words. There were so many times when I was doing well, and then I would end up messing up and having to redo the shot. Honestly, it got annoying after a bit

To make it easier, I decided to film from different angles and used cuts instead of doing it all in one shot. That helped a lot because it gave me little breaks in between, so I didn’t have to say everything perfectly all at once. It also made the video look better and less boring than just one long clip of me talking.

In my final takes, I didn’t say everything exactly how it was written. I kind of went off script a little and changed some words without really noticing. At first, I thought that was a problem, but when I watched it back, it still sounded fine and natural. Since I decided to keep the clips, I went back and edited my original script posts to match what I actually said in the video so everything would be accurate.

CCR question #4

Hey blog!

In my previous post, I wrote the first half of my second CCR video. If you didn't see it, this is the second CCR video I'm doing. My first one was for questions one and two. For this CCR, I'm doing a PowerPoint with a voiceover, so I have to make sure I have a good script! Once I finish the script for question four I will be moving on to the production of my CCRs and soon after editing, which means the project is almost complete!

Script

Slide 6: (continuing off script for question 3)

When I started editing, it took some time to figure out how to make everything flow naturally. At first, my cuts felt kind of awkward, and the clips didn’t connect well. I had to go back and adjust where I cut things so it looked smoother and more realistic. I also had to choose between different takes and angles, which made me think more carefully about what actually looked best on screen. I also worked on creating a sequence of shots that flowed well together, so the scene didn’t feel choppy or confusing to watch

Slide 7:

A big part of editing was making decisions, which was harder than I expected. I had to decide what clips to keep and what to cut, even if I liked them, because not everything fit the way I thought it would. Some of my original ideas didn’t really work once I saw them on screen, so I had to change them or remove them completely. I also had to adapt a lot during editing, because things didn’t always go as planned, and I had to figure out new ways to make the scene work.

Slide 8:

I used different types of technology throughout this project, and over time I got a lot more comfortable using them. In the beginning, I was mostly just using tools without really thinking about how to use them effectively. But as I kept working, I started asking myself things like, ‘How can this actually improve my scene?’ or ‘What can I fix using this?’ For filming, I worked with simple tools, but I learned how to position everything better to get the shots I wanted. For editing, I used software to organize my clips and improve how everything flowed together. I also used online research whenever I got stuck or didn’t know how to do something, which helped me learn new techniques instead of just giving up.

Slide 9:

For hardware, I mainly used my phone camera, which meant I had to be more aware of things like stability, lighting, and angle since I didn’t have professional equipment. That actually helped me improve because I had to rely more on how I set things up instead of just the device itself. I used an OctoBuddy to hold my phone in place for certain shots, especially in the mirror scene, which made those shots a lot more stable and easier to film. I also used an old phone as a prop, which helped make the scenes feel more realistic and added small details that made the story more believable overall

Slide 10:

For software, I used editing tools to cut and arrange my clips and bring everything together into one final piece. At first, I was just doing basic edits, but over time I started paying more attention to things like timing and pacing, making sure scenes didn’t feel too fast or too slow. Even without focusing heavily on music, I still had to think about how the timing of each clip affected the mood of the scene. I also looked at other films and did some research for inspiration, which helped me understand how certain shots and scenes are usually done, and I tried to apply that to my own project in a way that fit my story.

Slide 11: (final slide)

Overall, technology had a really big impact on my project, especially in terms of quality and creativity. It helped make everything look more put together and less like just random clips. It also gave me more freedom to try different ideas and actually see what workd instead of just imagining it. I was able to expiriment more and fix mistakes more easily because of the tools I was using. In the end, technology didn’t just help me finish the project, it actually helped me improve it and bring my ideas to life in a way that I probably wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.


Now that my script for the second CCR is complete, I can move on to filming them! I'm very exited because the project is soon coming to an end.

CCR question #3

Hey blog!

Now that I have my script done for my first CCR, it's time to start my second one. The second video will cover questions three and four, but this post focuses only on question three. I'm going to do a PowerPoint with a voiceover for this video, so I don't need to plan any shots and figure out angles. What I do need to do is write a good script since this CCR will be completely focused on what I'm saying and not any elements like shots and composition. 

CCR question #3

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Script 

Slide one: opening slide

Hello, my name is Gabriella Benhamu, and today I'll be answering questions 3 and 4 of the CCR questions for my film opening, Hopelessly Heartbroken. In this video, I’m going to talk about how my skills developed over time and how I used different types of technology while making my project. I’m also going to explain some of the challenges I had and how I worked through them, because that’s honestly where I learned the most

Slide 2:

At the beginning, I struggled more than I expected to. I thought I could just film everything quickly, but I realized there’s a lot more that goes into making something actually look good. During filming, I started noticing small things, like when a shot felt awkward or when something didn’t match. Over time, I became more aware of those details, and I think that’s what I improved the most, just being more intentional instead of rushing through everything.

Slide 3:

One of the biggest challenges I had was with camera angles. At first, a lot of my shots just didn’t look right, and I couldn’t really explain why. The bathroom scene was especially hard because of the limited space and where I could actually place the camera. I also tried making a DIY tripod, which didn’t really work how I wanted it to, so I had to keep adjusting and finding better ways to film the shots

Slide 4:

To fix those problems, I had to start thinking more creatively. I used an OctoBuddy on the mirror, which helped me get more stable and clear shots, especially in the bathroom scene. I also started using the environment around me instead of trying to force certain shots. And if something didn’t look right, I would refilm it instead of just keeping it, which helped improve the overall quality a lot.

Slide 5:

As I kept filming, I started thinking more about how my camera choices actually affected the way the scene felt. For example, I used close-ups to show more emotion, especially in moments where I wanted the audience to really focus on the character’s reaction. I also experimented with different angles across a sequence of shots, so it didn’t feel boring or repetitive. Over time, I stopped just placing the camera randomly and started framing shots more carefully, making sure everything in the shot actually looked the way I wanted it to.

The rest of the PowerPoint will be about question #4, so check out my next blog post to see the rest of the script!

Shooting issues

Hey blog!

This project is almost coming to a close! I have filmed almost all of my project and am really happy with how it's coming out so far. There are some shots that I have to redo, mostly because I wasn't happy with the angles or lighting, but that's okay. Although most of my filming so far has gone pretty smoothly, I have run into some problems. I am planning on refilming a lot of my clips to make them better. Because this project is worth so much of my grade, I want to make it as good as I possibly can and be the happiest, most satisfied, and proudest of the results that I get.

Problems with phone stand - DIY tripod

DIY tripod

At first, I had a problem with filming some angles of the bathroom scene because I had no one to film for me. I tried to set up my phone on my counter, but I didn't like the angles it gave me, so I made a makeshift phone stand. I stacked up some boxes and a ladder to make a phone stand. At first, I was happier with the results from it, but during post-production, I looked more at the clips, and honestly, I'm not very happy with the results. 

Octobuddy

After my DIY tripod fail, I got to thinking. What if I used an angle that looked like I was looking into the mirror? To make that possible, I looked for my old phone, which had an OctoBuddy on the phone case. An octobuddy is a silicone phone accessory that attaches to the back of a phone and allows it to stick to smooth surfaces like smooth tiles, windows, and MIRRORS. So I put the Octobuddy on my phone case and stuck it to the mirror. When I got my old phone, I realized I could also use it as a prop if I needed a phone but was using mine to film, and I used it.

1 angle or 3?

When filming the date montage, I recorded multiple angles so I could have a wider variety to work with while editing. During post-production, I had cut the clips of each angle and put them all together. I noticed that I liked how it looked more when changing angles than having cuts from each clip of just one angle. I have enough footage from each angle to be able to incorporate all three of them into the montage. Once I finish editing everything and see how it looks, I'll see if I want to refilm anything for this scene, but currently I think for this part I will not be refilming the clips.

Angle #1

Angle #2

Angle #3