Creative Critical Reflection

CCR questions 1 and 2: https://youtu.be/AdSD773ccBw

 

CCR questions 3 and 4: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u1FEmtF7pZTFH8dzGxavQ1QXRb3pyfVZ/view?usp=share_link

Film Opening

Finally, after much hard work, a lot of time, and a lot of careful attention to detail we have finally completed our film opening project. Bellow, I attached a YouTube link which is Public, and will take you to the video, please enjoy. 

https://youtu.be/mcbmAue66aU

Media Portfolio Blog # 22

  Finally, everything is almost finished! Today I finished the final little bit of editing that was left. We have linked all of our clips together and have picked a variety of different transitions that really complement the film while matching with the beat of the song that we picked. During this editing process, my partner and I faced a wide variety of challenges. At first, we did not know whether to put the title of our film opening at the beginning of our film or at the very end. We felt that it looked much better at the end, but after talking to a couple classmates and asking Mrs. Stoklosa we determined that it would be much better if it were to play at the beginning. Another tedious task that we had to work on, was deciding the order in which our shots should be placed. After the first few starting clips of me walking out of the car, walking into the gym, and putting on the headphones; my partner and I were unsure as to which order we should place our workout clips to best compliment our song and help our film appear smoothly.

For the entire editing process, we decided to use iMovie, as both of us found it much easier, and far more effective to use than Adobe. Moreover, I am much more familiar with iMovie and know how to use the editing and coloring system much better than on Adobe. To begin our opening, we started out slow placing all of our less intense workouts at the beginning, and progressing as our film opening moved on. Towards the middle, there were the more intense clips but not the very intense ones. The very intense clips were placed more at the end. We really wanted to show how our athlete progresses through his training, and how over time with hard work and dedication, he is able to improve himself physically, and mentally for his upcoming fight. Moreover, we placed a series of different shots of me running throughout the film opening. This was also another way in which we felt that we could show our athlete's progression, starting the running slow, and then increasing the speed as the film continues.

We also really played around with the lighting and included a few really cool lighting techniques. We adjusted the blinds in the gym so that just a little bit of light could crack through from between, giving it a bit of a heavinley look as I entered the gym. Moreover, we also added a lens flair in the establishing shot of the gym to give it a sense of newness and show how cool the gym looked. Additionally, we also used a focus pull editing technique at the start of the film as our car pulls in. By doing this we were hoping that not only would it look cool, but it would also shift the audience's attention as the car pulls in, while also not making them really focus on the car driving, and have them instead focus more on me as I step out.

We also, played around with the cropping and aligning of many of our shots, in some of them, there were clips where I was not exactly centered on the screen, and in one of the clips, there was part of a tree hanging in the top right corner. Instead of re-shooting these scenes, we deiced to crop the tree branch out and center the frame. By doing this not only did we eliminate a potential production error, but we also made our production look professional, while still giving it that hand-held shaky look which we so craved.

The last part of our editing consisted of messing around with the song. Our first issue, as you may have seen in some earlier blog posts, was dealing with finding a new song. Our old song was perfect, it matched our film amazingly and was also really cool, and really good. However, the official publisher of the song never responded to our request to use it, so we had to go out and search for a new one. After much consideration, numerous failed attempts, and a lot of reading, we finally found a non-copyrighted song that is not bad, and not repetitive. The song is called Bell signal, and we found it on a website called TuneTank. The site is commonly used by many content creators as it provides users with tons of copyright-free music. Just for reference I included some pictures of the cite as well as some pictures of their policies.

After the song was found the real hard work then started. In order to get the clips to align with the beat of the song we had to do a lot of cutting and editing. We had to merge the clips, and even fix the footage so that it is smooth and flows as does the music. During this time we also adjusted the speed of certain clips. In some boxing clips we sped up to make the punches look faster and more realistic, others we slowed down so the audience could see the full action as it happens, without feeling that the shot went by too quickly. Regarding credits, we gave our main actor a made up name (Jake Mcaffe) as we thought it would be cool. All of the other credits that have something to do with the creation of the film opening we used our own real names for.

 

Finally, the last thing that we did was add a few subtle sound effects to compliment our film opening. The first one we added was called shop doorbell by 775noise. We used this sound as I opened the door, and began to walk into the gym. The other sound effect that we added before that was one of me closing the car door, by devy32. Both of these sound effects were found on pixabay. We added these two sound effects, one to further create a sense of realism, and two so that we could create a little bit of sound diversity within our production. Moreover, we thought that by having these subtle effects we would be able to have a greater contrast of sound when the music starts playing.

Media Portfolio Blog # 21

Finally, in today's blog  post I will be talking about our last day of filming. For the shots that I am about to discuss, all of them were shot inside a boxing gym in Weston Florida called 9round fitness. The background of the gym was perfect with a brick wall on one side and a red background on the other. The gym also portrayed a very realistic/accurate boxing like environment, with many different punching bags, and boxing related training machines. Not only did it have all the equipment we needed but it was also empty allowing us to film for a good period of time with no real interruptions.

We filmed a couple different shots in the gym, the first one being a long shot of me hitting a punching bag. For this series of shots we also used the hand held camera technique to create a sense of realism, and shakiness. Moreover, my partner and I wanted to capture the action in an engaging manner so we decided on slightly moving the camera around as a I hit the bag, while still keeping most of my body in frame to show the full range of motion, and various actions that I was performing. By using a long shot we were able to really capture the entirety of the action while also displaying costume design, and technique.

The next shot that we filmed was a close up of me hitting the speed bag. The speed bag is a really cool tool that many boxers use when training to improve their speed and accuracy of their punches while also, increasing their stamina and alertness. Aside from that, we decided to shoot using the speed bag as we thought it looked really cool. We used the handheld technique again, and made sure that the camera was very close to my face as we wanted the shot to appear tight and close, bringing the audience closer to the action. Moreover, by using a close up we were able to ensure that the audience only looked at the action of me hitting the bag, and nothing else, also since the speed bag is raised and you only need to see some upper body movements, as well as my face we thought a close up would be appropriate.

 

Lastly, we also filmed the establishing shot of the gym, and me walking into the gym with my bag. We had to have an establishing shot to set the location, and let the audience know where the filming is taking place, for the first part of the montage. For the walking in scene we filmed multiple takes to ensure that it matched, with the scene of me getting out of the car and walking. We cut from the car scene to the establishing shot of the gym, and then to me walking into the gym to show the change in scenery and imply that the walking out of the car occurs in the gyms parking lot.One huge problem that we had was the lighting in the gym, the sunlight was coming in from two big windows that they had, but we quickly solved this issue by lowering the blinds, in such away where it was well lit but not at all glarey. I also held a gym bag for this shot as a prop to further create a sense of realism. 

 

 

Next, we filmed a really cool shot of me placing the headphones over my head in the reflection of a mirror. Many training advertisements, and videos often have scenes like this where the athlete positions himself in front of a mirror and performs a certain action. We thought that it would be really cool to add this into our production. We also filmed a medium shot from behind my back of me hitting another type of punching bag to add shot diversity, and add another different exercise that looked good on camera.    

 

 

Media Portfolio Blog # 20

For today's post I am going to be talking about our second day of filming. This day was much lighter as we only really filmed the scene of me doing push ups, and lifting weights in the sand. We decided to film in the basketball/volleyball area in Weston regional park. We also decided to shoot right before the sun set, so we could get the arising, glowing lighting that we so desired. We thought this setting would match our production perfectly as it also kind of shows the awakening of our fighter as he first starts to exercise. Moreover, we thought that the background combined with the lighting would make the scene look really cool. 

 

The first exercise that we decided to film at the park was a variety of different shots of me doing push ups. First, I did elevated push ups on a park bench. The sunlight hit the side of my face as I was doing the push ups which also made the shot look really cool. We decided to make the shot a long shot to show my full action, and range of motion as I performed the series of exercises. We decided to have two push up variations as both are very common for boxers to perform while training. The primary technique for both of these shots was hand-held as we wanted our audience to experience a sense realism and also immerse them in the rigor, and intense/shaky nature of boxing training. I made sure that my form for both sets of push ups was good, and that for the elevated push up we shot it using a loose zoom, to also show elements of the background, and keep the audience distant from our character for the less intense workouts.

Next we filmed me doing explosive lunges in the sand pit of the volleyball court. Explosive lunges are a less common boxing training technique that is used, but many coaches say that their athletes do them anyways as a form of hamstring, and hip rotation strengthening exercise. Again, for this shot we used the handheld technique along with a small pan that followed me as I moved across the pit. Furthermore, I really think that the palm tree, kind of beach setting with everyone playing volleyball in the background adds a nice Miami beach training vibe, which is where many professional boxers, and other athletes go to train during their off season.

Media Portfolio Blog #19

In the past week a lot has happened. Lets start out simple, well, we faced a major problem on Monday, our actor had a devastating Hamstring injury while playing soccer in Weston Regional Park. Because of this injury he was unable to film this entire week, and possibly the following week as well. Knowing that our project is due soon, we had to do something. My partner and I thought long and hard about how to work around this issue, and we finally arrived at a solution. I was going to be the boxer. After this was decided we went straight to our initial filming location to shoot our opening few scenes as well as a few extra training scenes. The area that we picked was meant to appear rather industrial and a bit dingy, so we went to a parking lot behind a nearby Home Depot.

 

In this parking lot we first filmed me parking and walking out of my car while holding a gym duffel bag. We wanted to make the shot look really cool so we used a focus shift on my Iphone 14 pro to show the cars first driving movement in a blur, and then as it stops and I get out the focus changes and the image clarity becomes much sharper. We used this technique not only to shift the audiences attention from the moving car to me getting out of the car but we also used it to make the scene look cool, and visually interesting. It did take us many attempts to get the shot right but after a great deal of persistence, and practice we were finally able to get the shift at the right time, and also find the right camera placement position.

This scene was filmed using a tripod, as we wanted it to be steady, and look professional, while also having the pan appear smoothly. This however, is different from our other scenes which you will see later on, as they were filmed using the hand held camera technique to create a sense of realism, and shakiness, as our boxers training is rather rough, and unpleasant. 

The next scene that we filmed in the same location, was a long shot of me using a jump rope. Now, although I am an athlete and have played soccer for a very long time, surprisingly I had no clue how to use a jump rope. It took me many attempts to finally get it right moreover, once I figured out how to jump rope I then had to figure out how to make it look professional, and how to keep my knees straight while jumping. I included a couple clips of me failing just for your enjoyment. Additionally, we were unsure whether to have a plane background while jump roping or a background that was more interesting, and dingy (which we ended up going with). We also filmed both a medium shot of me using the jump rope, and a long shot. The medium shot was more to show my facial expression and upper body movements, while keeping the audience close to shot. The long shot that we filmed was more to show my full body movements, and capture the entire action as it happened.

 

Next, we filmed a few different scenes of me shadowboxing. We wanted to have the same shot of me shadow boxing, but have it appear from two different angles. Our goal was to use the insert editing technique for this set of shots by filming the same scene from a few different angles. We thought that this would make the scene more visually interesting, and exciting. We also filmed it on this ramp to elevate the shot and make it look a bit like a low-angle shot. By shooting from a slightly lower angle our fighter looks more powerful, and imposing while also showing his dominance, speed, and skill. The lighting was also perfect as it was not too dark, but also not very sunny. Not only does the background look industrial, but it also has mainly cool hues, creating a sense of neutrality, and blandness which is what we were going for in this series of shots.

 

Media Portfolio Blog #18

In today's blog post I will be discussing some last minute prep before the big filming day tomorrow. I have finally gathered all of the props that we need in order to film, and contacted my actor to ensure that he will be able to make it to tomorrows filming session. We are going to film the initial scene of him getting out of the car, taking out his stuff, walking to the bench picking up his headphones, putting them on, and then him stretching. After that we will film him hitting the punching bag, and jumping rope. We need a spray bottle as we will be showing him sweating while he hits the bag, we will also show him using the gloves as he hits the bag. Another scene will be a long shot of him jumping rope. We also plan on  using some POV angle shots through the use of a go pro which we will either strap to his chest or his head. I also included a picture of the camera that we are going to use as well as the tripod, and mono-pod to stabilize the camera for the shots that we need to look extra professional. For the other scenes we are going to use the hand-held camera technique to create a sense of realism, and show the chaotic nature of a fighters training. I also plan on hanging a black tarp behind my boxing bag, for the scene in which Aizen is hitting the bag. This combined with the different lamps, and flashlights that we plan on using should make the scene look professional, while also creating a gym like environment. Moreover, for the filming of the running scene, I am going to have one continuous clip of our fighter running: as he starts slow and gains speed as he runs further. After we have filmed this, I am then going to cut the clip into different parts, and start the scene off with him running slowly, and then as the film progresses he will start getting faster, and faster. By doing this we will hopefully be able to show the audience how he has progressed throughout time, and how his training has improves his physicality, strength, and overall successfulness.We plan on doing most of the filming tomorrow, and whatever else is left we will complete the following day. 

Thank you for reading today's post and please stay tuned for what is to come.

Media Portfolio blog #17

Well, scrap what I had originally said about the choice of our amazing song Runnin 😔. According to our instructor, in order to use the song we must get direct approval front the artist themselves before we can attach their music to our film opening. We have contacted ASAP Rocky, through Instagram, and even emailed his agency. We made it very clear in the email and text that we will not be making any money off of the production, and that it is only for a school project, but we are still currently waiting for a response.
 

In the meantime, we are exploring other alternative songs that we could use, which also match the intensity and vibe of our training scene. I found a few different websites which have music that is not copyrighted and songs that are actually not too bad. Currently, the two songs that we are looking at are called "throw a fit" and "power" the only problem with these two songs is that they are longer than two minutes, and may seem a bit generic. However, we must work with what we have while we wait for the producer and ASAP Rocky to respond.

Moreover, we also began to discuss our actors costume design in more detail. He will be wearing a white tight long sleeve compression shirt at the start, as it will be his warm up gear. He will be wearing black shorts, and will be carrying a duffel bag. The shirt also makes our fighter look bigger and more intimidating. He will be wearing this shirt for the scenes where he is in the boxing gym, or when he is doing any boxing related action. For the other training scenes, he will be wearing a curt muscle shirt, which looks a bit shabby. We purposely chose this type of costume to show his dire situation, and also to represent his financial as well as mental/physical struggle. The tank top will be black or blue, as it matches his personality, as a hard cold, but kind character.

Media Portfolio Blog # 16

 For today's post my partner and I did a few different things. For starters, we began by triple checking to see if our song was copyrighted. We did this in two different ways to ensure that the song was okay for us to use. The song is called Runnin, by ASAP Rocky. In order to check if we were allowed to have it play in our film opening the first thing that I did was ask the person who uploaded the song, if it was ok to use it for a school project. I did this through the comment section where I simply typed out my question and received his response. The person said that it is okay to use if it is for a school project.

However, I was not entirely sure that he was right, so I decided to test it out myself. I downloaded the sound track and uploaded a video with the sound attached, to see if YouTube would take down the video. YouTube's copyright protection service stated that there was copyrighted content found but the owner of the song allows the content to be used on YouTube.

 

With regards to our filming dates (which have been delayed multiple times), we plan on officially recording this week on either Friday or Saturday (March 17 & 18). This is a strict deadline, and we will record on either of the two dates. I have contacted our actor, and ensured that his schedule is clear for the given times, and that my partner and I are also available. I am super excited to finally get this project started, especially since we have prepared and plotted out each scene very carefully, and in complete detail.

Media Portfolio blog post #15

Hello fellow readers, for today's post I will be showing some sample clips that we would like to incorporate into our film opening. As you may know, we are making a film opening that portrays a boxer training for his upcoming fight. To accurately portray this my partner and I have conducted extensive research on the various exercise routines that boxers go through, to prepare thoroughly and effectively for their fight. According to Teradek.com in sports films, directors can show the athlete performing their given action very effectively, if the filmmaker moves with the athlete side by side, or if they use close-up action shots. Not only does this look very cool but it makes the audience feel as if they were there with the athletes.
A great example of a production that was able to show boxing training in an amazing manner was Ed Shreeran's music video for shape of you. The video uses lighting very well to show the boxer's muscles as they hit the bags, while also using amazing mise-en-scene such as lockers, mats, punching bags, and weight racks. Many quick cuts are used to show the action just as it happens in order to avoid the poor technique that many actors have and to avoid any real injury. The fast-paced cuts also match the intensity of the fighter's training. Many film articles (as mentioned above), stress the importance of bringing the camera close to the athlete making the film feel personal and real. Moreover, many sports films also use wide-angle lenses to capture the full action as it occurs. POV shots are also very common in sports films, which further contribute to the realistic, and close-up nature of the production.
 

Some common exercises that all fighters utilize when training are: cardio-related workouts such as jumping rope, jogging, and using battle ropes. They also train their muscles directly by lifting weights, bench pressing, performing push and pull exercises (i.e. pull-ups and push-ups), and doing neck pulls. We wanted to add as many of these training techniques as possible into our opening. Of course, this would be in addition to the boxing-related exercises that Aizen would perform throughout the video. He would hit a punching bag, a speed bag, shadow box, and even punch a head ball. I am going to show you all some sample clips that are very similar to the excessive one that I just described, one of which I myself filmed with another friend at the beach today.

 

 

How to shoot action sports cinematography with motion state. Teradek. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://teradek.com/blogs/articles/the-secret-to-action-sports-cinematography-with-motion-state

Light, J. (2019, March 30). 6 things you should know about filming Great action shots. No Film School. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://nofilmschool.com/tips-filming-action-shots

Han, J. (2017, July 26). Filming action sports - 8 tips for better shooting. CineD. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://www.cined.com/filming-action-sports-8-tips-for-better-shooting/

Media Portfolio blog post #14

Unfortunately, due to conflicting schedules, my partner and I were unable to film today, which was originally our plan. We do, however, plan on filming tomorrow and completing the rest of our project over spring break. Today, I took the time to really map out each shot in my head beforehand. I realized that my garage is quite messy and the lighting in the area is not the best. Moreover, the punching bag that I have is inside my house, and it will be quite challenging to move it into the garage. My partner and I have come up with two main ways of solving this problem, the first one is that we go to a boxing gym to film. We alter the first few shots and change the setting so that he gets out of his car in a parking lot, picks up his bag, and walks into the gym, where he then puts his headphones on and starts stretching and working out for the initial training scenes. The gym that we have identified as another possible filming location is called 9 round fitness, which seems to have excellent lighting, and a ton of equipment.

 

 The other option is that we show him getting out of the car and walking into my garage, where we then show him stretching and warming up, with the closed garage door in the background, and a poorly lit frame. We would then cut to him inside my house, using a medium shot to only show our fighter's upper body movements and some basic background elements. By doing this we would be able to avoid the complicated moving and rearranging of items in my house, and garage. Showing only some elements of the background inside of the house. Moreover, we would then cut to a shot of Aiezen (our fighter) performing a series of other exercises from weight lifting to jumping rope, and even running on the side of a dirt path (we would use a POV shot, by strapping a go pro to his chest, while he runs). Filming in such a way would kind of be creating a montage, while also showing the struggle that is occurring within himself as he trains for his fight. Furthermore, we wanted to appeal to the audience's emotions, while providing an accurate representation of some athletes, who are very talented and hard-working but are still unable to make a significant sum of money, by including a final shot of our fighter looking at a picture of his baby son we believe that we can end our film opening with a bang.

That being said, we do not want to appear cliche, so the idea of showing the photo child is still kind of up in the air. However, we do believe that by ending this way, our film will match our sound track which ends in a happy-ish, motivating, and lighter tone.