Song Approval

Hey guys welcome back!!! It feels like it has been forever since I have talked to you guys. Well, I have some really important news to talk about and I’m extremely excited to tell you guys. If you have been reading the blogs, then you all know that we have been waiting so long to get approval for our song choices. 

Well guess what, we finally got permission to use a song for our opening. The reason our songs were not getting approved quickly is because Vale and I decided that we wanted to choose a well established song that most people already know. The song we got permission to use is called “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas.

 I know that I told you guys that we really wanted to use “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay, but we lost hope on getting an answer from them on time. “I Gotta Feeling” was also not on our original list that I showed you guys on a previous blog. The reason we decided to use it was because while Vale and I were at the Beach, we heard the song on the radio, and we thought it would be a really good match for our film opening. We really wanted to use “Viva La Vida” but I have to say, "I Gotta Feeling"  is growing onto me and every time I listen to it, it seems to get better.

Let me show you guys the emails of us getting permission by the owners of the song

 

 There are only a couple days left until the deadline for this project, so stayed tuned for further updates as we are now almost done filming!!!

Beach Time!!

Hey guys!!! Whats uppp! So the other day Vale, a friend, my brother, and I all went to the beach together. I completely forgot to put sunscreen on and now i am completely burnt and it hurts so much to shower. Trust me its not worth it. Now, we all went to have fun and enjoy the spring break, but this was also a very productive filming day for Vale and I. We went to fort lauderdale beach and decided to go walking to see what shots we can get for the establishing shots. Surprisingly we got a ton of cool shots that vale and i really pictured for the establishing shots in the beginning of the film. We uploaded and edited the clips and they are looking just like we wanted.


The day we went to the beach was actually not the beat day because it was a bit cloudy and there was not too much sun. This meant that we had to edit the pictures just like last time we went location scouting. Let me show you guys how the pictures looked before editing

Now this is how they look after editing them

These are actually just screenshots you guys are looking at but keep in mind that in our opening these are going to be short video clips not photos. 

Now, like last time, we used BeFunky and Wevideo to edit the shots so they look brighter and more appealing. Both apps have an option to enhance the brightness of a clip or do anything to the clip so i recommend you guys go check it out if you haven't.

Well guys that is it for me, talk to you guys on the next blog. Peace!!!

Cast Members!

Hey guys!! So, spring break has been great. I can finally sleep in and Vale and I have actually been working very hard on our opening since we have all this free time now. So today's blog is all about introducing the cast of our film opening. Our film will have a family of 3 which includes a father, a daughter, and a son. Let me introduce you to...

Character name: Sam Smith

Actor name: Mauricio Parra

Role: Father

Info related to film: He gets a new job with a better salary to support his family. The only problem is that it is in Florida, therefore the family has to move.

Character name: Sophia Smith

Actor name: Valeria Parra

Role: Daughter

Info related to film: She is very annoyed and upset that she has to leave everything behind from her home state and move to Florida which means she needs to start a new life.

Character name: Sebastian Smith

Actor name: Santino Lupica-Tondo

Role: Son

Info related to film: He is extremely excited about moving to Florida and likes to live an exciting life

 

OK so Vale and I decided that we will have a lonely father, since we were not able to find a mother that would fit our film how we wanted. We also decided that we are both going to cast in the film therefore we will not need to rely on anyone else to film a scene. Also, with both of us casting in the film, it will make the process much faster because we already have our story in our heads which makes it much easier and smoother to act out. We have still not figured out the names we want on the characters, but I will let you guys know as soon as we decide. For now, they are the Smith family.

Stay alert with further updates because we will most likely continue the filming process tomorrow. Talk to you guys soon!!

Coming up with Titles!!!

What’s up guys!! I hope you all are enjoying your spring break. I am here to tell you guys some important and exciting news today. Vale and I have finally decided to make a list for titles we will consider implementing in our film opening. We have 5 potential titles on the list and we plan on deciding which one of those titles we want throughout this week and maybe next week. But don’t worry I will keep you updated as soon as we make that decision. We actually came up with a total of 10 names at first, but we narrowed it down to only 5 to make it easier for us. We were inspired by a couple of movies that all have the same theme as our film which is drama and moving. The movies I am about to show you guys are what inspired us with the 5 titles that we created on our list 

  

Now that you've seen the movies that inspired us, let me show you guys the 5 titles we have come up with as of now:

·     - The Move

·     - Change

·     - Summer with the Smiths (If using voiceover technique)

·     -Their worst move

·     - The 10 things not to do when you move (If using voiceover technique)

These titles are not final yet as we will keep on adding other titles that we think are good,throughout the week. So far, we decided that the family’s last name is Smith, but that isn’t decided just yet either. If you guys can help out with the decision making, it would make our lives much easier. So drop a comment telling me which title you like best for our film opening.

Stay Tuned for next week as we will be making many final decisions and also continue the production and editing process.

Drone Shot!!

Hey guys!!! So, spring break has finally come. Thank god it did because I really needed a break from school so I can finally get a little bit of free time. Although spring break has come, it doesn’t mean that I won’t be working on the film opening or keeping you guys updated. Don’t worry, Vale and I are ready to spend much of our time filming and editing. We actually finally started filming yesterday. 

Because yesterday was an early release day for our school, Vale, Fran, and I went straight from school to film some shots. If you guys are wondering who Fran is, he is a friend of ours who owns a drone in which he can drive very well. We were able to use the drone he has to film the car scene. The car scene we are talking about is the scene where we track the family car driving to their new community. Let me show you guys what we were going for. 

This scene will most likely be put after all the establishing shots of the beach, palm trees, etc. We will position this scene in this place so that the audience can understand that the film opening is about the family in the car we are tracking. After this scene, we plan on cutting to a scene inside the car in which the audience is able to see the family together which introduces the main characters of the opening.

We were only able to film for only 2 hours, from 12:30-2:30, because I had to make it home for my soccer practice and because our friend Fran had something for his club JROTC. Surprisingly, we actually got almost all the shots we needed in that shot period. OK, so first we were setting up the perfect position for the drone to be placed. 

When we finished with the shots, Vale was actually able to put the clips on Wevideo which is a free online video editor which our teacher recommended to me and I will be recommending it to you guys. Vale began to put the clips in order and started to add some special effects to make it seem better. We only have 4 clips so far, and even though it might not seem like it’s a lot, at least we were finally able to start filming something for our project.

We will most likely film today again for any missing shots with the car scene. I hope you guys enjoy our little sneak peek. Tune in for further updates this week as stuff is about to get real since we are finally starting to film. Peace!!!

5 Emails Later...

Guys Im back!!! You won't believe how stressed we have been on trying to obtain rights to the songs we want to use for our film opening. Yes we have gotten some answers, but those answers require going back and forth completing documents and filling out information about our film. I'm just going to let you guys know now that what I am about to show you is a lot of information. The process has taken longer than I thought it would because our song choices are very popular. If you don't remember these songs involve artists like Coldplay and Rihanna. Vale told me something the other day that got me worried. She said “this has been the MOST stressful part of the film so far, and we haven't even started editing!” This has made me realize that we need that consent for our song ASAP.

First artist reply for the song Walking On Sunshine:



In the email, they told us to contact BMG. Therefore Vale and I searched for their contact information and said this:



This is basically us just asking for permission to use the song that they own. Shortly after, they answered saying this:



To be honest guys, Vale and I are wondering why we even need to fill all these documents and all these licenses for a school project. It is getting a bit frustrating and annoying because it's not like they answer us right away, they are answering us several days later which makes the process more stressful.






The second artist reply was from Coldplay about the song Viva La Vida:

So this is the song that we really want to use for our film, as it syncs perfectly with what we are trying to do. We are not trying to get ahead of ourselves with this song because if we cant end up using it, we are going to lose hope. In the meantime, our friend from media class had mentioned something about an app called Garage Band. What this app does is that it allows for any user to insert and edit the speed of the song that one wants to use. Therefore, we are thinking of doing this if we don't get the permission for the song on time. We are contemplating this because our media studies teacher stated that this practice is frowned upon. 

Don't worry guys I will keep you updated and stay tuned for further updates.

Font Change!!!

Hey guys!! So, if you guys have been reading all the blog posts this week, then you all know that Vale and I have been having some difficulties in choosing and deciding which fonts and colors to use for the credits and titles in our film opening. Well guess what, Vale and I have made a final decision on the fonts and colors we will implementing. We would have still been stuck in the fonts if it wasn’t for the group meetings we had in class the other day. Vales group had told her that we should use and do something similar to the movie Monster in Law’s. When Vale told me I immediately went to go check out the opening credits and I was so happy because it was exactly what we wanted with our opening credits. Let me show you guys how it looks in the movie. 

                                                 

                                                 
 The font choice we have finally decided to use is High Society because it is what looks closest to the font used in Monster in Law’s. I already showed you how High Society works but if you guys didn’t see that blog, this is how the font looks. 

                                                            
Now comes the color aspect that we want to use for the font. So after watching Monster in Law’s many times, we decided that we wanted to use warm hues. We decided that we were going to switch our original colors, blue and yellow, to turquoise and orange. Here are the colors that we will be focusing on using for the credits and titles 

                                             
We decided we wanted to use turquoise because it gives off a calm, relaxing, and clear mood and orange because it gives off a happy and adventurous feeling. Well that’s all for today, I will continue to keep you guys updated in everything going on. Talk to you guys soon!!

Finally Being Productive

Hey guys!! I am excited to tell you guys that we have finally started looking for other places to film for the establishing shots. As I explained yesterday, we figured out the location of where we want to film the house scenes. So yesterday, we decided to go location scouting for the establishing shots. Well, I can’t really say “we” because I was not able to make it. The amazing partner I have, Vale, was able to go find places for the establishing shots with her friend while I was at soccer practice. Here are some pictures of what we were aiming to find

 

Now let me show you guys what Vale was able to find and take pictures of during her journey of finding locations 

 
Now these are all still pictures, but I want to remind you guys that in the film opening it will be little clips of video that goes with the beat of our song choice. Keep in mind we are still figuring our song choice as we are having some difficulties trying to contact the owners, but that is something else to talk about later on. Now, I know that these pictures do not seem so bright and so appealing, so we decided to do some editing to see how it looks in the end. Let me show you what the pictures look like after some editing 

 

Now, I have to say they look 100 times better that without the editing. The editing tool that we used for these pictures is called BeFunky. You guys should really go check it out, it is really astonishing how it could turn an ok picture to an amazing one 

                      

I am actually very happy right now, as it seems that we are finally starting to be productive and get started with the filming aspect of our film opening. Stick around for tomorrows blog. Peace!!!

Location Scouting!!!

Hey guys! So, in yesterday’s blog I was going to tell you guys about what happened in our group meeting in class, but I completely forgot, so that’s what I am going to talk about right now along with other exciting things going on. So, in yesterday’s group meeting I explained to my new group about our ideas and also our problems. They really enjoyed our idea of doing the establishing shots that go along with the music. They also seemed to have the same problem as us, which is not being on time with the shooting schedule. I was a bit relieved when I heard that none of them have started to film their production yet. After talking to Vale about how her group meeting, she was explaining to me about how we have to find a location of where we want to film the house scene because everyone in her group already had places where they wanted to film. We decided to choose a house in the suburbs to represent family. At first, I was saying to myself how are we going to find an empty house which looks like the family had just moved in. And then it came to me and when it did I felt extremely stupid. My dad is in the construction business and he is the general contractor. After thinking for hours, I realized that my dad could possibly have a couple of houses that would be useful for our film. When I asked him, he explained to me that he had two empty house that could work out, one bigger than the other. I immediately told me to send me pictures of what he’s got. I talked to him all through text so let me show you guys what the conversation looked like.       
Now let me show you guys the picture of one of the houses that he has available for us.
   
Like I said, my dad has two houses. The one that I just showed you is the smaller house. The reason I did not show you the bigger one is because my dad does not have pictures of yet, but when he does, I will make sure to show it to you guys immediately. One reason I am really happy with the house above is because it is very close to the beach, which means we will be able to film almost everything we want for the establishing shots and also for the house scenes in one day. I Hope you guys liked the pictures I just showed you, stay tuned for tomorrows blog!!!

                                                                                 

Font Styles

Hey guys what’s upp!! So today we did another group meeting in class to talk about our progress with our projects, but Ill talk to you guys about that later. The point of today’s blog is to show you guys what fonts we want to use for the credits in our opening. While figuring out what fonts that we wanted, Vale found this awesome website called Font Meme. So, what this website really is, is that it has a large variety of all different types of fonts that one can choose from. It is actually very simple to navigate as at first you choose your category, in our case Drama, and then it continues to give you more options such as style to narrow down your options. You can search for about anything you are looking for in this amazing website, and that is exactly why this website was an essential tool for choosing our font style that we want to present in our film opening. You guys should really go check it out, maybe it will help too!!

 

OK, so after looking around trying to pick and choose, Vale and I thought that the font that would best fit in our Drama film opening would be one that is elegant, has rounded forms, and has sharp edges. We thought that a font like this would look nice and clean. After deciding what exact font we wanted, we narrowed it down to two options: Clearlight and High society. Let me show you guys how these fonts look!

                                                    

                             
As you can see, they are both crisp and elegant which is what we are looking for. Now comes the coloring of the fonts. We decided that we want the colors yellow and blue. We want to use these colors because they represent Florida, the place the family is moving into, and all the different bright colors it has from the sun and the skies. This might be a risky move because the colors might not blend in well with the background, but the font color is still not finalized, as we will most likely finalize that decision towards the end when we can see how it looks on our piece. Let me know what you guys think about the fonts. That’s all for today, stay tuned because more exciting things are coming as we get closer to beginning production.

We have a Problem

Oh no guys!!We have just run into a problem. So, remember how I showed you guys our shooting schedule for the project earlier this week. Well if you guys paid close attention, we were supposed to start filming this weekend on Friday from 6pm to 8pm at Vales house to make the voiceover and on Saturday from 1pm to 6pm in Miami to capture some shots for our establishing scene. Well, you guessed it, we didn’t do anything either of those days. It feels like we are so behind with the project, and I am starting to stress out. If you guys don’t know me yet I stress about almost everything in life, even if it’s a minor thing like this. Anyways, Vale and I didn’t film on Film on Friday because I had practice from 5pm-7:30pm and we didn’t film on Saturday because Vale was taking the SAT and I also had a soccer game that day. This meant that we had to adjust our shooting schedule. Vale and I called each other yesterday and made a completely new shooting schedule in which we can almost 100% both follow. After about an hour of talking, let me show you what the new schedule looks like

                                                      

 Vale and I have agreed that we need to be committed with these dates and that we cannot miss a single one starting from now on. I have to be honest with you guys, this project is actually way harder than I thought it would be at first. Our storyline sounds so good in my head, but its so hard to translate it into the project. For example, the voice over that we had planned on doing this weekend seemed as if it was going to be a breeze making it, but we just have so many things to say and we are not quite sure how we are going to put it all together in one smooth voiceover. Vale and I decided that what we should do is watch a couple of drama films that have implemented voice overs and establishing shots. Some films that we plan on watching includes The Kissing Booth, Monster in Law, and The Duff.  

  

We are going to be paying close attention to the dialogue in the films and the different shots so hopefully we can become inspired and hopefully we can get rolling with this project. Thank You guys for listening to my problem, I hope I was not too stressful. Talk to you guys soon!!

Song choice

Hey guys!! So, if you guys have been reading the blogs, then you guys already know that Vale and I need to make a scene with establishing shots and another scene with a voice over. Well yesterday, I explained to you guys how we plan on doing the voice over for the voice over scene. Today, instead of focusing on the voice over scene, we will be focusing on the sound part (music) of the establishing scene.

                                                  

We have not quite figured out yet what song we want to incorporate, but we know that we want an upbeat song since we are trying to show how moving because of family is not always a bad thing and that in everything there are benefits. We do not want to put a sad and slow song because it won’t connect with all the lighting and all the brightness from the places we want to shoot from, for example Miami Beach. We have been listening to different types of songs non-stop and we have narrowed our favorites to about 5 songs. Now let me show you guys what songs we are thinking of implementing in the establishing scenes.

1. Coldplay: Viva la Vida

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE



2. Rhianna : We found Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqaGZYDGcUw



3. Starley: Call on me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=067JjJYXYC4



4. Taio Cruz: Dynamite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLqdRmwY6vc



5. Katrina and the waves: Walking on Sunshine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKh0dLIuIu8



IF you guys want to go check out what songs we are talking about just click the link below each song which will take you to a YouTube video.

                                                       

Ok, now that I showed you guys what songs we narrowed it down to, let me explain why we are in such a hurry to figure out the perfect song for our scene. In order for us to use the 5 songs that I just mentioned, we need to contact the owners of these songs, because if we do not, then it will be considered copyright and we won’t be able to use it for the opening film. This means we must do this ASAP, because who knows how long they will take to respond to our message.

Out of all the songs above, Vale and I really think that Viva La Vida by Coldplay will suit our establishing shot scene best, therefore we have already contacted the owners of this song to see if we can use their song. We will be contacting everyone else just in case something goes wrong with Viva La Vida and the owners either do not respond or do not give us permission to use it. Let me show you guys an example of an email we sent to Coldplay during media class, to ask for permission for their song.
                                                         
If you guys have any other ideas on other songs that would suit our opening film, let me know by leaving a comment on this blog post. If you guys have the time to listen to the five songs that we are stuck between, please let me know which one you guys like best. We will most likely start filming this weekend, so stay tuned for further updates. Peace!!

How we are going to create a voice over!!

     Welcome back media friends, I've been having a really busy week, but here I am once again. In today's blog, I will be explaining the process of making a voice over an how we plan on integrating it smoothly in our opening scene. Once again, Vale and I are not sure if we are going to use to voice over technique yet, but if we do use it this is how we plan on creating the voice over. 

     The first step in creating a voice over is deciding who is going to be the voice. Vale will most likely be the voice for the voice over, since it is in the perspective of a teenage girl.Let me show you guys an example of how we plan on starting this voice over to introduce the character: “Hi my name is… and this is my life…”

     Vale and I found a website that was very useful to give us an idea of how to write a professional voice over. If you guys want to check it out, this is the link: http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/the-art-of-writing-great-voice-over-scripts/

     The next step for making a voice over is finding a good microphone in which we can record sound with good quality. This may not seem like a big thing, but in the end it is what pushes the production over the edge, making it sound smoother and more professional. The microphone that we plan on using for our production is a USB microphone, which one can just plug into their device and just speak to it. Not only is it cheap, but it is portable and gives amazing sound quality. This is the microphone we plan on using


                                             
     The last step in creating an amazing voice over is constantly practicing so that there is no errors such as stutters in the final piece. You guys may think that recording a voice over is the easiest thing, but trust me it is not. It takes a lot of time to make it sound 100% I learned this earlier in the year when I had a project in which I had to make a voice over. It took me a while to make the voice over sound good, and yet it still didn't sound like I wanted it to. When recording a voice over, one must take account the timing, you cannot speak too fast or too slow, it has to be the perfect timing and one can only get that with practice.

                      

Alright guys Vale and I are going to start the voice over and pick our songs for the opening scene. Stay tuned for tomorrow cause that what I'll be talking out. See you guys soon!