Settling

What's up blog. It's pretty hard making a short film when you're missing the actor for your main character. Even though Lynda agreed to help us, after writing the script we realized she would fit better for the "Sun" character (placeholder name that we still haven't changed) meaning we still needed to find someone to play "Moon." I tried asking M and J if they knew anyone, as I already did my part finding our first actor (sorry gang) but this resulted in no luck and we still didn't have an actor. To be honest, I was willing to sacrifice myself and be on camera (but I really really really do not want to and I'd much rather be DP/Directing) but luckily M decided to offer herself up. This actually relieves me to because with M being apart of our project, we don't have to work around someone else's schedule, and when we decide on our days to film, M can prioritize it more than anyone outside our group could. 

Now that we know M is going to be our "Moon" we started thinking of outfits for her to wear. We know that Moon is going to have slight physical transformation to reflect her inner confidence change, so ideally her initial outfit is a little drab, covering a lot of skin (think hoodies), while her final outfit is more colorful, wearing shiny/unique jewelry, and possibly tank top/cropped shirt (I'm imagining a really cute green top M has that would look pretty).

Drab outfit in the beginning inspo.

More confident, unique outfit for the end inspo.

Hopefully, having M as our actress can help us, maybe even J and M can find time during spring break to film clips for a teaser. If not, we'll have to go crazy after we return from break. Now off I go to Colombia...

Group Meeting

What's up blog. So we had another peer review/group meeting session and it was nice discussing with others with the progress on their different projects. The main advice I got was from Dani after she read our script, was that she felt the resolution wasn't strong enough, that it ends anticlimactic if our protagonists never meet. I completely agree and after class I brought this up to M and J and we agreed we would go back and rework the script. Here's what my other classmates were up to:

Duda
- Working on her documentary
- Improving upon her football team documentary 
- Filmed her interviews already

Dani
- Short film is sci-fi and follows an AI bot over 60 days
- Message wants to send is appreciate your humanity
- Needed help/critiques on the middle of the script and if the story made sense
- Working on props
- Filming over spring break

Sammy
- Working on documentary - theme overcoming insecurities - wants to create the last 5 minutes of the first episode
- Wanted advice for b roll shots: suggested using b roll where the interviewee speaks as well (interview shot wouldn't get repetitive)
- Also filming over spring break

Zain
- Working on a short film with Martina, behind schedule because writer has been travelling
- Script has been written but it's not the intended comedic vision so it needs to be rewritten
- Ideally want to use actual adult actors since it takes place in an office

Thank you Zain.

Getting to discuss was helpful, but also got my group worrying as we know I'm going to be out of the country over spring break and will likely have to film the majority of our project upon return. I suggested to M and J they could location scout while gone or try to film some promotional clips for social media so hopefully we don't fall too behind. 

A new attempt (socials and title)

What's up blog. So after my attempt at making a graphic went horribly, I suggested to my group to capture some graffities practically. In class, we decided to use a blank sheet of paper and pass it around to our classmates asking them to write something random, pretending it was something they'd write in a bathroom stall. My group liked this approach more as it added a human touch through the different handwriting styles of people, making it seem more realistic and genuine (and we'll remember this when we actually have to create our real bathroom wall). We did use some images from the internet as inspiration, such as the "would pee here again" and we asked for a couple doodles as well, including the "cool S" which is a  very popular graffiti symbol.

The result we're using for social media.

After filling the page, we were able to remove the white background and add in a fake wall behind all the colorful text. We're going to use this for social media purposes, such as our Instagram profile picture as well as our first post, announcing the title of the film.

Regret

What's up blog. SO I had this idea for out initial social media post to be a bigger picture than just the one post. That way we could have multiple posts drop at the same time and it would increase engagement. 

Where the idea came from (9-grid posts)

I talked about it with my team and we decided that 9 was too much but we discussed using the same idea but with 3 posts instead. That sounded easier to manage. So I opened up Canva and am blessed with my first time using Canva Pro (the features I've longed and dreamed about finally in my reach) and then I was hit with a wall of just nothing. I set up my template and everything but it looked so ugly I had to take a step back and rethink the whole thing.

Maybe because I color matched from an ugly bathroom stall?

The Draft

I would so much rather capture this practically and I'm gonna discuss that with my team. The draft is a DRAFT so maybe there's still coming back from this, salvaging it even. It's so ugly I'm so sorry Canva. 

New Schedule (Goals at least)

What's up blog.. I realized part of the reason we're a tad unorganized is because we haven't set targets for ourselves since we changed our whole plan so a new schedule is definitely needed.

My teammate J actually semi-started doing this during a team meeting we were having but they're definitely brain-to-the-page type notes, no polish or cleaning up, so that's why I think a formalized schedule will be better for all of us. I'll add these to a Google Calendar later so we can all share dates and reminders and make edits but my hopeful timeline is as follows:

Week 3/10-3/16

- Make initial social media posts (tease name and reveal name)

- Finalize plot outline 

- Create story board

Week 3/17-3/23

-Social media introduce creators and actors

-Use weekends to film or after school hours throughout the week

-Film at least enough to create a teaser 

Week 3/24-3/30

- Spring Break so M and myself are gone

- Discuss prior to leaving visions for teaser

- J edits teaser while we're gone

-Post teaser

Week 3/31-4/6

-Finalize shooting and refilm if necessary

-Edit full trailer and post

-Edit full short film throughout the week (I'll probably take the edit burden so J and M can focus on our print element)

Week 4/7-4/9

-Finish everything we haven't finished

-Write our Critical Reflections

-Cheer after we're done and cry that it's over

After typing that out I realize how little time left we actually have.. going to share this information with my group ASAP so we get our booties in gear...

Back in Business

What’s up blog? I was finally able to catch up with my groupmates with updates on our project because I was out of town for the last week as I was competing in a national TV competition for high school students.

Our team won one of the highest awards given by STN.

But now that that was over, I needed to return to school and continue pre production with my teammates. Unfortunately, I had missed a group meeting where our classmates in our A Level class period peer-reviewed each other on our ideas and progress and made some suggestions. Luckily, with the power of FaceTime, my team was able to walk me through some suggestions too keep in mind as we go forward in outlining our plot.

Some of the comments made from peers.

As of right now, our main goal is to really get started on the social media page because we know we really should have started as of last week, but since we were all busy, no one really got on it. So we definitely need to get it started this weekend and our other big goal is to have an initial storyboard or detailed plot outline by the end of the following week. The good thing is I’ve already secured an actor. 

Actor pictured on the right.

She’s really great and I’ve worked on film with her before so hopefully once we get our plot down, we can start filming as soon as possible because both myself and my M are going out of town over spring break... This means we'll be for the most part unavailable so I’m hoping to get everything filmed before the break so that our teammate J can start the edit while we’re gone.

Social Media

What's up blog. So as a part of our short film package, we need to create a social media page. The good part is my team knows we want to use Instagram. The bad part is that's all we know so far. We had a couple ideas for creating unique posts, such as different notes with info about our short film but written on a bathroom door/wall (since the name of the short film is The Writing On The Bathroom Wall). But as for when we would start posting those, we need to come up with a schedule. 

Since our film is going to focus on two queer female leads, I immediately though of Netflix's The Prom for inspiration (another film that shares the story of two queer female leads). For The Prom's Instagram, their first 3-4 posts teased the coming of the teaser trailer as well as the main title graphic. Then, the 5th post was the actual teaser trailer and featured the release date of the film as well. The first posts also only featured the minor characters, while later on in the posts they reveal the main leads.

They used these posters that featured a character then the title, date, and taglines for the film. I would like to use this strategy too, however, at the moment we don't have minor characters so I'm not sure if this technique can be used because at the moment we only have our 2 main characters. I think we will try to slowly reveal our characters, teasing the aesthetics first before the characters, and then drop the teaser and trailers.

Sunshine or Shadows?

What's up blog. As my group and I settled in on our new idea, we began discussing the genre of the film. Our basic plot idea was a romance between two girls as they communicate through anonymous writing on the walls of the bathroom. I had imagined perhaps a light upbeat romcom, playing into the idea that the main setting is at the toilet and there's inherent comedy that goes with that. However, part of what makes the idea special to us is the representation that comes with two queer female leads, so my groupmate J suggested taking a more dramatic approach to the romance, something that connects deeper that will leave a viewer impacted after watching and prompt them with reflection and introspection. 

J suggested watching films such as 500 Days of Summer, Past Lives, Moonlight or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as inspiration as each one discusses love through an emotionally complex lens, and since I had been meaning to watch the Jim Carey led movie for a while, I decided to sit down and finally watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover the cast had even more stars such as Kate Winslet in the role of Clementine, Kirsten Dunst in the role of Mary, and Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood as the memory wipers. I was not pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Clementine was actually a Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

My violent reactions at actions and lines written for Clementine that portray her as a one-dimensional character that acts erratically and whimsical to contrast with the male protagonist's (Joel's) sad and boring life. 

However, by the end of the film I do believe they were able to break out of the stereotype, unveiling complexities and flaws within Clementine's character. My issue is that because the movie is told through the perspective from Joel's memory, this development isn't really of the character but more so Joel's memory of Clem as the complex woman she was to him rather than the MPDG she initially served him as. And since the film was majority inside of Joel's head, while the conflict sometime seemed character vs character or character vs environment, the main conflict was really character vs self as Joel realizes he did not want to erase Clementine from his memory, because even though their relationship ended poorly, he still grew, learned, and loved during his time with her. 

After the film, I sat with the message and thought of how I could incorporate themes into my own film. The great part about Eternal Sunshine is it's not really about the romance but about how each character deals with loss and learning. 

Keeping this in mind, we want to incorporate themes such as:

• The cognitive dissonance that comes with Internalized homophobia. 
• How people act outside of the prying eyes of social standards.
• The comfort of anonymity. 

I think we have a good story on our hands... we just have to actually begin writing it... I'll update more soon.

Started over

What's up blog. So my teammates and I were finally able to meet up to discuss our and we decided to start from the scratch. We had discussed some of the issues that we concerned to have doing the original documentary ideas and were struggling to find solutions and that’s what I mentioned a short film Idea I had after watching an Instagram reel. 

The problem is it wasn’t a fully developed idea yet I only had the title of it of what the short film would be: The Writing on the Bathroom Wall. However, my teammates loved it so  we decided to start our whole project over and create a short film package. I think this choice will be better for us in the long run because despite our enjoyment creating our last documentary, I think we’re all a little burnt out from the one we already made (especially since personally I’ve gone back and re-edited that documentary to submit a different festival like the Palm Beach Student Showcase of Films and All American High School Film Festival) so really what we needed was for a brand new project to engage us throughout the rest of 7 weeks left (also before senioritis hits too hard) In the meantime, we’re gonna start doing research based on the different character types we’re planning to have as well as the genre of the short film, which is going to be romance and drama.

F1 Brainrot actually useful

 What's up blog. One of my main struggles right now is how we are going to clarify our documentary approach as an episodic one. Luckily, this past year I've been very obsessed with Formula 1 and while they're on race break, I've been binge watching their episodic documentary covered by Netflix.

One of the key stylistic choices in documentaries is the way interviews are presented. In my viewing, I was particularly drawn to the clean and consistent interview setup.

The series places interviewees against neutral or subtly relevant backdrops, using well-framed close-ups and mid-shots to maintain an intimate yet authoritative presence. This approach ensures that each person, regardless of status or role, appears of equal importance, fostering a sense of fairness and unity within the documentary’s storytelling.

The main advantage of this method is its ability to create a seamless and professional aesthetic, making the documentary visually cohesive. However, the simplicity of this setup also comes with limitations. While it enhances clarity and focus, it can sometimes feel repetitive if not balanced with dynamic b-roll or varied framing techniques. Nevertheless, I believe that incorporating this style into our episodic documentary will help establish a strong visual identity while keeping the audience engaged. By combining structured interviews with immersive b-roll footage, we can achieve both consistency and cinematic appeal.

Rough Outline

What's up blog. So I haven't gotten to speak much with my group yet, but I wanted to at least come up with an ideal 6-week project schedule that balances planning, filming, and editing efficiently. Last year I made an elaborate custom calendar so this time I'm just making bullet points before anything is finalized. I chose to break it down into 6 weeks because we need room for changes and critiques as well as completing other parts of the portfolio such as the critical reflection. Here's that rough schedule:

Week 1: Pre-Production & Research

• Finalizing our documentary topic and defining the episodic structure

• Conducting background research and identifying key interview subjects

• Outlining initial story arcs and planning shot lists

Week 2: Scheduling & Logistics

• Contacting and securing interviews

• Discuss locations for filming

• Finalizing equipment needs and setting up production schedules

Week 3-4: Filming

• Conducting and recording interviews

• Capturing relevant b-roll and supplementary footage

• Reviewing footage to ensure coverage and quality

Week 5: Rough Cut & First Edits

• Organizing footage and creating a rough timeline

• Editing interview segments for coherence and pacing

• Adding basic transitions and structuring narrative flow

Week 6: Final Edits & Refinements

• Color correction and sound design adjustments

• Adding graphics, subtitles, and any necessary effects

• Conducting test screenings and making final revisions before submission

9 weeks starts now

What's up BLOG. Officially starting our final portfolio projects for AICE Media. 
I'm a bit nervous to start this whole thing because I'm not quite sure which project choice to pick. I was drawn mainly to 3 choices: the documentary package, the film promo package, or the short film package.

Notes from class with project choices.

I would love to make a short film but I think most of my ideas so far have been along the lines of documentary. I had a left over idea from when I was applying to colleges that I think we could rework into a documentary, problem is the episodic part. I love documentaries though because they utilize a unique way of blending real-life storytelling with more artistic cinematic techniques, creating an impactful and long lasting experience. Earlier this year, we worked on making our own documentaries, and that experience gave me insight into the challenges and rewards of this format (link to that blog here). I believe that the ability to explore a subject deeply, with multiple perspectives and real-world authenticity, aligns perfectly with my creative strengths and journalistic background.

Another major factor in my decision was my team. I will be working with J and M, both of whom I collaborated with on a previous documentary project. Our past experience together means we already understand each other’s strengths and creative styles, making for a smoother production process. With our combined skills in research, cinematography, and editing, I am confident that an episodic documentary will allow us to produce the strongest final result. However, we still have to discuss our final decision in group in person before we move on. I'll update here if there are changes.

Critical Reflection

How Does “Off the Mic“ Represent Social Groups and Issues?

Our documentary “Off the Mic“ highlights and redefines the representation of poets, particularly spoken word poets, in a meaningful way reflective of self growth. One of the film’s objectives was to challenge the stereotypes often associated with poetry; such as when poets are portrayed as overly academic or as prestigious and disconnected from. “Off the Mic“ emphasizes the multifaceted nature of poetry and its ability to host personal growth and social connection.

Our title that implies the personal look the doc will take.

The documentary shifts this perspective by presenting poetry as relatable and inclusive rather than intimidating. It shows poetry’s connection with audiences through emotional resonance and self-expression. The film celebrates how poetry can be used as a tool that builds confidence, communication skills, and emotional intelligence through the lens of the two subjects. For example, through Lola's interview, the documentary captures how spoken word can have a transformative effect on those who write. Lola shares how becoming a poet empowered her to communicate her ideas more effectively in all aspects of life. Her journey shared how poetry can be a medium for self-expression and growth.

“Off the Mic“ also addresses the broader social issue and challenge faced by artists of pursuing careers their passions, specifically Creative Writing and English. Especially when discussing higher education, these majors are often dismissed as impractical or unprofitable, leading to questions of their legitimacy as career choices. Ghost delves into this in their interview, reflecting on how others have doubted their career prospects, who have suggested that studying Creative Writing will lead to limited opportunities. Instead, Ghost offers an inspiring example of how passion for creative writing and poetry can open unexpected doors and create meaningful opportunities. By sharing their experiences, the interviewee encourages viewers to pursue their passions unapologetically, regardless of societal expectations.

Ultimately, “Off the Mic“ offers a inside look of poets and their craft, while also challenging stereotypes surrounding these creatives and their career aspirations. It reminds audiences that poetry is not confined to academics but is a multifaceted art form that inspires individual lives and communities.

How Did Research Inform “Off the Mic“ and Its Use or Challenge of Conventions?

Research played a fundamental role in shaping the vision of “Off the Mic“ and the creators gained valuable insights into genre conventions and approaches by studying a diverse array of documentary styles. This research provided a strong foundation, allowing the team to make their informed creative decisions.

One of the film’s primary inspirations was “Exit Through the Gift Shop“, a documentary that conveys a deep admiration for street art. The team was inspired by the opening montage, a sequence that relied on visuals and atmosphere to convey the subject matter without explicitly stating it. Similarly, “Off the Mic“ begins with a montage of spoken word performances, using archival footage to evoke the raw energy and authenticity of the art form. Despite technical challenges due to the lower quality of clips or footage shot in portrait orientation, the imperfections were embraced as part of the documentary’s aesthetic. 

An image from Beyond Triathlon (2024).

Inspired by the way archival footage was presented in Beyond Triathlon, the team made a stylistic choice to present the opening montage in a square aspect ratio within a rounded frame, as a way to bypass presentation of unprofessional footage while also creating a singular focus point that expands once the title graphic appears. This "opening up" of the frame carries symbolism as the subjects open up about their experiences to the audience.

Certain conventions were followed for simplicity such as a standard interview setup, following the rule of thirds and looking off-camera. By maintaining a conventional approach to interviews, the filmmakers ensured clarity and professionalism, balancing experimentation in other areas of the documentary.

The research process informed every aspect of “Off the Mic“ and the blend of tradition and innovation used allowed the filmmakers to craft a documentary that is both artistic and emotionally resonant.

How Does “Off the Mic” Engage with Audiences?

“Off the Mic” uses a variety of creative techniques to captivate audiences, drawing them into a thought-provoking experience. Prominent tools such as the use of sound, background music, and b-roll footage help guide the audience through the emotional journeys of the subjects.

Audio tracks used in "Off the Mic"

Sound is essential in shaping the tone of the documentary. The opening sequence of live spoken word performances immediately immerses viewers into the world of poetry, connecting the audience to the subjects before they are revealed. These create a sense of authenticity for the poets and the connections to their craft, which sets the stage for the each subject's narrative. Due to some issues with the second interviewee's audio, at times the audience can be taken aback from the switch between Lola and Ghost, but other elements aid the sound quality. As the documentary progresses, background music is utilized strategically to complement the dialogue and visuals by uplifting the mood and encouraging inspiration (which aligns with the overarching themes of personal growth and artistic expression). 

B-roll footage is another essential component of “Off the Mic“, enriching the storytelling without overshadowing the interviews. The visuals reinforce the messages conveyed by the interviewees, adding depth and context to their words. For instance, when Lola discusses the wide reaches and impact of spoken word poetry among people, the documentary includes b-roll footage of people in discussion over poetry. This visual storytelling helps foster deeper understanding, helping audiences connect with the subjects on a further level. 

In conclusion, these techniques work together to create a cohesive and insightful experience that resonates with a viewer after the documentary concludes.

Edit till we die

Now that we finished filming our interviews, we filmed some final b-roll at the Lightning poet meeting on Tuesday. This is when we were supposed to get an interview from a sponsor, but since J didn’t come to school due to illness and M and I were left to our own devices (and filming at school is harder than filming in the comfort of someone’s home) we decided not to get the final interview, knowing we had 40+ minutes of interview footage already. Of course, this would mean some restructuring for the documentary, but it would all be handled in the edit.

Wednesday passed us by as we discussed restructuring issues in class and collected the archive footage we needed, so Thursday was our final day to work on the edit. On my end, I was responsible for the main edit, but I knew I couldn't accomplish the entire thing on my own so I designated roles for M and J to help me. I did my best to cut down the interviews and fit them into a nice structure, sending them section by section to M and J once they were done, and once the group approved, J would begin putting b-roll over the interview footage while I continued cutting down the next section. 

Trying to convey my idea for the montage for M to create.

In the meantime, we left M in charge of the opening montage, in which she focused most of her energy on making the crappy compiled android footage of poetry performances look good. We had around 17 recordings of different spoken word poems over the years and the goal was to use individual soundbites to establish our subjects as spoken word poets to the audience. 

Then we wanted to put the title graphic after the montage, but at this point, we still didn't have a name, so combining the power from all our brain cells (and asking Google for some poetry puns) we came up with: Off the Mic. Once Juan sent me a video of the Canva graphic, I realized it was all coming together. 

Once M had exported her group-approved montage, I finished adding the b-roll to the clips, and J made sure our other production materials were finished (our Production Log and Doc Outline) we were ready to export and submit our documentary. 

The full editing timeline.

After that, we eagerly awaited critique day in class and our final grade from our teacher. Click here to watch our full documentary (although we're going to re-edit based on some advice so we can submit this to festivals!)

Why I wish teleportation was real

Saturday

Mission objective was to go film Lola at Ignite Your Mic an Organ Donation Awareness event being held in Fort Lauderdale where young poets were given the opportunity to compete for a scholarship in a themed poetry slam. However, there was a huge mix-up between my groupmates over time: we thought the event started at 7 when it really started at 5. This caused an unfortunate chain of events, rushing us out of the suburbs and into the city. We had no idea when the event was going to end or if we already missed Lola's last performance but we did whatever it took to get there (shoutout to my dad's insane driving skills). Luckily, we got there and the event was finishing up still which allowed me to get some b-roll shots of poets and of Lola. Maybe if we teleported there, we would have made it in time, but luckily there was still Lola's Mom's Phone footage we could use.

Sunday

Sunday was more smooth, except for Juan waking up with a horrible fever and not being in the best condition to join us. But being lucky that Ghost was in town this weekend for a family event, we met up with them at M's house, found an "arty" spot to sit them in and began shooting the interview. What I didn't expect was 1) how far off the questions I was going to go: my interviewer alter ego came over me and I just kept pullling more and more content out from Ghost and 2) the audio box and lavalier to run out of battery 3 minutes into the 20 minute interview without anyone noticing it died. It wasn't until we finished the interview that we realized anything was wrong, but at that point, we didn't want to redo the whole interview knowing it would lose the authenticity of our first attempt. 

Then without skipping a beat, we filmed Ghost's b-roll, getting a mixture of wide, medium, and close ups and incorporating subtle movements with the items they brought to show off. We experimented with filming a couple shots outside for variety, but didn't quite like how they turned out, which is why most of that footage was not included in our final documentary. However, it was definitely useful to overshoot with any idea we had because in the edit we didn't feel like we were clawing for more footage, we had just the right amount.

Monday

Monday was definitely my favorite shooting day, mostly because Lola and I get along great, but also because the interview and b-roll was bountiful. My camera felt like a cournucopia on thanksgiving, that's how full I felt. The set up was a little tricky because our lens needed to sit far awar from the subject in order to yield the best depth of field (a little bit shallow) so as the interviewer next to the camera, I had to wall squat in the corner of Lola's bedroom for about 20 minutes while she answered questions. Completely worth it though because it looked beautiful.

The shot in question.

Then for b-roll, I was able to film all the pictures and knick knacks on her walls (dogs tags she won at poetry competitions) but we really hit the jackpot when she pulled out a memory box from her closet, containing flyers and journals with photos and writing galore. It was perfect and it set us on the right track to continue our project.