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.