Okay, so let's be honest here...
We don't quite know yet what our genre will be, but I did some research that has me drawn to certain genres.
Edgar Wright - How to do Visual Comedy
Okay, so let's be honest here...
We don't quite know yet what our genre will be, but I did some research that has me drawn to certain genres.
Edgar Wright - How to do Visual ComedyMy partner Zain Vidal helped us set up a tentative schedule as well (see below), that may also work however given the amount of time and quantity of tasks we are required to do, I thought it would be favorable to have a more accelerated version to ensure we really nail the end result of our short film.
Pre-production: Planning, plot, script 2/17-2/21
storyboard, locations, cast, mis-en-scene 2/22- 3/1
filming schedule 3/2-3/12
Editing movie 3/12-3/16
3/17-3/22: State Thespians Competition
Publicity/marketing trailers started on 3/12-4/9
Reflecting/CCR 3/24-3/28
Last year when I made my tentative project schedule I felt that I didn't allot enough room for mistakes or changes that may occur as the process evolves, so I gave myself a few more days and a breathing period so I can focus on the thespians competition trip coming up. We have lots of work to do!
Dearest Blog,
I'm back again, and I'm so ecstatic to be here. This has been one crazy last senior year... but I'm ready to get started on this project! I've been waiting to experiment and explore, so I'm taking a risk and choosing to make a short film.
My primary goal for this project, since there's only 5 minutes, is to keep it short, simple, and clever. As I may have stated previously, I'm a content creator and I love storytelling in different forms but I've never experimented with the creation of a short film. I believed my movie had to have some "complex" storyline and "intricate" storytelling but as I started to research and dive deeper into the topic, I soon realized that most of them don't have to be that way.
No Me Ama Short Film (Dir. Martin Piroyansky 2012)
This first short film is a student film that I really enjoyed because most of the conflict was happening in the protagonists head. The story starts with the boy and the girl traveling together, and they encounter several trials and tribulations down the line. Most of the conflict there is either proving or disproving his belief that "she doesn't love [him]."
So on the outside, his girlfriend seems to love him and show him through her actions, ex: cooking/caring for him, she just doesn't outwardly say it. We are viewing the film through his inner voice's perspective, but the irony lies in the fact that we see so many things going right in this relationship that it's hard to believe he's getting so in his head about the relationship.
The film drags on and is guided by his inner monologue, until the very end when he recites in his mind "I'm going to break up with her, before she can break my heart." Then when it was finally time to say what was on his mind, he says "I LOVE YOU!!!!" She replies with, "I love you too!"
What makes this film clever in my eyes is the fact that it commenced with the boy's assertion that his girlfriend "doesn't love him." It was clever because it taught us that our reality may not always be the truth, and we musn't let those destructive thoughts consume our mind.
Table 7 Short Film (Dir. Marko Slavnic 2011)
The documentary The First Cut deeply engages audiences by offering an intimate and emotional exploration of the often-overwhelming college audition process for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Through the lens of Martina Rodriguez, a young aspiring performer, the film invites viewers to step into the emotional and psychological challenges of auditioning for competitive programs. By focusing on her journey, the documentary draws audiences into the heart of what it means to pursue a dream with intensity and vulnerability.
The First Cut engages viewers by making them feel the highs and lows of the process alongside Martina and her supportive mother. It doesn't attempt to shy away from the truth, and it's not reluctant to showcasing some of the more vulnerable parts of the process from the behind the scenes perspective. For example, as Martina is filming her dance prescreen she is overcome by physical pain and tiredness. This moment demonstrates just how tedious the process can become and can connect with various audiences by revealing such a human response to a stressful situation. In Martina’s world, things aren’t always perfect, and that is precisely what makes her story so powerful. Her transparency reminds the audience that following your passion is a journey filled with struggles and setbacks, and by showing that, Martina helps viewers feel seen and understood in their own struggles. By shedding light on these issues, the documentary fosters an environment of understanding and compassion, encouraging viewers to engage in conversations about mental health, especially in high-pressure environments like education and performance.
The inclusion of raw, behind-the-scenes footage; such as moments of exhaustion or self-doubt, offers audiences a more profound understanding of the intense emotional toll the process takes on performers. This depiction of Martina’s experience resonates with anyone who has faced setbacks or struggles in their pursuit of a goal, be it in the arts, academia, or any other field. This universal experience of overcoming obstacles, managing stress, and dealing with failure creates a bridge of empathy between Martina and her viewers, engaging them on a deeply human level. Moreover, the inclusion of this style of b-roll allows the audience to uncover a different facet of emotions from Martina, which allows for a better understanding of how intense the process is.
Anyone who has applied to college, is currently applying, or will soon face that process can relate to the pressures Martina encounters. While the pre-screen audition process is unique, the emotional rollercoaster of striving for something big; dealing with the stress, uncertainty, and the fear of failure; is something anyone pursuing a dream can understand. By honing in on this universal experience, the documentary keeps viewers emotionally invested throughout Martina’s journey. This product can also connect further with parents of aspiring artists, as they learn how to guide their children through a difficult, competitive career. There are several moments in the film that display Martina and her mother's connection, a bond that could resonate with several families that are enduring a similar process such as this. They share a moment of reflection as mom is on the couch on the verge of tears pointing out how "[the process] was a lot." The evolving relationship provides an additional point of connection for audiences, highlighting the power of familial bonds during significant life moments. This moment of vulnerability adds an important layer to the film, showing that the journey isn’t just about the individual, but about the impact on those who love and support them. For many parents, seeing their children go through the stress of such a competitive process is deeply relatable, and this emotional connection strengthens the bond between the film and its audience. The portrayal of a mother’s concern for her child’s well-being adds depth to the narrative, reminding viewers of the sacrifices made by families when pursuing a dream. Audiences are drawn into this emotional rollercoaster, which mirrors the universal experience of striving toward something meaningful in the face of uncertainty.
Research undeniably played a pivotal role in shaping the direction of my project, broadening both my knowledge and my perspective in every conceivable way. From the very beginning of our exploration into documentary filmmaking, we were introduced to a diverse array of documentary styles; The American Promise and Exit Through The Gift Shop showed how documenting a process that was recorded over a lengthy period of time can offer a more nuanced perspective of the story as a whole, while others such as the Op Docs experimented creatively with the storytelling. Each style offered a unique approach to storytelling, yet all were united by the powerful connection to our shared humanity. The depth of emotion and the ways in which these films cultivated empathy and understanding among viewers were admirable, and these elements became foundational in the way I approached my own work.
As I immersed myself in these various documentary styles, I found myself deeply inspired by the structure, pacing, and intimacy of several films I encountered. These works became a baseline for how I sought to convey Martina’s story in The First Cut. One key example of a documentary convention was the decision to include an indirect interview between Martina and her mother. This creative choice was designed to heighten the sense of intimacy and authenticity in the film. Instead of presenting a typical back-and-forth interview that might introduce a “second side” to the story, I aimed to focus on the nuances of their relationship. The absence of a formulated interview question allowed the emotional weight of their unspoken connection to emerge more naturally, lending a more raw and vulnerable quality to their interactions.
In sum, my research into other documentaries not only influenced the technical aspects of The First Cut, but also pushed me to think more deeply about how to capture human experiences in a way that feels both intimate and universal. Through this process, I was able to expand my understanding of what a documentary could achieve; connecting the audience to its subjects on a deeply emotional level while also challenging conventional methods of storytelling.
I also wanted to include a clip of me reacting to a prescreen callback, without showing the screen to leave some ambiguity and reinforce the message that it's more about the inner fulfillment and knowing that I did the best I possibly could on the process, and now it's out of my hands.
Much of our footage was already filmed and it was only a matter of editing it together in the premiere pro timeline. At the start, we didn't believe that we were going to make it into a full fledged mini doc, but the footage was actually easy to integrate together. I had several folders in my hardrive that I could look into that were had already organized the footage into three components: dance, song, monologue.
When we first started a draft of the process, we knew we wanted to gear more towards the bts process of auditioning, a topic that is especially personal to Isabel and I. While there was no clear idea on how we were going to execute this, nonetheless we carried out with the idea and planned certain shots that we thought might be appropriate.
In terms of Interviewee's, we had a few potential candidates, however none that we were actually able to follow through with due to several factors; b-roll, time, and vulnerability. In order for this story to come out as fruitful and as authentic as we wanted it to, all of these factors had to be taken into consideration and due to the time constraints that we were faced with, it was favorable to look towards the most viable option which was having me as the subject of the documentary.
Little did we know, I had all of the material I needed to create a short documentary of a process that was so grueling but so pertinent to me, something that had become a huge part of my every day for the past 6 months. There were a lot of different emotions felt throughout the prescreen process, and it's not something commonly captured or discussed for a documentary.
I was so inspired by the Opinion Docs we viewed from the NY times; I believe they emulate the heart and core of what makes a documentary so resonant to people. They don't need any statistics or factual evidence, it's in the emotion and authenticity of the subject being captured, in the story that is being told. Of course there is always a bias but when I watch those documentaries, I end them with a feeling, a thought, or a lesson that I took from it, that makes the viewing feel that much more fulfilling.
When we realized we wanted to do a documentary on the prescreen process, a lot of the research came from experience. Since the process was something that Isabel and I have endured for the past 5-6 months, a lot of it was just about knowing what to include and what to exclude, to ensure the story was told authentically while keeping the parts that are most important to communicating the message. However in order to effectively tell the story, keeping in mind that it's very personal and very vulnerable, there had to be research involved on how to navigate the storytelling.
The American Promise is a documentary we viewed in Stoklosa's class, and it made me reflect a lot on the prescreen process; prescreens held that same type of intensity and emotion, although the moral of both stories are completely unrelated. I admired how The American Promise strived to tell the story authentically, although the directors weren't exactly outside of the situation, and were subjects actively a part of the story themselves.
To understand how to achieve this effectively, I watched a few documentaries and I also looked up videos and articles for tips. That's when I found Mark Bone's channel, and he brought up some really great points about storytelling.
The main thing that got me was the primary question: "Is your film based on a topic or a story?"
If it's based on a story, it should have conflict, the main character of the film wants something; how does it resolve? That has pretty much been the anchor point of what birthed the structure of our documentary. We chose the story route; our documentary was treated as an introspective film; much more reflective of the process than "telling" of the process.
Usually when it comes to filmmaking or creating, these kind of choices just felt right to me, even if I couldn't explain why. After choosing "story", I dug deeper into some research and I found an article that made me feel extra great about our decision to treat the documentary as a story.
Truth is, I was pretty green going into the documentary process.
I had such a set expectation of what the structure had to be and what the conventions are, that I didn't realize there were many facets of a documentary that I was completely disregarding.
Before our lessons, I believed that a good documentary should always provide statistics and good old empirical evidence. However, the more we watched documentaries, the more they became about sharpening perspectives and shedding light on human experiences, and less reliant on regurgitating statistics that won't really suffice in making people feel drawn to the piece or connected to the story.
As part of our curriculum, we were required to view Opinion Docs from the New York Times. I viewed The Final Chapter and it opened my mind to all of the different types of stories and creative liberty that comes from the documentary process. It's much more fluid and emotion driven that I grew so inspired.
These Op Docs redefined my view of documentaries and showed me how the simplest of stories can truly make an impact; they showed me that not everything had to speak on topics of such a large scale.
This Op Doc is so beautiful and such a great example of how the simplest stories in life can be so meaningful for a documentary.
I learned quickly that more than being informational, it's about exposing audiences to a slice of life. Every documentary has a bias, tone, and story to tell. I'm really grateful that I was able to expand my knowledge on this topic and open my mind up to a plethora of ways in which a story can be told; it redefined in my mind that there are so many more heartwarming, simple stories worth telling.
Monday, December 2nd.
Welcome back!!
Goals:
This year I want to really push the envelope for what I'm capable of, and strive to create media that is not only visually appealing but potent in its message as well. I hope to tell stories that are true to me and that draw from my personal life experiences. I also hope to gauge a greater understanding of film techniques, and messaging.
Join me as I explore my style, try new things, and continue to discover the kind of artist I want to be!
I cannot believe that this project is over wow.
I'm gonna be honest, not always in the creative process do I feel the most motivated, sometimes I feel a bit of an imposter syndrome where I feel like my ideas are not good enough or portrayed well enough, but I'm glad that in the end I was happy with the product and I know that I have learned so much and I was already able to apply so much of my knowledge that was waiting to be shared and implemented, so as I reflect I want to just push the brakes and acknowledge to myself how far I've come!
I learned so much about writing and building a narrative with character through this project, and I know that's going to be worth using in A level!
Hello! I'm Martina Rodriguez and this is my Creative Critical Reflection for my film opening titled Tied to Strings. My story follows a young girl named Nat, who discovers her purpose and passion for art at an early age; is full of creative ambitions from youth. As an artist, she second guesses the value of her art and attaches it to her self worth, she is hesitant about sharing her creations with the world... afraid of what the consequences may be, towards the end of the opening we see she struggles to pursue it, and it looks as if she's leaving her childhood and creativity behind. Now we don't exactly know why that is or what experience made her feel this way, so there's this ambiguity and anonymity created in the film opening, the plot is not entirely black & white from the get go.
What we DO know is that the film opening is centered around this character that is on the cusp of becoming. Which is conventional and typical of a Coming of Age film.
Now, according to MasterClass, there are 3 characteristics that encompass the storytelling of a Coming of Age movie.
1. Character and Growth
2. Dialogue
3. Social Commentary
However, there is no inner monologue OR dialogue to explain what's going on through the character's head at the beginning, there is no quirky little explanation that sets up the character's thinking patterns and the plot, (not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not the way I wanted to tell it). It's simply showing us who this person is and what this person does with their free time. The struggle of maintaining that creativity is ultimately what will be addressed in the plot. Will she continue to create? Will she keep on pursuing her passions?
The protagonists conflict is an example of Character vs. Self and Character vs. Society. In this case both of them very much intertwine, as her interactions with society are affecting the way she treats herself and therefore perpetuating this preconceived notion that arts are not as important as other disciplines.
Okay yes, I understand that these movies typically follow through the narrative with an inner monologue that gives a view into the characters mind, like _______ but I didn't want to give too much away at the start of the film even though it's gonna have to get introspective eventually. I didn't want the viewers to know 100% where the story was going.
ISSUE #1
HOW DID YOUR PRODUCTION SKILLS DEVELOP THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT.
Hi My name is MARTINA RODRIGUEZ I will be the host of this podcast ready to discuss more about the behind the scenes of creating this film opening. So discussion questions... fire away!
Going into this, I've always put a lot of thought into my work and trying to make sense of a story... what is the purpose, and what will people take away from it. The message has always been super important to me but as to how it was conveyed... that was was not really something I'd have to think about. Moreover, I've practiced making commercials, all sorts of promos, and music videos where I would build on the idea to help find a unique way to market it, but to have to create the product and storyline itself... AND execute it...?!? that was entirely new for me. I had lots of trouble with writing this opening and understanding how to structure it... it tested my resilience if anything, I had to be open and take a risk in order to get a much more successful product! So research was definitely a component I relied on... and watching more movies has definitely expanded my mind and provided a good framework for me to understand how to write and create my own story. My writing skills definitely got better with this project, and I was able to tap into my creativity to connect the dots in a new way! But in the end, it was rewarding, and I feel like this story is worth sharing! I learned to let free of what others perceived and went with my gut and what I believed! Once I was happier I got more creative.
I wanted to use this project as an opportunity to bring on a cathartic experience... one for me to learn from in numerous ways. That I did. I'm going to admit, I chose a pretty difficult topic. It was difficult because it was so personal, and at the beginning I felt like I didn't really know what the plot was even gonna be about after the opening, I was grappling onto my feelings for inspiration, and that was working to my detriment. I also had little experience with screenwriting, and pairing that inexperience with a contentious topic created quite the obstacle for myself. When I started, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to establish a strong sense of character for the audience, so I researched and looked for ways to do so. I learned that when building the character, there has to be an external motive that drives the plot, but also an internal realization that is implicit but acts as the conclusion/resolution in the end, and leaves people satisfied.
HOW DID YOU INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGIES-- SOFTWARE HARDWARE + ONLINE --- IN THIS PROJECT?
For starters, I was able to use the Sony Alpha 7 IV: Full Frame Mirrorless. My uncle, who works at Comcast NBC universal and got his bachelors at full sail has been a huge mentor for me throughout the years, and I learned from him that it's not necessary to always have equipment that is the latest and the greatest, but (if you have a sort of budget) it's definitely important to do your research on cameras and equipment to know what to spend your money on. I have another camera but that one is more like a consumer camera, moreover the crop sensor doesn't allow for a full frame and clear image, as opposed to the Sony Alpha 7, so that's what I preferred to go with for a more polished look.
As for lighting, I made use of the practical lighting and made an effort to film in daylight, so the images wouldn't look so artificial. For the shots with young nat, the lighting couldn't be super super bright as I liked creating a tone that felt more melodramatic, so the blinds where there to help stop so much sunlight from creeping in. And for the yearbook picture, I used my ring light to light my actor!
I have been editing with the Adobe softwares for almost 4 years now, and although I've been meaning to learn how to use DaVinci Resolve, I didn't want to risk switching over when I knew these 8 weeks were going to be tough to juggle. Editing is my favorite part of the production process and I was able to put those skills to use in this project. I knew that my photos and videos had to be recorded by myself, so a challenge I faced was matching the color of the yearbook photo with the background ones in the back. I solved this issue by going onto lumetri color where I lowered the midtones in order to get a cooler feel in the background, but I also balanced it out with some saturation so the color of the face didn't get washed away. I loveeee getting creative with the graphics, and for the animation I did on Tied to Strings it was super simple and regal, but it also added something to the story. The purpose of the two Is stretching out in different directions was to make people feel like they were going to meet in the end, but because the I's are soooo far out from each other, the intent was that there was a knot midway and this whole rollercoaster in between that is out of frame. The editing of this graphic was super simple as all I had to do was type out my text with the Bebas font and add two line shape layers, I carrot down to the keyframes and press "add" where I can then select trim paths, allowing me the option to toggle in the keyframe where I wanted the animation to start and finish.
Even towards the end, once I was finished with my opening I thought about including it on my social medias and uploading it to YouTube so people could easily access it.
finally feeling like my opening has some sort of structure, I feel absolutely relieved. That's a picture of my sister up above that I took of her in my room against a grey wall, I figured it be a great way to replicate a yearbook photo. I'm gonna make a quick blog that gives a rundown on my CCR progress, and I will be wrapping everything up TOMORROW!
I used this website free pik to download the polaroid frame that I'm using for the snapshots!!!
You can already see that the story is coming along much better, I think having it told through the years is necessary because it nods to some of the conventions of the typical 'Coming of Age' trope but the music bends the genre conventions a little bit, it takes the story into a Drama as well which I absolutely LOVE.
I filmed the rest today. I am so proud of myself for taking that risk and the more that I've practiced I feel like I understood the assignment more and more.
Filming today.
I got some shots yesterday but I plan on getting the rest today and the baby shots tomorrow... this blog post is going to cover everything! Update on script, shot list, music, genre, because there's not much time to do it all.
My issue with the last script was that there was so much dialogue, and as I begun the process of editing with that last storyline, it was lacking in emotion and honestly, it felt kind of corny. Since this film opening can only be at max 2 minutes, I didn't want it to start off that way, I thought about taking the direction of show don't tell.
Yes.
I'm gonna be honest I've been feeling a little bit awkward with the direction this project has taken because it didn't really feel like there was much meaning to the storytelling, and the message wasn't direct enough.
I've had lots of experience with all facets of production yet I don't have much experience with screenwriting... I've practiced making commercials, all sorts of promos, and music videos, but I've never actually practiced making films before. I have to admit, I had lots of trouble with writing this opening, it was frustrating and I almost got discouraged... but everyone has got to start somewhere and I still have time to fix it!! So instead of lingering on in those emotions of stress, I looked for solutions and answers.
After editing the flashbacks, I needed to start on the real bulk of the editing and that's when I knew I'd be heavily reliant on the music to drive the emotion forward.
My favorite part is you guessed it; EDITING. I'm an editor first and I always will be above all aspects of production, it just brings me absolute joy. it all just comes together and it's my way to experiment with the style and the flow.
I thought of the name Tied to Strings...
Here are some of my fav stills!! (raw footage that I have yet to color grade)
I'm back on here for another blog! I'm filming the younger kids flashback of Natalie and the boy working on the project TODAY! I got my sister and her friend to be my actors, and I will be filming the car flashback sometime later this week as well.
This week has been BOOKED with school work, I've had to turn in quite a few assignments recently assigned before the quarter ended. I've also had a lot of my friends ask me to act in their film openings as well and I just couldn't say no to them. I loved helping my friend Mariana and working with her as an actress to help convey the message of her film :))
Okay, so let's be honest here... We don't quite know yet what our genre will be, but I did some research that has me drawn to certa...