Research of question #1

 

CCR Question #1 Research

I have 2 weeks left to finish my project! I can't believe how fast time flies, now I have to start thinking on what my CCR has to be about. This reflection consists in making two videos that will answer 4 questions. What I have planned, is for the first video I will answer 1 and 2, and for the second 3 and 4. For questions 1 and 2, I want to do a director commentary/interview, because I think that this way I can explain easier the development of my project. This is the question I have to answer.

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

Typically, romance movies begins, with a positive/bright tone, showing the encounter of the couple or developing early feeling for each other. However, I decided to challenge this convention, as the start of my film shows the couple fighting, which contrast the publics expectation of a normal romance movie. This switches the stereotypical idea of a romance movie, into one that conveys tragedy and toxic relationship rather than a "happy-ending" love story. Also the flashbacks use brighter lighting, which is a romance convention, but the contrast with the darker presence scenes highlight the couples problems. Moreover, the social group I represented is teenage couples, who are suffering from emotional and physical abuse from their partners. I convey this through the character's body language, interactions, and the different clothes (costume) between the flashbacks and the present day. These elements allows to portray the unhealthy relationship that teenagers were experiencing, which raises attention among the audience to understand how abuse can be behind happy memories. 

Script Link: CCR scripts

bye bye dialogue, hello music!

 

Sound

Hi blog!!, now that I'm a step done in editing, the next step is sound. As I mention in previous blogs, I want to portray sadness and happiness. I think with the correct use of music, it will allow the audience to connect with my film opening. 

As I was editing in my iPad I realized that Clipchamp, doesn't have a feature to add audio files to my project. So I had to transfer all my work to IMovie. Now that I've added the music, I realized I also needed to blend them together so the transitions sound clean. Using the Audio menu and then My Music, I learned how to fade the songs into each other, which makes the switch of music much smoother.

Editing process

 

Production process (editing)

If I'm being honest, editing might be the hardest step for me in this project, but I'm not going to give up. I've finished my filming days last weekend, and since then I've been editing non-stop. I have changed the lighting, crop out scenes, creating transitions, look for compatible music, and I could keep going all day. This blog I will explain my process in making my film run smoother, and will show the different changes I've done within my project. 

For the lighting, as I have mention in earlier blogs, I want to have a mix of dark and bright colors. For example, in the fighting scene, I used an area that had a minimum capacity of lighting, to create tension and sadness for the audience, and then have a contrast of colors with the flashback, to portray happiness. For the flashbacks two elements helped me achieve my vision. First, the day I was filming the flashbacks scenes, the weather was amazing, it made a sunny day, and the sunset was perfect. I think this help convey the audience, that happiness doesn't stay for long, if you are with the wrong person. The second element that helped was the setting feature in the "Photos" app on my phone. 

Moreover, something that helped create the contrast of quick and stable shots, were the cuts, and the long frame recordings. For example, in the fight, the shots are fast, this illustrates the characters tension within the audience. On the other hand, in the flashbacks, the slow, steady scenes, show a more calm and relaxed environment. 

Group meeting #2

 

Group Meeting

 This is my first group meeting doing this project. I couldn't have the opportunity to participate in the first meeting. This group meeting, my teacher put us in groups of 6 and she told us we had to share our concept of the story, and explain our ideas in recording, editing on the film,  also give our classmates our ideas of what we are considering in doing for the CCR. Moreover, this blog will be about my classmates story, and also the feedback I got from them. 

My classmate, Veronica went first and explained her story and the process of filming, her film is called "A Major Flat". The story is about a band, consisting of four members, and the challenges each member has with another. She explains how the frontman is jealous of the keyboardist because of how outstanding his talent is. I like the idea on how she focuses on the character's background, and how detailed she is with each one of them, especially when she points out that the bassist is "gay for the frontman". Then she followed with her thoughts on her CCR. She talked about how she wanted to do a podcast, with her as the special guest, and the host of the show being an animated figure. I loved the idea, because it shows personality and creativity in her CCR. This is her blog below to read moree!!

Veronica

Then it was Felipe's turn, his story is going to be a comedy/action movie, called "Shift Happens", the story will be about the main character called Paulie and how he buys parts of cars to a guy who is almost perceived as a "dealer" for car parts. Then he explains how the movie will be centered in the main character, and how he races people. I liked the way how on his blogs he shows the cars that are going to appears in the background of his opening. Furthermore, he also explained how he wants to incorporate hip-hop music to the story, which I think is an excellent idea because it can create a sense of worry and excitement to the plot of the story. Next, for his CCR, he still doesn't know what he is going to do, but he is thinking on doing a presentation with a voice over, and an interview in a car, I like this idea because it reflect on  what the film is about. This is his blog!!

Felipe

Next went my classmate Srikara, he is not sure on what the title of his film will be, but he shared that it is going to be an action story. He begins by explaining that his story will be about kidnapping, so his film will consist in many quick shots to represent someone being kidnapped. I like his vision, however I think he needs more development on how he is going to convey his plot in only two minutes. For his CCR he is thinking on doing an interview with the drug dealer, to tie it with the character on his film. This is his blog below!!

Srikara

 

My classmate Raina went next, the title of her story is called "Easy Breathing" and it is a Drama/Coming out of Age film. She highlighted that her movie is centered in mental health issues on a girl's grieving experience on her dead boyfriend. Raina shared that she was abled to reach out to one of her favorite artists called "Your arms are my cocoon", which I think is amazing. She said that she is excited to use this music in her film because it also allows the audience to relate. The CCR, she is thinking on doing a juxtaposition to her film, by creating a friendly interview with his dad. it contrast the nostalgia, and sadness her story is about. I think her concept is totally understandable, and having a parent involved in school work brings a humorous vibe to her project. This is her blog below!!

Raina

Last, but not least, went Kamila. It will be a love story, with a mix of psychological thriller, that consists of a car crash where the girlfriend dies, but the boyfriend survived. After the crash, the boyfriend gets hallucinations of her dead girlfriend, leading him to search and find who was responsible for her death. Kamila still doesn't know what the title for her story will be, but she is still figuring out which one matches with her plot line. I think her idea is creative because she explained how the movie is more centered in the flashbacks of the couple, and the contrast of happiness and sadness of the couple, which shows how well developed her story line will be. For her CCR, she is having problems on how to correlate the reflection with her film, but she had an idea to do an interrogation video of the boyfriend in jail, which is understandable as it is a "follow up" of the story. This is her blog below!!  

Kamila

Challengesss

 

Obstacles in filming 

Welcome to week 6, this blog I will be explaining the issues I had while filming my opening. I think that having challenges can help you learn and grow from your mistakes or unexpected events. Not even the best plan will be a 100% successful. 

As I said in the previous blogs, I had some unexpected events, which at the end of the day taught me to be patient and stayed relaxed, because anything can happen. On the first day of filming, the weather was amazing, like the beautiful sunset. And I thought everything was going as planned. We had already bought the ice cream for the flashbacks scenes and were heading to the park. However, on the way there, I saw that I didn't have enough gas to make it, and it was also my first time getting gas by myself, which took longer than expected. This affected the ice cream because it started to melt. 

When we finally arrived, five minutes after a started to film a few shots, suddenly we hear a loud noise. My friends and I turned around, and it turned out to be a car crash. A couple came up to us asking if we could call 911. The call took like ten minutes. Between the car crash and stopping for gas, the ice cream was completely melted. So these scenes didn't go as planned, because the ice cream didn't look good anymore, it was just liquid.

In day number 2, it wasn't as severe as day 1. On this filming day, I was supposed to meet with my friends to record the fighting scene. I told them that I needed them to look like a mess, messy hair, no makeup, and the clothes to be baggy. I waited for them, when I decided to call my friend, she said that she already had makeup on and that she couldn't go to my house, I got upset because we agreed to meet at my house. However, she gave a solution, which was to record later that night, I agreed, and we ended up recording at 1 in the morning. 

EDIT, EDIT, EDITTT!!

 

Editing Process

Now that I'm done filming, I'm ready to start editing this project!! Since the start of the year, my teacher has showed us to use different platforms to edit our projects, such as IMovie and Clip champ. However, I'm not aware on how to use these platforms as I only know how to use CapCut. At first, I didn't like to use Clip champ because it was hard to edit in the computer. But, after playing around and researching that I can also use it on my Ipad, now I have a hang on it.

This is the process I have done. First I had to review all the scenes to see which ones were perfect. To make it more easier, the app from Apple, Photos has a feature to "like" a video or picture, so this feature facilitated the choosing of the shots. Then I went to ClipChamp and uploaded them in the order that I planned the film. 

Now that they are in order, I reviewed the whole film to see which scenes needed to be crop, so the film could be smoother to watch. Also, something that I had to edit was the lighting of the flashback scenes, I want them to be brighter than the rest. Photos provides utensils to play around with the video. I used the feature, exposure, brightness, and brillance. These three options were crucial to develop the flashback scenes. 

Almost doneee!!

 

Shooting Process

Day # 1

I started recording on Tuesday, right after school, my friends and I went to my house to start filming. We started filming the shots that were supposed to be in the room, and also because it was day time, we also recorded the daytime scenes. When finishing these scenes, it was time to go to the park. 

When I was planning I realized that in the park I wanted the couple to be eating something such as fries or ice cream, so before going to the park, we stopped in a ice cream shop called "Menchis" which is yogurt ice cream. However, something that happened was that when we got to the park the ice cream had already melt. SO it was hard to make it look like ice cream as it was already liquid. This made me realized that by having the perfect shot, I did to have in mind the weather, the location, and the utility elements.

In the park, the weather was so nice, we had a sunny almost sunset environment for these shots. When I started filming there was a car crash that happened next to the park, so sadly we witnessed how people got injured ( I hope they are safe), with this encounter, someone came up to us and said to call the cops. We were in this situation for over 10 minutes. With this experience I learned that anything could happened such as unexpected events like illness of the casting, bad weather, incorrect location, and much more. Moreover, when everything cleared up, we were ready to start filming again. The park was beautiful (I've never been to this park in my life), so every time I found somewhere to film I got excited because this is what I actually think and planned my film was going to look like. Moreover, we were laughing all the time, because some scenes were uncomfortable and funny to make, which also helped because I have more variety of shots and angles that I can incorporate in my film opening. 

Day #2

At first, I thought I finished all the filming in day 1, however, when I was reviewing the recorded scenes. I saw that something was missing. I didn't portray in the fighting scene a messy look for both characters. In this scene I wanted both characters to transmit that they were hopeless and worthless of their relationship. So, with that being said, my friends came back to my house and we filmed the fighting scene again, this time they looked more in character, which is important because it highlights the character's personality through their body language and also their clothes.

Production Company Logo

 

Company Logo

Now that I'm closer to the final project, I have to create my production company logo. I think having a unique logo brings more recognition to newer audiences. According to, Shmarel, S. (2026, January 17). 7 reasons why a logo is important to your business. Tailor Brands, this article explain why creating a logo is important for a company. By having a unique logo, it gives a special "first impression" to the world of business, which can benefit the company by eliminating competition with other brands. Furthermore, this blog, I'm going to show how I created my logo by creating different designs with the fonts, colors, and sizes, with the help of the app Canva. With that being said these are the logos I made.

This is the first design, I want to incorporate my name in the logo. In this logo my goal is to portray my personality so the real world can understand who I am. I chose these three colors for two reasons. First, it stands out and create a bright cheerful tone for viewers. Second, they're my favorite colors, such as yellow, purple, and blue, which gives a personal touch and helps bring more uniqueness into my company's branding.

However, after playing around with the font, design, and the overall style of the logo, I didn't like the way it looked. As the name of the company is "Lubell" I want to make it look kind of a bell, so it makes sense to people-. I'm going to show how I changed the design.

I changed the design and added background color, to see how it stands out in a black background. Also I played with the color font with different colors I liked to see if the colors were aesthetically pleasant. But I didn't like it, I felt like if my personal touch was missing. 

This is the design I'm choosing, with the colors and font style. I think it looks childish which is one of the goals I want to portray in my company, and also has my favorite color, and my first two initials and first name, highlighting my personal touch to my production company's branding. I hope this logo can portray a playful and bright mood to the audience. With that being said, this is my final logo.

Casting

Hi readers! I have been working for this project for over a month now, I feel proud of how much I have learned from researching how important the costume, lighting, setting, etc, is in a film. Furthermore, according to Story, N. (2024, July 19). The importance of casting and the role of the casting director. Story Productions. This article highlights that by choosing the right actors for the film, it allows to "bring the characters to life". I think this is important, because casting people that know how to work with others bring facilitation to the recording and developing of the film. Also with the correct casting, the audience will be able to feel the emotions of the character throughout the end of the movie. 

When I was planning my project, I had 4 people in mind who could work for the couple in my film. The first choice are actually a real couple, which I did like the fact that they were in a relationship because the film is about love. However, the more I planned, the more I realize about this couple is that I was not going to have connection and the chemistry I was looking for this project as they are already a couple, so it would not be easy to represent some of the scenes, and could portray this lack of connection to the audience. 

For my final choice, I selected two friends. Their real relationship is a strong best friend relation , which is easier to show chemistry with the characters on screen. I chose this couple because in real life they act so close, that people often assume they are together, which is something I want to transmit in my film. Although its funny, I know I'm going to have a blast recording this project with them, because working with friends creates moments that feel so true, and I'm excited because I know this experience will become a meaningful memory that will stick for the rest of our lives.

"Is it better to speak or.."

 

Planning on audio

In my film opening I'm thinking of only using music because for as long as I can remember, the music in any type of movie especially in romance movies are the most important step to bring joy, sadness, tension, nostalgia, and much more, and I would like to achieve this mix of emotions in my opening.

I'm going to incorporate non diegetic sound, that means that the character's can't hear but the audience can. This creates mood, tone and emotion to how the audience perceive the film. In my case, I will like to use soft delicate music so that at the beginning it can create suspense and mystery on what the character's are fighting about, also the use of hand movement and face reactions can allow the audience to understand that the couple is having an argument. However, i would like the music to have beats so I can integrate the flashbacks, and show in a slow and smooth shots when the couple was in love, to create hope
and curiosity about the character's relationship. 

This are links of music I have searched and will apply to my film opening:

https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/ee69476f-5439-492e-b713-14ea0e94e0a2/

https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/371e1011-807d-4a01-81e1-64ded2778ed3/

https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/47c3f994-1cc6-4d7e-830c-2fa8a5c15edd/

Posible outfits (costume)

 

Possible costume design

A crucial part for the audience to understand my film opening better is through the costume choice. Having a specific theme of clothing represents the period of time when the scene is taking place. For instance, a cheerleader costume allows the audience to understand that the character's role is to support a school or university team. Furthermore, I'm planning on using pieces that can be easy to find and that illustrates my character's personality. 

For Emily's character I'm going to use for the fighting scene, sweatpants and a big t-shirt, to emphasize how her relationship let her to the point of not dressing up like she used to because of the constant arguments and situations with her boyfriend. However, in the flashbacks scenes I want to use more colorful vibes because it highlights a relax and calm environment to the audience. She will also use pastel colors to represent the character's softness and innocence, as they are meant to describe young and naive kids. 

Now for Noah, in the fighting scene he will be wearing dark clothing to represent tension and power to the character. Also this type of color choice typically represents his emotional trauma on what is happening in his relationship. Moreover, in the flashback scenes, he will be wearing lighter colors, highlighting the vulnerability he experienced when he was in love creating a warmth and romantic personality for the character.

I do want to portray this contrast of hate to love with the use of the costume design, to represent vulnerability and warmth that the couple once had and then is transformed to hate.

Set Planning

 

Developing the setting

Once that I have a clear idea on what my developing of the film will be about, an important element that can help me to better visualize the correct tone and theme for the opening will be to do a story board on the different settings that my film will take place. Using the app called Canva, it allows me to further understand the mood of the concept. 

In the scene of the messy room when the couple is fighting, I can use my room to create that disorganized environment, creating tension upon the public eye. I think that by having a contrast of a dirty, disorganized room in the present, and then having a clean, organized space in the flashbacks, represents the distance that has become present between the couple. The clean, organized past shows the love they once had, and the messy present reflects on how broken things have become.

Another setting I'm going to use when the flashbacks are appearing in the opening is going to have nature or a green area. I think nature represents peace and calmness, so by portraying nature spaces in the flashbacks it allows the audience to understand how strong and united their relationship was. Now, with this being said, where I live, there is a park near my house which is perfect for what I'm thinking. It has a lake, benches, trees, and much more, which represents nature the way I want it to be in my film opening. This opportunity of the setting is crucial because I don't need to worry, when I have a park 7 minutes from my house. Having this set in mind, it highlights the characters personality, and connects the story plot throughout the movie.

Character Development

 

Planning Characters

This week's first blog will be about the aesthetic of my characters. Planning on characters is important because it allows to create an emotional insight towards the audience, by understanding the character's background story.

Figuring out the name for a male and a female might be hard. Thinking about names that can fit the visual vibe of the film is crucial because it provides personality, background and theme purposes. However, my opening film will not use dialogue so having a name to the characters might not be as important in this case. Now in the other hand, naming them will be more easier to refer in my upcoming post instead of saying "the girl" or "the boy". Having that said I want the names to be memorable and easy to say, like Kaia or Luca. This past week's, I've been researching about the costume, lighting, setting and much more, allowing me to have an idea on what the characters background will be, so I've come to my final choice that the name of my characters will be called Emily, and Noah. I think these names fit in the vibe I want my film to have a high school, dramaish film.

In class, we had to develop our own character by explaining the way it looks, and what it likes. So doing a storyboard with pictures describing my characters will be easier for me to develop the real life character. I think that Emily's personality is a nice, naive girl who is deeply in love with her boyfriend. I imagine her with soft colors, like light pink or yellow to portray a friendly tone towards the audience. For Noah's personality, he uses plain colors such as white, black or grey to show the lost feelings, or to create tension over his feelings in the relationship arguments.

Draft of my idea

 

Story Board

The next step of developing my project is to do a storyboard. According to Toon Boom Animation Inc. (n.d.). The importance of storyboarding. Toon Boom Learn Portal. The article highlights that by visually drawing your concept, it will be a good start to identify if the idea will work or if something needs to change. Throughout this school year, I have learned that by having a storyboard, it is easier to be more organize on the way the production, editing, and the movement of the camera will be throughout the opening. It might be hard to perfectly sketch the idea and the angle shots, but it will eventually be useful when something turns out to be wrong. With that being said, this is the story board that I made!

Summary and Inspiration

 

Inspiration and Main idea 

I'm excited to finally explain my project idea to the public!! It has already been two weeks of developing, researching, thinking and organizing my final project, although I have to admit that it might look like a lot of work, I'm enjoying my own process for this film opening! So that being said,  this blog will be a summary of my idea and my major inspiration. 

My film will begin with a recorded scene from a plane (showing a landscape), while that is in the screen, the production of my company name and the actors names will appear, and then it will turn into a black screen. Next it will show a couple having an argument, my film will not include dialogue but it will use slow music to create emotion of sadness and worry for the couple's relationship. Afterward, I will like to incorporate flashbacks of the couple portraying love by using different shots of them together, laughing, dancing, and overall having a cheerful time. This creates a tone from hate to love, developing curiosity over the relationship's story line. After the flashbacks, the title will appear in a black background so the film's name can stand out, and at the end of the movie, I'm going to show the girl getting a call from someone, to highlight that the film is not over. 

My major inspiration is one of the movies I've researched that I find a deep connection over how the film evokes the audience emotions. The film is called the Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach), it portrays a couple who at first seem loving and united, and then throughout the movie, reveals the emotional tension in their relationship. In particular the fighting scene is my biggest inspiration because it shows how their love is being tested through conflict, the emotional state towards the scene will create the audience to perceive the conflict with worry, tension and curiosity, this is what I would like to capture in my film opening.

 

Media Theory

 I'm one blog behind on telling you my project idea, and what I'm planning on creating. However, this blog will be about the type of media theory I would like to incorporate in my film opening. The most important aspect on creating this opening is so that I can draw the public's attention, evoking them on how the character's life will be for the rest of the movie. According to Rice University. (n.d.). Media and cultural theory. Program in Media Studies. The article explains that media theory is an explanation on how media effects the way people perceive information through meaning and emotions. 

In class, my teacher gave every student a sheet of paper with different media theories and the definition for each one of them. I was reading the paper and the theory that caught my attention is the Narrative Code section, more specific the Hermeneutic or Enigma Code (Roland Barthes). This code is used in a film to leave mystery or questions that aren't fully explained. I know you might be thinking why a romance movie would like to create mystery upon their audiences, if romance is about love? Well, my film is not going to be a thriller/romance, more like a drama/romance, but in the opening I would like to integrate this theory because drama or fights gathers more interest and engages people to watch the film. I think that in any type of film, the opening is the most important part of the movie, because it is what let the audience know if the movie has potential or not. 

The Lake House, is a 2006 romance/fantasy movie directed by Alejandro Agresti, and written by David Auburn. The movie is about two people who fell in love while living the same house in different time periods. They write letters to each other through a magical mailbox and try to find a way to meet each other at the same time. This movie is full of mystery and questions the audience do not understand at first such as the magical box, the different time period, how the characters are communicating, or how they are finding a way to see each other. These unsolved questions keep viewers engaged by being curious, however, throughout the movie, the mystery was being solved, creating suspense by gate keeping important information of the rest of the movie. 

Realism or fantasy??

 

Why is having a clear setting important?

Hi readers, welcome to week 3. Last class I was supposed to be in the first group meeting, the group meeting was to share your ideas and inspirations to your classmates, and then get feedback on what to change or what to incorporate in the film opening, so this blog was going to be about a reflection and my opinion on the meeting. However, I was not able to make it to the meeting, so this blog I am going to be researching about the importance of a setting in a movie.

Based on Rangshila. (n.d.). Location is everything: How the right setting elevates filmmaking. This article highlights on the concept on how setting a location can have the "power" on transmitting the story to the audience by creating an atmosphere that represents the characters personality or background story. This is crucial because with the different types of settings throughout the movie, it can build a connection over the mood and tone of the film, for instance, a movie in a hospital creates a sorrowful tone, while being at the beach or a sunny day creates a happier and cheerful environment for the movie. Moreover, using realistic places, like streets or houses, instead of building a set or using green screens, makes the movie more relatable and understandable to the audience. 

Midnight in Paris is a 2011, romantic film written and directed by Woody Allen. What I researched about the movie is that it is about a writer who visits Paris, who out of the sudden transports back to the 1920s, which allowed him to meet famous artists who inspired him to rethink life, such as his relationships and what makes him happy. This movie is located in Paris, creating a crucial understanding over where the story will take place, creating a contrast over the difference between the present and the past. Using different props, costumes, and locations makes the story feel realistic, showing the way people lived and behaved on that specific time period, building a magical, nostalgic and fantasy tone over the film. 

Another example is Mamma Mia!, it is a 2008 musical/ romance movie, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Catherine Johnson. The movie is about a young bride to be, who invites three men to her weeding, with the chances that one of them might be her father. This movie takes place on the island Skopelos, Greece, the set portrays a small town/village representing how the place looks like. The movie creates a playful tone over the fact that it is a musical, however, the different stages and locations it takes place, builds a relatable and understandable atmosphere over the story's tone, for example portraying the days with blue skies and sunny, emphasizing a friendly movie.

For my film, I probably won't have the opportunity to explore different settings that allow people to connect to the story, however, having a realistic setting such as a house or a playground, will create realism to my story. I hope that I can achieve to evoke different emotions towards my film, by engaging a real set.