Footage and Pictures from Filming: Day Two

Hi guys! Enjoy some funny footage and pics from our second day of shooting!

After filming, they still had to practice with their big group for like three hours...huge props to them, as I could never! We hit up the grocery store after as well to get food and it was a lot of fun! Now, for the scary part...editing. Wish me luck, blog!

Filming: Final Day!

Okay, I think I got the bulk of everything I needed for filming yesterday. Oh, yeah, that's another thing: Nat and Natalia forgot to mention the very small (big) detail that their school was going on a field trip to Universal on Friday (today), so I decided to just film yesterday. It was kind of a hassle getting everything ready on short notice, but I made it work, and we filmed for about an hour and a half. I got multiple rounds of interview to choose from, as well as some more b-roll. Sadly, there was no time nor did we have the ability to film on the stage they're going to perform on, as that is reserved for another dance group until like right before the day of their show, which happens to be the same day that this documentary is due haha. So, I guess teaser pics will be enough content of that on the Instagram, and I can imply that we maybe get to see this content later in the episode, as this is just supposed to be a snippet. I am considering making this either a clip from the beginning or middle of the episode, and leaning more towards the beginning so I can put my title in the video. 

Anyway, we had a lot of fun filming this time, and I think that both of them gave really good answers for the interview portion. The only thing I am scared about is that I am pretty sure in Nat's interview, the microphone is visible because the weight of it make her jacket open. I don't really know how fix this, as I didn't even notice until I was watching the footage back and I was like...oopsies. 

In another post later today, I am going to show you guys pictures and videos from filming, as today was a lot of fun, honestly I would say more-so than last time, because both of my subjects are quite camera-shy, and it took a day of filming already to get used to it.

Update on Emma as well, she has not responded to me yet, or our close mutual friend, and at this point it is getting concerning. Our theories are probably either that she traveled without telling us, or that she got grounded...we shall see.

Group Meeting Feedback!

Hi blog! Today we had a thirty minute long discussion as a mini group, talking about our progress and giving each other feedback. 

Martina gave me the feedback to not focus so much on asking so many questions, as questions lead to other questions and that will take up too much time to sift through to edit, as I only have five minutes to showcase my documentary. I agree and think this is a good idea. 

Here is a picture from the four of us working on our blogs and talking!

I also got the advice to use a website called "Canva" to make my magazine spread. I have minor experience in using the app, and I think that it will be much easier than using Pages, which I was planning on using previously. I think I have possible ideas for the picture I want to try using for my magazine imagery, but I am not sure if it fits, so I am going to try and arrange a short photoshoot. 

Things to Remember: A Blog Post for Myself

Hi blog, this is just detailing some things I need to remember to do because my memory kind of sucks when I am stressed, and I want to lay everything out for myself to come back and reference. 

- ask Natalia for pictures and videos of her doing dance as a kid

- ask Nat for pictures and videos of her doing theatre as a kid

- finish and post the voiceover and decide if you want to actually include it or just use the audio from the interviews the entire time (play around in premiere)

- ask Santi if he would be willing to voice act for you (voiceovers) (because I hate talking haha)

- finish creating your logo for social media and post pictures/videos from the interviews and from the b-roll

- figure out which website you're going to use for your magazine spread (ask at group meetings)

- look into whether or not you want to use background music, and if so, try and find one that matches the pace...or just use the real audio since music was playing in the background for the most part

If I remember anything else I need to do, I will come back to this blog post and add more, but that's all for now!

New Editing Program!

Besides the fact that I am editing the videos I take on Adobe, I also was doing research and stumbling upon an editing app I used a long time ago that literally saved my life in middle school as a photographer without access to Photoshop. It used to be called Over when I used it, but now it's rebranded and called GoDaddy Studios!

This app is amazing, as you can edit text very easily over photos and videos, making captioning my interviewers super easy. Also, since I remember how to use the app, it will be much easier than trying to desperately figure out how to switch the font and color and size of the text in Adobe to be something I actually like. Last year, trying to even just put my title on the last frame was a major hassle that required the employed help of my friend. 

Scheduling: An Impossible Task

Okay blog, so since this week I am going to be away the entire week without Wi-Fi, I am scheduled to finish up shooting with Nat and Natalia next Friday! I am not worried about that, as the b-roll I got so far has been cool. 

I am really worried about my interview with Emma though, because she hasn't been responding the whole week. I think that I could definitely get enough material from just Nat and Natalia, and it might actually be easier, but I liked having that safety net of knowing I would definitely have enough content to pull from. 

Social Media: Final Touches

Hi blog! I finally picked out a name for my documentary! I decided on naming my doc (and the social media page) Courageous Creativity. I like the alliteration and I think that the tentative logo I have right now looks cool. I want to make it more interesting, though, and right now it is really bland. I am planning on finding a way to connect the two CCs and add paint splatters in the background.

I am planning on posting pictures teasing a the episode, as well as some clips of my interviews. I want to include hashtags in my postings so more people see the post. 

The social media page is @CourageousCreativityOFFICIL on Instagram. 

Filming Day One Footage!

Filming was good! Here is some footage of the long shots of Nat's performance practice.

Sadly, I didn't get everything I needed to film for their interviews, as recording b-roll took up a hefty portion of the time. I am planning on meeting up with them again after spring break in order to reshoot the interviews in a better way. 

A problem I ran into, though, was that the background was lowkey super ugly and the lighting was awful no matter how much I tried changing. I think that perhaps it would look better if I had access to a more professional camera, but sadly I do not. I think to combat this, I will have to cut out aspects of the frames that I do not think look good, and try to film again from angles that are more "artistic" to take away from the messy setup. 

Social Media Trouble...

So, it's been some time since I have last checked my social media, but since I now have footage and pictures to tease at, I figured now was the perfect time to finally start uploading again, and consistently!

Except...

My Twitter account is gone! I think it got suspended because I tried to make too many accounts on the same IP? I'm not really sure exactly how social media works and stuff, but I really don't know how to get it back. I have been reading a lot, though, that Twitter has been glitchy and weird ever since Elon Musk took it over, so that could very much be the reason why. Because also, when I tried to even make the account in the first place, it kept kicking me out and I had to retry over a span of multiple days like a total of thirty times. Soooo annoying. I think I'm just going to make an Instagram account at this point to be honest...now that I have a bunch of pictures anyway. But also, in literally like 4 hours I am not going to have access to the Internet for a week straight because I will be on a cruise. I hate social media, it's so stressful and I wish I was better at using it...

Until next time, blog...wish me luck!

Filming Day One!

Okay, today is filming day! Here's to a great day!

This is us! We decided to go out before filming but it was super duper bright outside...still, we had a lot of fun and explored a random high end mall.

This is Nat's outfit that she is going to dance in. Obviously, the sweater will be taken off and the jeans will be changed to shorts, but she likes to change in the studio.

This is Natalia's outfit! She really likes big clothes when dancing because she likes to be comfortable.

Cheers!

Filming Equipment!

Okay, so I don't have anything fancy like a professional camera or mic, but I figure that something is better than nothing. I wanted to show you guys the equipment I plan on using for my documentary!

Starting off, this is what I will be using to film. 

It's just my phone...and iPhone 12. Nothing too special about it. It has a pretty good camera!

Next, this is the microphone I am going to be using. I got it off Amazon.

I think that the best thing about it is that it's Bluetooth!

Lastly, my lighting equipment. Now we actually have two options:

One, my big giant lights that will be super hard to haul around, but will provide really good lighting. Or, two, a small ring-light that will be easy to transport but will provide mediocre light.

I think I'm going to go with the ring-light since it's easier to carry.

Until next time!

Filming Location Pictures!

Hey guys! I thought you might be interested to see where I am planning on filming with Nat and Natalia, so here are some pictures of the different places!

These are some pictures of the stage, which is where I think I will get some of the dancing footage for my b-roll, as it will be more cinematic. I am considering filming my interviews here, but I am concerned for the lack of lighting.

This is the practice room, where I will be filming b-roll of them practicing as well as possibly their interviews. 

Concerns (overthinking) for Filming Week

Hello blog! I just wanted to let you know some of my concerns and how I am going to overcome them. For one, I was just informed that I am not going to be in the country at all for the entirety of spring break, and I most likely will not have access to the Internet. This is stressful because, to be honest, I was going to use spring break as a week where I spent the time gathering all of the footage I needed if I couldn't get everything this week, and when I was most likely going to interview Emma because she is busy and has poor time management (and honestly, same). 

I think that even without Wi-Fi, I will most likely be able to still edit the footage I gather this week, but I worry about my blog updates. I am going to have to write and prepare my postings in advance, which means that the accuracy of how much progress I am actually making will be low. 

A way to remedy this that I was thinking of was perhaps writing down all of my progress offline and then posting more realistic updates the day that I get back. But I also worry that a bombardment of postings would seem unprofessional or rushed. Something else I was considering, then, was possibly just creating more postings the week after spring break, where I almost, like, catch up my readers with how things are going. 

I am also really concerned because I can not afford for my schedule to get messed up even in the slightest as everyone's availability (including mine) is so different from one another's. For my final last year in Media Studies AS level, my actors kept having to cancel or push back the filming day which was super stressful because the day that we finally did get together, I ended up hating all of the footage and the filming location, and even the script. It was just an insanely stressful time for everyone, and while I know this time will be different because it is just interviews and b-roll (which I enjoy filming), I am still worried about not liking anything I get and frantically trying to find the time to reshoot or rework my ideas. 

Can you tell I have anxiety? Anyway, wish me luck, and let me know if there's any advice you have to offer this humble overthinker. 

Possible Shot List!

Hi blog, hope all is well. To be honest, life has been a bit stressful lately, so I have been struggling to keep up with all of my school work and still find time to plan for my project. That is why today, I made sure to set aside time to try and give myself some ideas of shots that I could do for my b-roll. Let me know what you guys think!

1. Long shot of Nat and Natalia dancing in the studio

2. Close up of design ideas (Emma's sketchbook)

3. Close up of doing another person's makeup 

4. Extreme close up of brush on powder 

5. Close up of Nat and Natalia putting on kneepads to dance

6. Medium shot of Nat and Natalia adjusting music to dance to

7. Close up of sewing machine

8. Tracking around Nat or Natalia while they dance 

9. Over the shoulder shot of Emma fitting costume on someone else

10. POV shot of somebody drawing a complex bio

11. Long shot of Emma working on fashion

12. Parallel cutting of Nat and Natalia going through their daily routine but with their dance bag

13. Zoom into a close shot of flipping through the notebook (Emma's sketchbook)

14. Close up of Emma's materials for costuming

15. Shots of Emma's older works (zombie makeup, Santi's Cloud costume)

16. Inserted video of older videos of Nat and Natalia's prior dance performances

17. Long shot of Nat and Natalia stretching together before dancing

18. Medium shot of opening/sending/writing for college apps

19. Long shot of Nat and Natalia messing up and laughing together (if it happens)

Print Component Research

My target audience is going to be younger individuals and artists, so because of this, I would love to incorporate pops of color and intriguing shots into my magazine spread. Also, I think playing around with the formatting to make the text look less intimidating would also benefit my viewers who are younger and most likely have stunted attention spans (no offense, because me too).

Although these are three magazines that are not really about documentaries or anything traditionally educational, I realized that I really like the style that the creators were going for. One magazine cover features a celebrity, and I wanted to take that inspiration perhaps with one of my subjects instead. I think the idea of the focal point of the page (besides the word content) being one individual makes it easier for the reader to digest and become initially intrigued. 

These were all examples that I found to be the most visually appealing, with colors that demand attention without too much distraction. Everything is interesting and cohesive looking. The content features issue and topics from pop culture, and I figure that it would be fun to parody that aspect of magazines in mine by talking about one of my subjects in a satirical, "click-baiting" sort of way. 

My favorite part about the last example which I found to be heavily inspiring is probably the fact that the text was altered to become a part of the visual imagery as well. The gaps in the text act as a representation for the veil of the dress, but is subtle enough that the reader would have to pay attention somewhat to catch that detail.

Shooting Schedule! (Tentatively)

Hi! So, big news, I have talked to my subjects that I want to interview and gotten set dates and locations (for the most part)! I decided on focusing on my interviews with Emma, Nat, and Natalia, as they are very easy access candidates and I feel most comfortable with them. Also, I think that the dynamic between Nat and Natalia could be very interesting and dynamic, and an easy way to have two subjects interacting. Also, it would be fun to do a photoshoot with them dancing for the magazine spread that I need to complete in the future. I would really love to interview Gian Franco as well, but I understand that he is very, very busy and that this might not be possible. He's involved in, like, three different plays so we shall see.

Anyway, I am planning on filming my interviews and b-roll with Nat and Natalia this week on Friday, March 17, as there is no school and the dance room that they use will be open for use. The time will be either early in the morning or later in the afternoon, depending on when we can reserve the room for about an hour without anyone else bothering us.

As for Emma, I think that I am going to get a quick interview with her this week and see if there's any b-roll I can get in her studio. This is tentatively going to be on Wednesday, the 15th, after school; if not, then Thursday, the 16th, after school since it's early release. If this doesn't work out, I will find a way to interview her over spring break. I am not too worried about rushing to interview her because I think that I will get more than enough footage to edit and play around with from my other two subjects, but I think it would be pretty interesting and I would like it just for myself.

My questions are pretty much finalized, so I think I am just going to figure out an idea of a shot list, which I will be posting later in the week. Until next time!

Social Media Creation!

Hi blog! I decided that I want to market on Twitter instead of Instagram because I felt that not all of my posts would include pictures. Also, a lot of artists use Twitter and there is a large population of the LGBTQ+ community on this site.

I am going to create a new account using my school email. My only concern is that I am not quite set on a particular name yet, so this forces me to settle down on a name faster than I am perhaps ready for. I mean, last year I literally waited until I was editing my excerpt to settle down on a name because I was so indecisive. I often feel like a proper title will only fall into place once a lot of the process is complete, because you never really know which way your piece can take until it actually happens. Anyway, I will be using a placeholder name for now and then updating it to its complete name by next week. 

Here are some possible names for my documentary:

• Beauty of the Beholder
• Courageous Creativity
• Art is Free
• Harmonious Inspiration

Wow, can you tell I like alliteration or what? 

Documentary Questions!

I wanted to start brainstorming some of the questions for my documentary! I am going to be taking a lot of inspiration from an old project I did where the premise of the documentary was very similar. My goal of this documentary series is to show how different individuals find beauty in various art forms. It should illustrate their journey towards their passion and why they love it, how it makes them feel, and if they see it as a crucial part of their life/sense of self. 

I want to show that art is not a waste of time, despite society deeming it so and preventing many people from making a living out of it (pushing the idea of starving artists). My particular excerpt will be from an episode focusing on performance art!

Possible Questions: 

• How did you learn about (insert art form)?

• What do you like most about the art you produce?

• Do you plan to take this into your adult life/make a profit out of it?

• How do you view art versus how do you think the world views art?

• Do you want to pursue a career in art? Why or why not?

• Do you think that, objectively, art is a waste of time in the society we live in?

• How has being queer impacted your experience with art?

• Has your community of art been accepting of your identity?

So far, these are the questions I plan to ask besides the basic "Please state your name and spell it." and "What is your occupation?"

Outline/Planning for my Documentary

Okay, so tentatively I want to interview either Nat or Natalia to hear about dance and creative writing, and I definitely want to interview Emma so I can hear about her costume design and makeup art. I am not sure about about my last subject but I am considering it to be Gian Franco. This way, I can kind of focus more on performance art for the "episode."

Anyway, if I decide to take that route, then I would probably ask questions regarding when/how they starting their art and their sexuality, and how they knew what they were and how art has helped them (or hurt them) with the process of self-acceptance. 

My b-roll for Nat would be her dancing for an upcoming performance she has. My b-roll for Natalia would be her dancing for the same upcoming performance. My b-roll for Emma would be her working on costume design as well as doing stage make-up on someone. For Gian Franco, I would record him in rehearsal for his upcoming show. I would probably also record their interviews in the places that are most relevant for them; for example, the dance studio, the theatre room, and the design studio.