Thursday, April 13, 2023

Critical Reflection

My documentary package, Courageous Creativity, focuses on queer artists. I did a lot of research in and out of class in order to create my products. For the most part, I stuck with all of the same conventions as normal documentary and magazine layouts, including b-roll and indirect interviews. A convention I challenged, though, was that 34- to 54-year-olds were the most likely to watch documentaries regularly, while 16- to 24-year-olds were the least likely, and yet young people are my target audience. My lack of knowledge regarding documentaries was remedied with the lessons we had in class, watching various documentaries during class time as well as for homework. These all varied in terms of content and techniques, yet all were connected by one thing: having a concrete intended message. I knew right away that more than anything, my documentary had to be informative but also serve a greater purpose. In class and also just from consuming documentaries on my own, I knew that interviews were the focal point in most documentaries. Since I didn’t rely heavily on voiceovers throughout the planning process, I wanted a natural and concrete way of expressing and emphasizing certain points that our subjects would want to fully flesh out. My research with magazines showed that the process of creating one is very tedious; for example, you must remember specifics such as keeping the background white and continuing your text with columns that run vertically. It was also important to present all of my information about my doc in a professional, non-biased way, and focus more on the behind the scenes rather than the content at face value.

My target audience is queer artists ages 16-30, although I think that my documentary can impact anyone of any age. On my social media page, there are multiple hashtags that reach out to potential viewers, as well as artistic challenges for them to engage in. I also believe that speaking directly to an audience is the best way to make them feel directly involved in the process, which is why I also asked them which questions they would like to see asked in future episodes, or what types of interview subjects they would be interested in watching. I also think that a give-away of art supplies as well as a charity stream where the viewers can directly ask questions to the creator and “stars” creates a connection with viewers that feels more personal. As for my magazine, there is a Q&A with the “creator” (me) where I explain my purpose and motives for creating the docu-series. It is easier to engage with a piece of media when the message behind it is clearly stated. 

My blog is where I feel I can be most connected with my viewers, as there is no expectation of true professionalism or fear of discussing taboos. I express my hardships and doubts while creating every product, as well as how they changed and grew naturally throughout the complete process. There are also a multitude of blog posts where I ask for suggestions or input to help better my products; creating a humble persona also aids in developing a lax and comfortable branding. My documentary footage also had genuine and heartfelt clips that furthered this. 

The specific elements of my production work together to create a sense of a relaxed and fun atmosphere, with elements of creativity scattered throughout. The main takeaway from my branding is to be able to discuss art in a peaceful and comfortable setting. Although I am not the best filmmaker, I tried very hard to create a brand centered around calming, light colors through how I designed my magazine as well as my logo and social media page. I initially chose my social media page to be on Twitter, but due to technical issues, I went with Instagram. I am actually glad it turned out this way because I think that Instagram is a better fit for my overall branding. Younger people tend to use this app, and many artists rely on the algorithm and overall layout of the app to publish their work. Everything has clear cohesion, and I would like to believe that it all looks like it was created/inspired by a single company. I am particularly proud of my photoshoots for my magazine, as I think they were very engaging and professional, but also had a silly and friendly vibe, since my subjects were laughing together. 

The conclusive feel of my products lean more towards lightheartedness, which I represented in my documentary excerpt through font, color choice, soft music, and funny clips. Although there are moments that can be serious, I think there is a consistent relaxing and comforting feeling. For example, my interviewees make jokes and there are frequent cuts from their interviews to them dancing and laughing.

While the aim is to feel relaxed, my documentary still works to target social issues surrounding gender identity and sexuality, with a specific emphasis on art. My interview subjects are all queer, and in my excerpt, both are gender non-conforming as well as female. As someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community myself, I thought it was very important to delve into a topic that I personally experience and find important to share. I have found that it is somewhat of a stereotype to be artistically inclined and “gay,” so I wanted to showcase why this is most often the case. My subjects explain that art (specifically performance art) gives them the opportunity to express themselves in ways that are dangerous or taboo when not under the sphere of art. Building a community that also shares common interests can quite literally be the determining factor of someone’s happiness. People of the queer community tend to be more isolated from their peers, and are at a higher risk of being ostracized due to political or religious beliefs. Similarly, art and creativity in general is not often pursued as a result of stigmas; most people tend to think that art is a waste of time, and that there is no value in pursuing art. It is for this reason that I think those who feel at a distance from their peers tend to gravitate towards choosing to express themselves through art. “Art kids” tend to be labeled as weird, wacky, and quirky, so I tried really hard to present my subjects as down to Earth to demonstrate that not only is this not always true, but also that there’s nothing wrong with viewing the world from a unique perspective.

Thank you for sticking with me through my last project as a high schooler!!

Sunday, April 9, 2023

Okay, I Lied...

I totally know what to do for my social media now. I don't have to be that silly or funny or anything like that, but instead I can do other things to engage with my viewers. Here are my ideas:

- ask followers which questions they would like to see asked in future episodes, or what types of interview subjects they would be interested in watching
- a give-away of art supplies
- a charity stream where the viewers can directly ask questions to the creator and “stars” creates a connection with viewers that feels more personal

Here is my link!! Courageous Creativity Insta

Friday, April 7, 2023

Content for my Social Media

Okay, so I am kind of freaking out. I was looking at some of my peers' social media accounts, and realizing that mine is literally super boring in comparison.  


This is a classmate using Internet slang and memes to reel in viewers or possibly go viral. That's super smart! I didn't even think about doing that. I also know of another group that is using TikTok challenges to try and promote their work.

The thing about me, though, is that I am really boring and rarely post on or use social media, so all of my posts are literally just normal sneak peeks and video clips. I worry about changing this up, though, because I am not sure if this would be appreciated by my target audience, even though they are young people, because I am doing a documentary and not a short film...I think that instead, I am going to create a content where viewers can submit questions they want to see asked on the next episode of Courageous Creativity. Or, I could probably also post an art challenge as well. I will ask everyone what they think on Monday. 

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Editing!

Hi! So, since starting editing, I realized something slightly scary, which was that my b-roll is lowkey kind of boring. Like, it makes sense when you realize that this is only supposed to be like a quick snapshot from the whole episode, but the lack of varied backgrounds or "cool" shots is concerning me because I want it to be entertaining for the class. I think that it was really scary last year to try and piece something together with my limited knowledge and have it come out looking way worse and different than I imagined. I talked to my classmate Joey and asked him if he had any advice, and he basically just told me that I should use the color correcting tool to make the shots look more professional, and that I should crop the interview scenes so that it's not so...boring, I guess?


I have been watching tutorials and while it looks confusing at first, it's not that bad. Besides that, I am done cutting down my interviews so that the only content in my saved videos files is usable (for the most part) footage. Besides a quick cut here or there, I think I have the bulk of the work done for the main part of editing, and I just need to add the little text over.

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/color-workflows.html

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Final Magazine Spread!

Okay, so I showed my teacher my magazine and she liked it besides a few critiques here and there, such as the background needing to be white and to keep it more professional, which I fixed up. Here was my first attempt:

I had the switch the Q&A from interviewing my subjects to interviewing me, the creator, which I agree didn't make much sense. I also switched up some formatting issues. Here is my new and improved magazine!



P.S. Guys, LOL, I almost forgot that page numbers go on opposite sides of their respective page and had to go check my bookshelf.



Monday, April 3, 2023

Creating My Magazine Spread!

Hi blog! I'm actually pretty worried about this aspect, because I have never really created a magazine spread before. Believe it or not by my poorly done shots, I am actually a photographer, so I am excited about the aspect of getting photos...not so much as for the actual arranging of images and words. Individually, I am good at both writing and photography, but mixing it together...I am a little worried. Regardless, I will try my best!

Anyway, I started by going on Canva, and looking at the already established samples and templates for my magazine. Here are some of them. 


I decided to work with the first one, as I think it feels a bit more modern, which is perfect for my audience of young artists.

I also had a photoshoot in which I took pictures of Nat and Natalia together, and here is a look at those!



Considering I also have pictures of them separately that I took, I am wondering about whether or not I am going to include those. Right now, I have most of the text done, and I focused on mostly their relationships with dance and included direct quotes from them. 

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Social Media Posting Ideas/Update

Hi guys! I finally set aside a day where I just went ham with creating a new logo because I hated the old one. This is my process! ~


This was the first idea I had for a new logo. I tried to connect the flag to the CC's but I hated how it looked.


After that, I decided to try and change the font and color of the text to see if that made anything better, but I really don't think that it did to be honest. It looks pretty wacky here. 


At this point, I realized that I couldn't really use the old logo because it was too hard to integrate with the letters. I figured that using a different version of the rainbow and making the two letters two different colors would be more interesting, as well as adding shadows, but I thought it made it way too difficult to read and understand. 


To try and combat this, I decided to move down the CC's and turn up the shadow opacity, But something still felt off. I then asked around and got the advice to fill in the letters so they were easier to read. 


I then finally finished with this logo, which I like! I might change it to color match the letters with the rainbow, but I think it looks good for where it's at right now!


Anyway, my social media page is going well, and I plan on posting more soon! I want to ask my classmates if they have any ideas for what I can do to make it more interesting, like maybe making a challenge to bring in more viewers or maybe creating a website to link? I think it's more difficult when you're making a documentary...anyway, talk to you tomorrow!

Critical Reflection

My documentary package, Courageous Creativity, focuses on queer artists. I did a lot of research in and out of class in order to create my p...