Group Meeting

  Hey blog, today I participated in my first group meeting based on this project!

  My group was Keira, Sabrina, Nethumi, John, and myself. Keira, John, and I are doing a short film. Nethumi is doing a documentary. Sabrina is doing the trailer component.

Lovelies

  Keira shared a funny story with us that she named her characters by asking her cast what they were almost named. I would love to do this in the future. She also shared that she gets her music from Uppbeat. I will for sure be looking into this as I may need to find an alternative music source for my blooper reel. 

  I went next and had people critique my story and key art ideas. John recommended that I add a shot of the windows being open with it being dark out after Sofia wakes up from falling asleep. I think this is a good idea and will be trying this out. He also recommended that the key art I use for the postcard is the one I planned to use which is shot when Sofia opens the door and realizes it is a night out.

  When Sabrina went she shared how she feared her trailers may feel too much like a film opener. I have had a similar feeling about my short film. I fear that when Sofia opens the door it feels like the climax of the film and that there is no falling action. However, I could interpret the alarm ringing after Sofia falls asleep as being the climax. This would make her study portions of the rising action and the preparing to go to school portion as the falling action. So maybe there are two climax portions? This is not exactly how a story should be portrayed, but hey I am being unique?

In My Editing Era

 Day One:

  Hey blog, I called Warner Music and was sent to voicemail. I left a voicemail and learned their hours are till six pm / nine pm eastern time. I will be calling after school today, so I have to call within their available time period! Hopefully, I call and get some good news, meaning I can use "Cold Cold Man" by Saint Motel. 

Editing:

  I have been editing since I filmed. I have mainly been working on getting my film within the time frame. I have made it within the recommended 5-5:45 time frame!

Speed:

  I found out how to speed up clips on iMovie over break! This saved my mental health as I was way over time before speeding up many clips. I still have to play around with this editing tool as I have made some clips too fast-paced. 

Storyline:

  I am having a bit of trouble with my storyline. The first scene up until where Sofia leaves the room is in my opinion great! Then she goes downstairs, into the kitchen, and then leaves it. This is where the chaos begins. 

Prior to Choas

I filmed a panning shot of her walking into the next room, and it is just a bad shot.

Where Did She Go

My photos will not upload. This is not a full post yet I hit upload... My brain is tired, goodnight blog :(

A few days later...

  Hey, blog it is now Thursday, I had a busy beginning of the week trying to get ahead in my other classes so that this weekend I can spend a lot of time on this project! I called Warner Music during their hours and the lady I talked to briefly directed me to email a different Warner email than the one I originally did. This call and email were done on Tuesday. I have not received an email back yet, so I may just have to find a royalty-free option for my blooper reel since I plan to create it this weekend.

  Today I participated in my first group meeting based on this project (I missed the first one or two) I will blog about this separately. 

I Have A Post

  Hey blog, today I posted on the Unaware Instagram page! Before I show you the post let me share some background information.

Social Media:

  In yesterday's blog I shared with you the posting information for two of the posts I have planned. Here is the information for the other two!

  Post One - Grace the Creator

I in a photo from years ago

 Q&A in the caption -

What is your favorite coming-of-age film?

   My Girl

Why did you decide to create this short film?

  My past creations include works mainly in the psychological thriller genre. I wanted to expand my horizons as I created this piece that relates to what I am currently dealing with near the end of Junior year.

What have you learned about the cinema by creating this?

  I have experienced more whilst editing such as when I have sped up clips or altered the lightning.

Post Four - Laura the Voice

Plays the role of the unnamed parent and is my lovely mother

  Q&A in the caption -

What is your favorite coming-of-age movie?

 The Breakfast Club

Did you have acting experience before this role?

  I played Patti in the film opener for "Can You Help Me" created by my daughter and her friend Julie. 

Why should people watch the film?

  People can relate to this comedic coming-of-age short film even if they are not currently in high school preparing for the SAT.

The First Post:

  As you can see in the screenshot I also chose a profile picture! The bio will likely change once I come up with something creative.

Editing:

  I edit a good amount today, but this deserves a post of its own so I will do this tomorrow. I discovered an incredible tool, stay tuned! 

 Moving Foward:

  I will continue to edit. I need to find a font for my title sequence.

  I will begin working on my postcard.

  I will continue to post on social media.

  I will call Warner music and hopefully report back that I have a blooper reel song!

Home Sweet Home

  Hey blog, I arrived home from Atlanta today! My flight was delayed over an hour and then once it arrived at my local airport we sat on the tarmac for over thirty minutes waiting for a gate to open. I arrived home later than expected so I lack updates.

Social Media:

  

  However, whilst on the plane, I was thinking about posts I could put on the Unaware social media account. I decided on four posts each highlighting a different person. Each post will have a photo of the person and in the caption, there will be text with questions relating to each person's role in the creation of my short film. These answers will be on the shorter side to promote that the text gets read by my teen target audience who often have short attention spans.

Post One - Grace the Creator 

  I will share information on this post tomorrow.

Post Two - Ale the Singer

The creator of "When Do I Stop"

 Q&A in the caption -

What is your favorite coming-of-age movie?

  10 Things I Hate About You

How long have you been writing music?

  I've been writing songs since I was little, but I didn't really get into it until around 8th grade. This is my first song in a while and I'm really proud of how it turned out!

What inspired you to write this song?

  The feeling of stressing out and working yourself to the bone just trying to meet everyone else's standards and expectations. Just basically what school tends to do to a lot of us.

Post Three - Paola the Lead

Plays the role of Sofia

 Q&A in the caption -

What is your favorite coming-of-age movie?

  Little Women

Did you have acting experience prior to this role?

  I have played short roles in other student-made films in the past and have been part of the ensemble for musicals in school when I was a child.

What have you learned about the film from partaking in this role? 

  It is a thorough and creative process. It is satisfying to see the end result.

Post Four - Laura the Voice

  I will share information on this post tomorrow.

Music:

Due to the day spent at the airport with a late arrival home, I did not contact Warner music about gaining licensing. I will hopefully do this on Monday. 

Moving Foward:

  I will create these social media posts and come up with more ideas.

  I will continue to edit my short film and find music for the gym scene

  I will work on my postcard.

Counting Stars

  Hi blog a March Madness basketball game is currently playing on my hotel room tv and the band at the game started playing "Counting Stars" by One Republic so that is tonight's blog title.

Music Update:

  My good friend Ale wrote a song for my short film Unaware. This song is titled "When Do I Stop" and I think it perfectly encapsulates how I imagine Sofia feels. I informed my friend about how bad my luck so far in finding music for my film and she decided to create a song for it. I am very thankful for Ale a fellow AICE Media Studies student. Since I am using the first option of ending a portion of the song will be heard as Sofia closes the door.

When Do I Stop by Ale Aldana

  I have not inserted the song into iMovie yet as I got home from my day in Atlanta and began feeling unwell. Today I hiked ten thousand steps down a mountain path that I thought would be shorter than it was so I was unprepared wearing jeans and the wrong shoes. I could feel every rock I stepped on. Also, I was not wearing sunscreen so I am burnt. Wear your sunscreen everyone!

  I did not yet call Warner music in regards to learning how I can gain the right to use the song "Cold Cold Man" by Saint Motel in my blooper reel. I will call the group tomorrow. My apologies for the lack of updates, I will be home tomorrow and will hopefully be able to provide more updates!

Moving Foward:

  I will insert the song into my short film as I continue the editing process.

  I need to work on my postcard and social media portions.

Wifi Please Work

  Hello blog, I am currently in Georgia with bad wifi. 

  As the title said I have been having some wifi issues with the wifi constantly going in and out as I try to edit so my progress has been slow.

Wifi Down

Editing:

  Currently, I have been focused on editing my short film "unaware" I for sure shot more footage than expected. I have decided to use the ending one which I mentioned in a few blog postings. This means my short film ends when Sofia goes outside and realizes it is the morning. This is not ideal, but everything will work out. The currently edited version is over five minutes and forty-five seconds which also is not ideal, but this is just an early version. 

Spotify Playlist:

  I am a frequent listener to music as are many of my fellow Gen Z members, As Gen Z we have access to a lot of music from both the past and present, I am a Spotify user so I created my playlist which focuses on present music. This music encapsulates the anxious feeling of being unaware and not set on your future. I might add a few more songs to the playlist, but I have it linked if you want to take a listen. You may notice that two of the songs I was interested in using, "Always Get This Way" by The Aces and "In My Mind" by Lyn Lapid are on this playlist. If only I received a response from either song's creators...

Link to Spotify

 

Blooper Reel:

  I will be creating a blooper reel for my short film which I will post on the social media accounts. I was hoping to use the song "Cold Cold Man" by Saint Motel, during the video. I emailed the company that owns the rights and received a response with a phone number I can call for more information. I will be calling this number tomorrow! Let's hope I have good news to share with you all tomorrow.

  If they allow me to use this song for my blooper reel I may also ask if I could use the beginning portion of it during my film as the phone alarm!

Moving Foward:

  I need to work on my postcard as I know which photos I will use as the image on it!

  I need to decide what fonts to use for my film

  I need to post on social media!!!

  I need to find music to use in my short film!

  I will continue editing my short film and blooper reel.

Filming Done

  Hey blog, I was able to film everything today! I picked up my lead Paola around 7. We were able to film at my house from 7-10:30ish and then brought her back to her house.

Film Name/Social Media:

  I have decided on the shortfilm title "unaware" since my character is unaware that it is not actually the morning of the SAT.

  Since I decided on the name I was able to create the Instagram account for the short film!

Vlog:

  I did vlog but only a minimal amount. I did however gain many bloopers. I am going to create a blooper reel. Since my film is a comedic coming of age I believe this would fit the genre well and I would post it on our Instagram social media platform.

Lighting Troubles:

  We decided to reshoot everything thinking that I could use my ring light, however; unknown to me my ring light was dead. So the lighting still does not look great, but I will alter this whilst editing. Luckily, the lightning for the downstairs scenes is much better as now the audience is able to tell it is night since the lightning from the few un closeable windows in my house no longer appears.

Moving Foward:

  I need to look for music as I never received a response from the people I contacted regarding two songs "Always Get This Way" by The Aces and "In My Mind" by Lyn Lapid. 

 I will begin to edit my blooper reel and short film.

 I will create a logo for my social media account.

Filming Potential

  Hey, blog, I began filming today and it did not go as expected. You may remember when this occurred with my final last year. 

  It took me a long time to set up the shots. The tripod, in my opinion, was very unstable. I kept having to put my foot on it to keep it stable. Also, when I filmed using the camera rig it was still shaky footage since I have naturally shaky hands. I will be borrowing Paola's dad's tripod tomorrow in hopes that this will hold a non-shaky camera.

  My cast member Paola arrived at 3:45 with a planned 4 start. 

  We filmed the first few scenes where the girl is in her room studying, but it was hard to get a good camera angle where the outside light coming in through the shutter windows was not visible

  When we went to film the workout scenes there was no way to make it appear to be night since it was bright out and the location has white curtains. We waited from 5:30-7:30 and the sun finally set so we were able to film the workout scenes. My lead cast member left at 8:30 so I was unable to get filming done today.

  The footage itself looks grainy. I should have used the 4k setting on my phone, but I completely forgot about it until I was midway through filming the first scene. I decided not to reshoot thinking it would be okay, but looking back I should have restarted.

   I will be refilming tomorrow from 7-10 meaning the sun will be down and I can gain more shots without having to use weird angles to make it look dark.    I should have bought blackout curtains to make it appear dark outside. I

  Since we were able to shoot a decent amount of footage today I believe the first few scenes I will be able to film quickly as I know the directions I will be giving to my cast member and the shots I will be shooting. 

Editing:

 I gained over five minutes of footage today so I decided to edit it and I see the potential. From editing, I can see a few shots, such as the one where she gets her AirPods and one where she gets her phone, could be cut. This is good since I am currently over the length of the short film is supposed to be and I still have a good portion to film. I hope tomorrow my hands are not as shaky tomorrow as they were today because my still shots are not still. 

Edits So Far

How to Shoot Better Tomorrow:

  After editing I typed a bunch of critiques as to how I can improve my directing and cinematography for tomorrow. I also have a few notes for the cast which I will inform them of tomorrow.

Critique List 

  I will be vlogging tomorrow so stay tuned!

Just Kidding

   Hey blog, I did in fact prepare for filming day yesterday and blog about how I was going to film today. Well... instead I woke up today and felt like I was being stabbed and slept all day in pain. So no filming today. Luckily I will be able to film tomorrow and if the needed film on Monday as well. This slight delay should not cause any problems as I will have Monday to begin editing.

  I will keep thinking about what to title my short film and will update once I have a title selected. 

  Update I am leaning towards either the title unaware or indecisive. Are these boring choices for a title? In my opinion yes. I will continue to think.

Moving Foward:

  Hopefully, I feel able and can stand without being in pain tomorrow to film!

Mise-en-scene

   Hey, blog today is a significant day. First off today starts Taylor Swifts Era Tour and I am feeling some major FOMO (fear of missing out) as I sit in bed scrolling through Tik Tok and see everyone's fits. More importantly, tomorrow is filming day for my still-to-be-titled short film!

Equipment Updates:

  Both the tripod and phone rig I ordered arrived today! I am grateful they got here on time to be used.

Costuming:

  Paola my lead will have a few fit changes. First, she will be wearing pajamas, then a workout fit, then her school clothes. I created a mood board with fits I gained inspiration. Since Sofie is indecisive, like me, she has a lot of clothes. She has many different college t-shirts in her closet, which I was able to order from Amazon and Target. 

Paola is Wearing:

  PJ pants and a shirt

  Leggings, my pink workout shirt, Skechers workout shoes

  Jeans, my Harry Styles t-shirt, sneakers

    

Makeup:

  I am a lover of makeup and have drawers full of makeup. Luckily recently my best friend, Paola who is the lead in the film, and I went to the Ulta store as Paola is starting to become a fan of makeup so she has makeup! 

  The makeup look I am going to wear is going to be the makeup look that is popular currently the clean girl look. This look is very glowy and glossy. 

Outfit/Makeup Inspo

Set/Props:

  The Set of my short film is my home, mainly my room. My room is naturally a very messy space. I believe it fits the character, Sofie's stress well. She places more focus on stressing about the SAT than on living in a clean space. Here are pictures of the sets. The props are the items placed on my desk except add my laptop and the papers will be more scattered around and have writing on them. 

Room Desk

Closet

Bathroom

Stairs

Kitchen

Turtle Tank

Workout Area

Moving Foward:

  I am hoping that while filming tomorrow an idea for my short film title hits me in the head.

  Post-filming as I am on my Georgia spring break trip I will be editing.

  Once I have a title and a feel for the shots I like I will create the Instagram and plan out my postcard!

  I have no music updates, this is really painful to say. Music will have to be added in afterward to my shortfilm and this is okay, I will work everything out.

I have just discovered this is my fiftieth blog post, how exciting!!

Film Preparation

   Hey blog, it is almost time to film! The bad thing is that I am not going to be able to use my own phone to film because I am unable to access my cloud account. I will hopefully be getting access back on the 18th at night which is filming day... so that will not work. I will be filming using my dad's iPhone 11 which is the same phone I have so that is not too bad.

Apple message stating when I can get my account back

Materials Using:

  My Dad's iPhone 11

  Tripod

  My friend Paola, who is the lead in the film, offered to bring this and allow me to use it!

  Ringlight which clips to my phone

Ordered:

 I ordered from Amazon another trippod and a phone rig today. I have very shakey hands so these both will be used to keep my shots stable when they are and are not hand held shots!

  Both items are supposed to be here tomorrow so I will update you all tomorrow!

  I also ordered college shirts from both Target and Amazon that are props in my film. I'll hang these up in my closet tomorrow when I am cleaning my room and will share what they look like!

Music Madness:

  As expected, I did not receive a response back from either song creator/owner. I really wanted to have music with lyrics, but based on the current situation it seems this is not going to be what the end result includes. I have been looking for copyright-free music. At first, I thought I would use music in the public domain, but this seems complex. 

  My friend Ale who is an AICE Media AS student currently saw my Snapchat post about how I have to have a song by Saturday and she showed some interest in maybe creating lyrics for a song.

  I personally have written a few written songs, but all weird love songs. None of my creations match the vibe I was going for, but if I have time during school today (I am writing this Thursday at midnight) I will try and write up some lyrics.

  My brother, who created the instrumental song used in my last year's AICE Media Studies project is currently home for spring break. Could I convince him to create the instrumental if my friend is able to write a song? Maybe

  If I end up doing the create your own song it seems I am going to be the singer which I am not thrilled about, but it is what it is.

Moving Foward:

  I will share pictures of my sets tomorrow!

  I have given a name to my character, Sofia, but not to the film- 

  I need to figure out what my lead is going to wear for Saturday!

  I need to create the social media and print aspects!

Oscar's Scripting

   Happy Oscar's night from me to you whilst I sit on my couch watching the Oscars. 

Script Update:

  The majority of my script is written! I reviewed a website I referenced below to refresh my mind on how to write a proper script. My script is not as detailed as I wish it was. The first portion is much more developed, I still need to work on the second.

  It is almost five pages long. I am assuming one page equals one minute so I currently am a little under five minutes. I may be adding a scene. This would be a dream sequence that would occur between the girl falling asleep for the first time and waking up. I am unsure if I will actually be doing this.

 Also, I am sure there is a better way to inset the script so that you all can view the PDF easier. However, I do not know this way. I listed the link below in case you are interested in checking it out!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F7lEh5IdeoTxSOMfbjOhd_hWpfEf8BC9AyY00hwZ3nE/edit?usp=sharing 

 

Moving Foward:

  I am filming this Saturday!

  I need to plan out my miss-en-scene. This includes figuring out what my cast member, Paola, is going to wear since there are a few different outfits in this film. I also need to figure out how I am going to change up my room. I think I am going to try and have decor from a variety of colleges.

 Source:

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/how-to-write-a-screenplay/ 

APA Reference:

Lannom, S. C., SC Lannom SC Lannom is a screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. He works a, & SC Lannom is a screenwriter and director living in Los Angeles. He works as a writer. (2021, March 17). How to write a better screenplay. StudioBinder. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/how-to-write-a-screenplay/

Do You or Do You Not Feel Bonita?

   Hey, blog, today was supposed to be my second SAT day and instead I woke up and got sick so I did not end up going to take it. This really did not make me feel bonita. If you don't know that TikTok reference (which I just found out is originally from Family Guy the tv show) it means I did not feel pretty. I was very unaccomplished today as I felt unwell. Tomorrow I will be formatting my script in a more organized manner and hopefully can share that with you all tomorrow.

Filming Update:

  I am set for filming either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday this week which is great! I wanted to be completed with filming before I possibly go on spring break vacation Tuesday so this is good news.

Music Update:

 Sadly as expected, I have not received an email back from Red Bull Records regarding song licensing. I emailed them over a week ago so I am slightly upset. Last year, as you may know, my licensing request was pretty much rejected, but to me, this is better than not hearing back at all. I decided to dm the band The Aces on social media on Thursday, but have not heard back from them. Due to this, I decided I would reach out to Republic Records which owns the rights to the song "In My Mind" by Lyn Lapid. This was my second choice song. I emailed Republic Records yesterday and sent it a license request! I received an email back stating that "A team member will be in touch with you within 24 hours." The email was sent to me at 12pm which has passed today. I am hoping that maybe the email meant "A team member will be in touch with you within 24 hours on a business day." and I will receive an email Monday. On Monday if I do not receive a response I will reach out to Lyn Lapid on social media.

The dm

  So I lack progress on the music aspect, but my brother (who created the music for my production last year) is home for spring break so it is possible I could ask him to create something for my short film. My brother typically creates instrumental pieces. I was hoping to use something with vocals included in it. I am a terrible songwriter so I am not sure if it would work if I wrote and recorded a song to which then he adds instruments. Likely not, but this may be my last resort as I am kind of giving up on contacting record labels. I may try to find a song from an artist who is not signed to a record label because maybe I could reach out to that artist individually and gain the rights. 

Moving Foward:

  Tomorrow I will share my script with you all.

  Next week I will blog about miss en scene and filming.

  The following week I will be editing.

  I still have to create the social media account and print aspect. I really need a title!

Print Perspective

  Hey blog, my second SAT is tomorrow and hopefully is the last SAT I have to take. Today I will introduce my project's print aspect. For my project, I have to create a postcard advertisement that I would use to distribute at short film festivals. 

What is a postcard advertisement:

  A postcard advertisement is used by short film creators to promote their films when they attend short film festivals. Short film festivals are busy and exciting places. The postcard advertisement should be attractive as the festival creators are competing to gain the interest of film festival goers. On the postcard advertisement, there should be key art, the title of the film in large print, the director's name, information regarding how to access the film's social media, and information regarding screenings of the film

Student Example:

Front

Back

How This Helps:

  This postcard was created last year by a student who created a shortfilm relating to someone dealing with the fear of change. I really love the usage of color in this postcard. I also love the title of the film being displayed through a prop. The key art used here is similar to what I plan to use in that they are shots from the film. Unlike this postcard, I am going to include my character in the postcard. This postcard is simple, but I believe it would be effective if given to their target audience which was females in generation z.  In class, my teacher showed us a postcard that included its social media pages via QR. At first, I thought this was going to be the method I used to display my social media. However, after seeing this example I have decided I am likely going to just include the social media logos and names as I think it is more appealing to the eye. This postcard does not include the director's name. I will be including the director's name as well as the lead's name since my short film consists of visually a cast of one.

"Houston, we have a problem":

My Bad

  Mid blog hey blog (how unusual of me) I just got back from seeing a production of Legally Blonde which some of my AICE Media Studies peers were in and were great in. Last year while creating my media marketing project (linked here) I had to screenshot the merchandise I created on my computer and then edit out the background portions. I discovered the website Pixlr X which allowed me to crop the photos. This claims to be "free image editing online." Tonight I discovered this is in fact inaccurate as I went to edit my fourth photo and this beauty popped up on the screen. Well well well... not so "free" after all. My apologies for the screenshots of the website used below. I will figure out a way to crop my photos without using this website. I am sure there is a way on my computer itself. but for now, this will have to work.

Professional Example:

Front

Back

How This Helps:

  This postcard only has key art on the front. I believe I will be having key art on both the front and back, but it was good to see that this is not always the case. The key art on the front is an engaging shot that makes audiences question who the photographed person is and want to watch the film to find out this information. I really like the title font on this. I will likely add the title to the photograph like in this postcard and will not have the title in the shot like on the first postcard. I like the fact that it included what awards it was nominated for at certain film festivals. However, since my postcard is used for promotion I will not be using this idea. I also enjoy how this film was planned to be distributed at multiple film festivals so multiple locations and times are listed. I believe my plan is for my short film to only attend one film festival since it is not a big-budget short film. I find the QR code usage interesting, but think that since my film is geared towards Generation Z that the look of the social media logos would be preferred to the look of a QR code.

Moving Foward:

  I will post here tomorrow about my script and plot 

  I will update you all about the music situation I have currently going on

  I believe I will be filming next weekend

  I need to create a social media page, logo, and title

As always, wish me luck. If you are reading this and listening to Noah Kahan you may have realized I am thinking of the song "New Perspective" whilst I titled this blog. I recommend you stream that song if you haven't before!

Sources: 

https://kaileyfmedia.blogspot.com/ 

https://kavyamediastudiesa2.wordpress.com/category/postcard-advertisement/ 

https://pixlr.com/x/ 

APA Citations:

  Fretwell, K. (n.d.). Kailey's Media Studies portfolio. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://kaileyfmedia.blogspot.com/

kavyamediastudiesa2. (2017, April 4). Postcard advertisement – A2 media – short film. A2 Media - Short Film. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://kavyamediastudiesa2.wordpress.com/category/postcard-advertisement/

Photo editor & template designer. Photo Editor : Pixlr.com - free image editing online. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://pixlr.com/x/

It's Okay to be Clingy

  Hello blog, I am almost done getting caught up with missed school work. I have had to think by the end of the week I will have taken over ten quizzes/tests. This is great news (not the quizzes and tests) as it means I will be able to begin preparing to film my short film. I am taking my second SAT this Saturday, so no filming this weekend. 

Casting:

  The repetition of texts to my best friend Paola may have persuaded her to be the unnamed lead in my shortfilm! Last year she assisted in the opening production of my "Can You Help Me?" film with my good friend Julie. She was also in the opener for a brief moment as you can see in the clip below. She is a busy person, but I believe we will be able to meet and film next weekend, hopefully.

  

Inanimate Object Short Film Research:

  If the casting does not work out, my teacher recommended I use an inanimate object as my lead. I have watched a few short films that use inanimate objects.

  I first watched the Short Film "Inanimate Objects" created by Broken Pipes Films. In this film, inanimate objects begin to talk and move on their own. The majority of shots in this short film still shots. I enjoyed this film as it taught me that you do not always need actresses/actors in your film, even though there is an actress in this film interacting with inanimate objects. 

  I had a few concerns when watching this film

• I am not sure what inanimate object to use to portray my main character?
• I want to incorporate more than just still shots in my film, would this be possible?

  Second I watched "What the Fud?" directed by Phillips G. Berg. This is a short film about a woman who deals with her problems by talking to an inanimate duck who speaks back to her. Similar to the first film this feel features also a human. 

  I had a few concerns when watching this film

• It featured a human interacting with an inanimate object. If I go the inanimate route then I likely will not be having any humans in my film.
• This film also focused heavily on still shots of the inanimate object.

Link to "What the Fud?":

https://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/03/a-charming-short-film-about-talking-to-inanimate-objects/468090/ 

Backup Plan:

  In case my friend backs out of the film I have an alternate idea in mind for what I would do. This would basically be the same story except with my mom as the lead. In this film, you would see a mother telling her daughter (who would be played by yours truly) wishing her daughter good luck on her SAT tomorrow. Then the mother goes to bed and has my originally planned film in her dream except it is just the portion after the girl fell asleep. It turns into the mother rushing to get ready for her SAT in her past self's shoes. 

  Hopefully, my friend is able to be a part of my short film and these backup plans do not have to be developed!

Moving Foward:

  Tomorrow I will be posting a story/script update with what I have been working on this past week.

  I need to create my social media Instagram page meaning I should develop a film title!

Lack of Progress

  Hey blog, I lack updates for you. I have not received an email back yet from the company regarding the song usage. I have a feeling I am not going to get a response. I thought about sending a dm to the band on Instagram, but I am not sure that would help at all. I still have not found a cast which is bad. I believe I am going back to school tomorrow so I will likely have an update as I may talk with my teacher and get her advice. I will continue working on my script and share it soon.

Music Madness

  Hey blog,  I lack many updates as today has been a not-so-great day. but I do have a music update.

Music:

  Today I found out that the band The Aces who created the song I want to use in my project are signed to Red Bull Records. I had no idea Red Bull had their own record label. I sent an email to three different emails to try and gain a Sync License and Master Recording License. Last year I was unprepared when emailing Asthmatic Kitty Records who owned the song I wanted to use so I got rejected. On the bright side, the company did email me back a link to a document on how music licensing works so I become more informed. Sadly, the Red Bull Records website was a bit confusing. They have a licensing company called Red Bull Record Sound Supply, but from my research, the song I intend to use is not on that website. However, on that website was an FAQ page that listed the pricing for song usage. From my understanding, I would have to pay $1.99 to use the song for my non-commercial usage. I would prefer to not have to pay at all, but I understand why I might have to. I am not sure if I will receive a reply, but hopefully, I do and I can use the song "Always Get This Way"

Sources:

https://www.themusickitchen.com/music-biz/music-licensing-sync-licenses-master-use-licenses/ 

https://www.redbullsoundsupply.com/faq 

APA Citations:

Benghiat, M. (2016, November 23). Music Publishing and Licensing 101: Sync Licenses and Master Use   Licenses. The Music Kitchen. Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://www.themusickitchen.com/music-biz/music-licensing-sync-licenses-master-use-licenses/

High Quality Music for your online videos. Red Bull Sound Supply. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://www.redbullsoundsupply.com/faq 

Moving Foward:

  I will share my script with you all tomorrow and on Sunday will be creating a mood board for my main character as well as sharing more exciting information about the settings of my short film.

I still need to find a lead! 

I am going to give Red Bull Records a week to get back to me and then will be reaching out to my backup option.

A Little Of Everything

  Hey, blog, I took my SAT Wednesday and it went as expected. I was proud of myself for going because I had signed up for a previous SAT and the day I woke up feeling sick, so I did not go. I for sure failed the maths sections, but so it goes. In a few weeks, I will update you on whether I did better or worse than expected. Hopefully, I did better than I thought I did. Since I went to school Wednesday I thought I was going to be able to go back today, Thursday, and I would have had my AICE Media class. I did not end up going back.  I am hopefully going to school tomorrow and after school, I will be meeting with my Media teacher to discuss this project.

Social Media:

  In class Monday, whilst I was home, my teacher went into depth about the social media aspects of our projects. My friend Julie, whom you all may remember since she was my film opener partner last year, has sent me her notes. Everyone say "Thank you, Julie!" 

  My plan for social media is to create an Instagram account. On Instagram, you can post both video and photo content, unlike on TikTok which I had thought about using. My target audience, teens, is
very familiar with Instagram so I believe this will be what works best.

  What I will be posting on Instagram is unknown. I would like to post still shots (my favorite shots) of my lead character, but I do not have a cast yet. I also at some point likely need to create some sort of logo for my film meaning I also need to choose a title.

Casting Update:

  Each person I have asked to be my lead character has either said no or maybe, but they are busy and will be unlikely to take part in my project. This is a bit of an issue.

Music:

  Last year in my film opener I included music my brother created since my want to use the song Futile Devices by Sufjan Stevens was rejected. Well, it was not rejected, but the company that owns the song wanted me to pay a pretty penny to use the song. Anyways, I heard this song on TikTok today called Always Get This Way by a group The Aces. It hit too close to home, as it what about feeling like your anxiety is causing you to be a burden, but it is a bop of a song. I think it matches the tone of stress/confusion the lead character is going to feel after being ridiculed by her parents for thinking it was the morning when it was still night. I kind of imagine the end of my short film is the lead going to sleep and then I would have my credits at the end. I am a person who falls asleep listening to music, so I thought it would be interesting to have the girl put her AirPods in and turn on the song I mentioned as she goes to sleep. The song would roll into the credits. I have no idea if this is a good idea or if I would even be able to freely have access to the song. A backup song choice would be In My Mind by Lyn Lapid, but I think it is a little slow for my ideal choice. We shall see!

Other Updates:

  I have been working on my script as well as developing my character, who is basically me, is this aspect bad? Maybe?  

Script Sneak Peak

Overall:

  I NEED TO FIND A CAST! Sorry, that was harsh but true