Written Reflection

To my knowledge, our film opening introduces a story concept not seen before in any major films. This film is about a veteran who recently returned from deployment and his struggle with PTSD. Like most war related movies, our film will include some war scenes. However, war scenes will not be the focus of our film. Our film will focus on life after the war, war scenes will only serve the purpose of a flashback explaining certain event. Through this, we aim to represent the veterans who fought in war, and illustrate the mental war fought back home. The struggle with PTSD is not often represented correctly although it is a serious social matter. IN the United States, 9% of all homeless people are veterans. This shows how seriously the post-war period can impact veterans

Our film engages with the audience in various ways. We engage the viewer through the use of close-up shots and the plot. The plot of the film opening is quite dramatic and is bound to incite some feelings of reflection in the audience. Close-up shots help show the emotions of the characters, aiding in the delivery of the drama. Families who deal PTSD victims would likely be enticed to watch the film. We will engage with them by doing our best to accurately represent PTSD victims.

Throughout the production of the film opening, my production skills were constantly improving. I saw this mostly in the editing process, however, there was also some improvement while shooting. Since I would do some of the filming, it was important for me to hold the camera steady and effectively capture angles. Throughout the shooting process I saw improvement in my knowledge of angles and severe improvement in how steady I held the camera.

During the editing process, I steadily gained knowledge of the program and constantly improved. When I started editing I was slowly making decisions, and I was not fluent with my use of the program. Over time this changes as I would then quickly import files, cut and adjust videos, apply filters, adjust audio, and much more. Most of these things took me a while to even figure out how to do in the program. By the end, I had amassed much knowledge of the editing process.

The technologies we used were certainly essential to the creation of the film, as they helped facilitate much of the process. For filming we used Artur’s camera which captured the film at a very high resolution. This helps the film seem of higher quality and more sophisticated. For the editing process, I used two programs, Adobe premiere and iMovie. I used both programs because some edits were easier to do on one program than on the other. In Premiere I made most of the effects, cuts, sound adjustment, and organizing. I then imported this version into iMovie. I used iMovie for importing sound effects and for saving the video. This was the easiest way to do it since I am not 100% fluent with Adobe Premiere.

Final Project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9ZkNhNf0qk&feature=youtu.be

CCR

CCR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvT3o7Zq360

Production Post 17

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Since we are nearly done with production, we will have to be focusing on editing soon. Editing is very essential part of film making, and can sometimes even be more important than shooting and acting itself. I will be taking care of most of the editing for the film, since I have Adobe Premier on my computer. On this program, I can edit the film to our liking, and will have more options and ability compared to software like iMovie.

The rest of class time we have to work on the project will be used to focus on editing, and discussion on what to do. The group will discuss as we often have differing opinions on certain things.

Here I posted a short shot that we have filmed. This shot is in the outdoors and is supposed to demonstrate the veteran's flashback. This shot shows the environment in which we are shooting in, and accurately presents the aesthetic.

Production Post 16

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This week our group has begun shooting for our film. We took advantage of out spring break and decided to get ahead and shoot. We recorded the majority of our outdoor scenes and some of those indoors. While shooting we decided to make some minor tweaks in the plot and dialogue. These changes will be discussed in later posts. We are not finished and will try to meet up later this week to make more progress in out filming.

While filming we decided to record some of the folly noises that will be in the film. As of now we are going to focus on shooting the scenes. Once we finish all the shooting and commence editing, we will focus on the audio.

This video shows a scene of the veteran's trigger that leads to the flashback. This scene is an essential part of our storyline, therefore needs much focus. I am personally thinking of redoing it, as I am not fully satisfied with it.

Research 15

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On Wednesday, our class had a peer review session with students from different groups. Here we shared our progress on of our portfolio with other students to criticize and give each other ideas on our projects.

I students who reviewed my portfolio gave some important feedback. After telling them our concept of the film, they all agreed that the idea was quite original, and could be very interesting and well-done if executed correctly. They said that they have never seen a film with a similar plot to mine, and like the fact that it raises awareness to a concerning issue in American society. This was all quite flattering but I was more focused on the criticisms.

They criticized my blog-postings and portfolio by saying that I have been leaving out some information. This information is what would happen after the flashback scene. Realizing that we did not dive deeply in this part of our film, I have been brainstorming to further develop these scenes. Because of this criticism, my last couple blog posting were about this part of the film.

Another criticism they gave me is that my group should focus on shooting. They said that the shooting process can sometimes take longer than planned so our should organize and prioritize this task.

This peer review was very helpful. I feel that by having other people's feedback, one can build their portfolio further with more impressive material. I hope my feedback had a similar impact on the other students.

Research 14

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My group and I had planned on meeting this week but unfortunately, one of our group members could not make it to the shooting. We unfortunately had to reschedule our meeting to later this week. We will meet up begin shooting the first scenes on this meeting. I'll keep you updated.

I went to talk some more about the ending of our opening.
After the scene showing the veteran in severe distress, I want to show the reaction of the people he lives with.

We decided to change the situation of the veteran from having a family to living with roommates. The veteran lives with his brother and his friend, who are younger than him. He could not find a wife before or after the war so unfortunately he lives with them. His disorder hinders him from interacting with new people, so he is even further emotionally isolated from everyone.

After the distressing scene, his brother is going to walk in in panic and console him. This scene will use medium shots and shot-reverse-shot to show dialogue between the two. This scene will illustrate that these panic attacks frequently occur. This will be done through the dialogue and the reaction of the brother.

Research 12

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In this blog I will be covering about our research on PTSD. Throughout our project our roup has been extensively reading about PTSD, and it's effects.

PTSD is formally called post traumatic stress disorder and is a disorder in which a person has difficulty recovering after experiencing something terrifying.

PTSD is a very prevalent issue in veterans returning from war, as shown in the information above.
Our film is about a Afghanistan veteran, meaning he is part of the 11% of veterans with the disorder.

Symptoms of PTSD include
-intrusive memories (flashbacks) that are usually distressful and unwanted
-Avoidance, refusing to speak of events that traumatize the individual.
- Negative changes in emotional and physical state
- and much more\

This is only a summary of the information we gathered on the disorder. With all this research conducted, we hope to accurately and effectively represent the disorder.

Research 13

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So as we finish up the preparation stage and begin the shooting stage this week, I want to clarify a few things. I want to touch up on the ending of the film and clarify what will be going on.

As our veteran comes out of his flashback, we want to show a scene of shock and terror. This scene would be representative of the symptoms of PTSD. After much research on PTSD, We have learned the symptoms and effects and have decided how we will demonstrate this in our character. Our character will wake up frightened, covered in sweat. He will be yelling and crying . This scene will utilize many close-up shots to emphasize the emotion within the character and impact the audience.

This scene will also use low-key lighting to create a dark, sad ambiance. All the factors in this scene will contribute to creating a serious, and mournful representation of what veterans go through.

Research 11

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Our group has been planning for our meeting on the 22nd of March. We want to prepare everything so we know what we will be doing when we meet. We have decided that we will shoot the first scenes. These scenes will take place in the Isles of Weston club house as discussed in earlier blogs.

We will likely be shooting with Diogenes older brother since he looks older and matches the description of a young veteran solider who recently comeback from war.
In case of any inconveniences and his brother can't show up, we have decided on a replacement. This replacement would be my older brother Jose. He agreed that he would help us out and be part of our film.

Our last case replacement would just be one of us. It is likely that our first two options can't come since they have busy schedules and work. This would be quite unfortunate but we must always plan for the worst since we are restrained on time.

I have found a costume at my house for the soldier that will be used in the scenes of combat. For the other scenes the veteran will be wearing casual clothes since he is at home. We are thinking of using bandages or crutches for the veteran, signalling that he was hurt at war.

Research 10

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In this blog I'll be covering some of the effects we will have to add to our film opening. In our shots taking place indoors in the house, we will need light dialogue in the background and television playing for white noise. These noises can be recorded naturally through the filming of the shot. These noises will emphasize the comfort of the scene by showing noises that emit comfort and familiarity.

Once transitioning to the flashback scene we will need a whooshing sound effect that will signal the transition. I have been searching on royalty free sites that provide sound effects for this. I settled on a sound effect i found on freesound.org. This sound effect adds drama while serving a purpose to signal the audience of change.

Other sound effects we will need is loud, gunshots and explosion noises of a war zone. I have found several YouTube videos matching these requirements that will effectively portray the war-zone. I can download these videos on mp3. through the link in the description.  These loud, harsh noises highly contrast the comforting noise of the firsts scenes. This will disrupt the audience, heighten their senses, and gain insight of the terrors of war.

We also decided that for the warzone scenes we will add a filter to change the coloring of the scenes. This is done to add drama and emphasize that these scenes are a flashback from the past. We will decide the filter later once we begin the editing stage.

Research 9

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In this blog we will be speaking on the research of the shooting locations and explanations for some of our shooting decisions.

So since our film opening will take place mostly in an indoors home environment, we will need a home-like location to shoot in. For this, we decided on the Isles of Weston clubhouse. Diogenes lives here and has access to the clubhouse throughout the week. This facility meets our requirement as a homey, soothing, cozy location. While shooting here we wouldn't have to worry about being in anyone's actual house and bothering families. We will go in earlier hours of the day when less people come to the clubhouse to shoot.

Our film opening will also include scenes from a war zone. For these scenes we will have to go to a location matching the war zone aesthetic. For this we decided on Markham Park in Sunrise. This park has a variety of cover and spots that meet these requirements. We will look around the park and try to find the optimal location for our shots.

Research 8

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 On Thursday's class period my group and I decided to film a draft of a shot we are planning to have in our opening. We felt that by filming a draft, we could have a better idea of how we would execute it for our actual finished product once we begin the shooting stage. Unfortunately our shooting has been delayed due to personal schedules interfering with our availability. We have set a date for out first shooting session which will be on March 22, 2019.

The shot we filmed was of the moment of realization that transitions into the veteran's flashback. This shot was commenced with another character asking the veteran to hold something. We show a closeup of hands passing the object along with dialogue to demonstrate this action. This is then followed with a close up of my face in shock showing that the veteran is in moment of an emotional disruption.

This concept of a trigger to the veteran's flashback is an idea we wish to include in our film opening. This concept may be altered but we will definitely be experimenting with methods to effectively and smoothly transition to the flashback scene. After much research, we concluded that a zooming shot into the face is a very effective method of transitioning to a flashback. This method is used in many famous films mentioned in earlier blogs. This transition shot is of very important essence because it can make or break the film. If done improperly it can make the film seem poorly made and awkward. Our group has done much research and testing with this to try and avoid it.

Research 7

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Over the weekend I've been researching more on flashbacks and how and why to use them in film. Hopefully by diving deeper into the use of flashbacks, our group can properly and effectively implement the flashback in our opening

From my research I learned that a flashback should always reveal something that the audience must need to know and is better shown than simply said. In our films case I believe this is  true because the war is a crucial part of the struggle of PTSD, and this reveals what the movie will be based on.

I also learned that the transition into the flashback must not be confusing. I will make sure of this by properly implementing the flashback through the use of sound effects, camera movement, and a scene heading. The transition into the flashback must also be fluid and well executed. Our group had the idea of something in the veteran's present-day environment had triggered his flashback. This could be fluid since it would go with the context.

I personally gained inspiration from the 1940's film Citizen Kane, after watching several clips of it's use of flashbacks. The flashbacks used in this film helped give perspective of the life of Kane which is what we intend to do in our film. The flashbacks in our film opening are intended to give explanation to the veteran's behavior and illustrate how the atrocities of war impact veterans.

Research 6

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Over the weekend I spoke with my group members and they gave me some info that they gathered from feedback from their groups on Friday's group discussions. From these discussions they gathered that they should research some movies from the drama genre to gain inspiration on how to better implement suspense.

Our group came across The Godfather for inspiration since it is regarded by many as the best drama movie of all time. From this great film we gained many ideas from the techniques used throughout. One of these techniques is the quick camera movements used throughout the film. These camera movements emphasize on action even through still scenes. This builds tension and keeps audiences engaged throughout the whole scene.

Another thing The Godfather does well is it's implementation of soundtrack. The Godfather uses the soundtrack to tie into the emotions of the scene and emphasizes the emotion in audiences. We can use this same technique by implementing music in some scenes of our opening. This can heighten emotions which are very important in our genre.

research 5

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Throughout the course of my research, I have mentioned and covered many of the aspects needed before creating the opening. However, one aspect I haven't deeply covered is that of sound. Sound is a crucial part of any film but can be even more important in a film opening. Sound can be used to build much suspense and engage the audience profoundly if used correctly.

We will use sound in our opening by starting off with some casual dialogue in the beginning of the opening between family members, and having other common sounds of a household. These sounds will commence the opening calmly and illustrate the setting of a home environment.

Once entering the flashback, a noise will whooshing sound will be used with the flashback to show that a flashback is occurring.

Once in the setting of war, we will include noises of gunshots, explosions, and other noises from warfare. These noises will emphasize the dangers of war and contrast from the tranquility of the home environment.

After the flashback ends, another whooshing sound will signal the end of the flashback.

Once home again, we will include screams and heavy breathing to show panic and fear that came as a result of the veterans PTSD. These noises will impact the audience emotionally by showing the deep fear in the veteran/

research 4

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So my group and I have been working on the execution of the opening and the series of events it will demonstrate. We decided to create a story board illustrating the events that will create our opening. This storyboard may be altered later as we fully develop our ideas, but this storyboard will give us a general consensus on what we will have to work with.

In our story board  we show that we will implement a flashback that transitions to scenes of the war. We will use dramatic camera movement and editing to make this scene action packed and suspenseful.

However, action is not our main focus, suspense is. We will implement suspense by using dramatic music and focusing  on the impact the flashbacks have on the veteran.
This will be done by showing emotion in the non-flashback scene in the veteran and the family. This will impact viewers by seeing the impact of PTSD and the severity of it.

Research 3

Our group also had some inspiration from a film that uses a technique we are trying to use. This film opening is from Lawrence of Arabia. This film begins with a scene which then transitions to a flashback. We will like to replicate this technique similarly in our opening. This flashback in the Lawrence of Arabia, flashes back into the present. In our opening , instead of this, we will flashback into the veteran's servitude in war.

Our group has been researching flashbacks and how they are utilized in films. We learned that flashbacks are a function of the character, and not of the story. While showing a flashback, the screen shows in present time what the character is thinking about. To this character, this event shown presently onscreen occurred in his past. Flashback's are used to give insight, make connection between the event and the character.

For our scene, we will be using an extreme close-up, similar to the one used in the opening of Saving Private Ryan. This will give a dramatic transition from the present, into the character's past.

For our character, we will be using a young veteran. This veteran has come home from a more recent war, probably Afghanistan. This veteran role will likely be played by Dio's brother. By using a young character, I believe the film will be more impactful. We will be showing how all people can be a victim of PTSD and how serious the effects can affect a person's life, no matter of age.

Research 2

When researching genres to choose, I came across the film American Sniper. This film emphasizes on something we want to implement on in our opening. This would be the focus on one character, and his story in war and after. We will be implementing this similarly in our opening by having it be about a veterans struggle with PTSD. Our opening will give a brief idea of how the film portrays the struggle of PTSD. The movie American Sniper's focus on a singular character in war was well executed, leading to it's success. It created an emotional connection between audience and character, which is what we are aiming to do.

While reviewing with my peers, we decided that our opening will give a flashback to the veteran's servitude in war. We decided on this focus because it will allow us to give our explanation of the war before showing his struggle with PTSD. This will follow sequential pattern since the war obviously comes before PTSD

Partial Planning.

   Our group has been planning where and when we will gather to work. None of us are currently working so we will all likely be available mostly throughout the week. In our group-chat we have discussed places we can shoot. We will likely be shooting in Vista View Park since it resembles a battlefield. We will also be shooting some shots indoors, possibly in my house. All of our shooting will be shot on an actual camera, that belongs to Artur. We will be recording noise from either a headphone microphone or another microphone; we are still searching. We have also discussed that we can meet in Panera or the library to work on any editing. Our film will star one main character, who will be the veteran who suffers from PTSD. We plan this film to be a suspense/thriller. We will continue to research this genre and generate ideas for what we can include into our opening.

Research

    Our group's research for our final project has officially begun. We have decided to make an opening scene of a film about a soldier who suffers from PTSD. As a group, we all watched the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan. This opening scene from Saving Private Ryan is very well executed. It emphasizes cinematic shots, dramatic facial expressions, music, and sound to express the seriousness of this matter. PTSD is horrible disorder affecting millions of people, mostly veterans, in the US. We want to use accurate representations of this disorder, like from SPR, to get our ideas and accurately present our opening's topic. We will be using several of the techniques from this film in our opening.