And finally... the CCR!

Relfection on the making of "The Deal"... Enjoy!!!

https://voicethread.com/myvoice/thread/10700115/62267786/60174455

Final Project! I'm done!

     So, after all the hard work, my project is finally complete! I am very happy with the outcome, and I can't believe it's finally over! Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z34C9AI36P8&t=9s

     Unfortunately, as you already know, I had some difficulties during this project. About two weeks ago, my computer broke. It costed $500 to fix my computer, so I'm very grateful my parents allowed me to get it fixed at all. However, since I didn't have my computer for over a week and the due date of the project was nearing, I had to begin editing the film opening on my phone using iMovie. It was definitely more difficult having to edit my project on a cell phone rather than on a computer. When my computer was returned to me repaired two days ago, I tried transferring my project from my phone to my computer, but I couldn't and I didn't want to restart editing, so now I have to continue editing on my phone. Unfortunately, it is difficult to edit out the sound of the wind in the outdoors scenes of my film on my phone. Also, it's difficult to edit the credits into the video on my phone. The iMovie on my phone does not offer many different fonts for me to choose from. I wish my computer did not break during this project, as it happened at the worst possible time. But, I was still able to overcome these obstacles and produce a wonderful film opening!

      In my film opening, there is a scene where the detective texts the drug dealer. The texts use language like "you good" and "50 hard." My father, who as you know does these types of things in real life, decided we should use this type of language in the project to make it seem more realistic. I did not know what these things meant at first, but my father later explained to me that this is how he actually texts true drug dealers to set up an undercover deal. When my classmates view the project, they will probably not understand the text messages either, so I will have to explain what my father told me. Also, for the scene of the drug deal, I cut up a white birthday candle into tiny pieces to look like real drugs and placed them in a ZipLock bag. I had so much fun shooting the scenes of this project with my father and my best friend!
      I want to thank my dad, Andrew Bolonka, for starring as the main character in my film opening and for working hard to help me come up with ideas for the project. Also, my best friend, Jose Hidalgo, who played the drug dealer. And lastly, my best friend, Paulina Patruno, who gave me ideas for shots and angels while filming because she is also an AICE Media student. I had so much fun filming and I'm sad, yet also relieved that this project is over and I am finally confident in the final outcome!

Why did I chose my genre?

      I have been asked by my class mates and friends many times why I chose the genre of crime drama for my film opening. I chose this genre because I am passionate about the topics discussed within this genre. My father works in law enforcement, so I have been surrounded by situations like this my whole life. I have grown up around police officers who have become family, some who have even been killed in the line of duty. Situations like this have especially made me passionate about supporting law enforcement and defending them when others look down upon them. Charlie Scavuzzo was an uncle to me, he was the father of my best friend, a friend to my father, and the Captain of the St. Lucie County Sherriffs Office. Charlie passed away this past September. It was unbelievably beautiful how not only the Sherriffs Office, but police officers from around the country came together in mourning of Charlie. Police officers from Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Maine, and New York came together as a family in the passing of Captain Charlie Scavuzzo. Witnessing this was heart wrenching, but amazing and beautiful. Sergeant Gary Morles, another police officer for the St. Lucie County Sherriffs Office, and another friend to my father, was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop for speeding. Again, the Sherriffs Office came together as one. I realize the hard work and dedication law enforcement puts into their jobs, and I believe they deserve the utmost respect for their work. The stories my father has told me since I was a young child of what happens at work have interested me since I can rememeber. So, when hearing about the portfolio project in the beginning of the school year, the genre of crime dramas automatically came to mind. I was lucky enough to use a real member of law enforcement, my father, Detective Andrew Bolonka, in my film opening! I believe your best work is produced when you are passionate about the topic, therefore, choosing to work with a crime drama was the best decision for me!

Group Meeting

      In class on Friday, we had our group meeting. This was my first group meeting since I was absent  for the previous one. I think this group meeting helped me and I received lots of suggestions from my class mates. First, I was told during the group meeting that I should begin using iMovie on my cell phone to edit since my computer is broken. Then, I was given advice and suggestions on how I should trim my video clips. I enjoyed the group meeting because I felt better about my project afterwards, and I no longer felt as if I were so behind because I know other classmates are moving at the same pace as me. I am working on editing my project on my cell phone using iMovie and will begin working on my Creative Critical Reflection as soon as possible. It’s crazy how close we are nearing to the end of this project!

       So, I have a big problem. I called the Apple Support to fix my computer and nothing they could do over the phone could fix my computer. So, I made an appointment to go into the store, where there were multiple other measures taken to fix my computer. Unfortunately, I learned my computers hard drive was completely bad and I lost everything on my computer, absolutely everything. I was informed at the store that my computers hard drive would cost $500 to repair. So, I left without it being fixed. Today in class, Mrs. Stoklosa offered that I should use iMovie on my phone to edit my portfolio project. I’m not very fond with this idea, but it looks like I might have to take that route to complete my project. I hope I am able to complete all edits I had planned to my project on my cell phone. I can not believe this happened right now, a week before my project is due! This is the worst timing ever. My computer is currently being fixed, and I hope it is at least fixed by the time I need to post my CCR on the blog. For now, I plan to edit on my phone using iMovie. Until next time!

     I just realized how close I am to the due date of my project! I am so excited to see the final outcome. I can’t wait to start editing... however, my computer still is not fixed. I plan on calling tonight to see if I can get help over the phone, or else I’ll have to take it in the store which will probably set me behind. On the other hand, I started looking over my video clips that I filmed on my phone, and noticed talking and unwanted noises in the background. I think I want music in the beginning of the film opening, and starting with the sound effect of a police siren. I will have to email the company for persmission for the use of the song I chose, which I plan to do this week during class. However, I don’t want music the entire film opening, which means I need to find a way to edit the voices and sounds out of the scenes towards the end. I’m not sure how I can do this, so I plan on playing around with the editing on my computer when it is fixed to come up with a solution for my problem. I am nervous about how close we are nearing to the due date and I hope I am not falling behind. I hope my computer has an easy fix to it’s problem so I don’t have to wait a longer time to start editing, since I still need to make time for my Creative Critical Reflection. I’m going to try to fix my computer tonight, and begin my editing magic tomorrow morning!