I have a problem!

     Ok so, big problem! When I went to turn my computer on today, it wouldn’t turn on. The screen was completely black. After a few minutes, it started flashing a question mark on the black screen repeatedly. I looked this up on the internet, and supposedly it means my computer is not recognizing its software and will not turn on. So now, I am blogging off of my phone and as of now, I have nowhere to edit. I need to call Apple, and hopefully they can help me fix it over the phone or else I am going to have to take my computer into the store to be fixed, and who knows how long that will take. I want to start editing!
     On another note, I’m nervous about editing my film opening on my own! I have edited numerous project before, but always with help and never under this much pressure. I hope I can edit my project to look realistic and professional. If I feel I am having trouble, I will ask my friends who are also AICE Media students who are working on the project as well or my classmates for tips and suggestions. I hope my computer is an easy fix so I can start editing immediately and finally upload my clips from filming onto my computer!

    Good news! I finally filmed! I feel such a weight off of my shoulders since I know I got that out of the way. I feel very confident that the clips I captured will make the perfect film opening I have in mind. I enjoyed filming very much. My dad lives 2 hours away and I only get to see him every other weekend, so I felt this was a good bonding experience since he was the main role in my film opening.   I changed some of the ideas I had in mind to film, like how the drug dealer took place and the opening scene of the film opening. I have planned to start editing on Monday, and I couldn’t be any more ready!

     I am nervous about the outcome of my project. I have just learned that my friend who was going to be the main role in my film opening, can not star in my project. Since he does not have the same Spring Break as me, I do not think he is going to be able to help me. I really wanted to role to be a male, because I feel it fits the story line better, however it might need to end up being a girl in my film opening, I am wondering if I am behind, and if other people have started filming yet. Once I finish filming, I will have a big weight off of my shoulders and won’t feel so behind anymore.

Interview Questions

   I have decided that before I start filming my portfolio project, I should get a deeper insight on the everyday life of an undercover police officer. So, I have created some questions to ask my dad, who is an undercover police officer, to better understand his job. These are the questions I came up with:

1. When doing undercover work, what is a typical day like for you?

2. Do you think I am representing the job of an undercover police officer correctly in my film opening?

3. Are you ever scared or fearful in your line of duty?

4. Do you have any suggestions for the film opening to make the story look realistic and accurate?

     I think it is important to accurately represent an undercover police officer in my project because I want the film opening to look realistic. I will report back when my dad answers the questions, and I will be sure to incorporate his suggestions into my project!

Technique

     In my film opening, there is a scene of my father, who plays the undercover officer in the film, driving through a bad part of town. I have a feeling this might be one of my favorite and one of the most important and meaningful scenes in the project thus far. I want to add a unique touch to this scene to make it stand out. After the filming of my project, I plan to start editing immediately after.
     I plan to place a filter on the scene of the police officer driving through the bad neighborhood. I plan to get this filter from iMovie, where I am editing my portfolio project, however I still need to browse through some filters on iMovie. If I do not find the perfect filter on iMovie, I will ask my classmates for suggestions on apps that provide good filters. I plan to go with a light brownish or grayish type of filter, to really dramatize the obscure setting of this neighborhood.
     To further this dramatization of the scene, I might even show my father at a low angle shot, to suggest his superiority as a police officer to the others residing in this not so well off neighborhood.
     One difficulty I might encounter during the filming of this scene is the background noise. Since my father’s police car is a large truck, the background noise might be very evident to the audience. In this case, I will cover it up with a unique selection of music or will attempt to edit it out.

Credits & Obstacles

     Recently, I have been considering different options for the credits in the beginning of my film opening. I wanted something unique and something that will make my film opening stand out. I want to write the names of my actors on objects in the beginning of my film opening and pan over them. For example, writing Andrew Bolonka, the leading role, on the police laptop, then panning over to Jose Hidalgo on maybe the radio or handcuffs. I think this will draw the eye of my audience and intrigue them instead of just trying the names of my actors and watching them slowly appear on the screen as credits. If my idea does not work out or doesn’t look right, I will choose an interesting and unique font and color, to make my project stand out from the others with maybe some unique background music. 

      On another note, I am worrying that I am behind on my project. I do not regret working alone, but I wish I had the reassurance of a partner to know I am moving in the right direction. I am still content that I took on this big project by myself, as I find it easier to work in solitude. However, I just want to know that others are moving at the same pace as me. I want to film as soon as possible, because I feel that after I film I will feel confident in my hard work and can begin the editing process. I plan to film within the next week and a half and I hope everything goes as planned!

Feedback

      Unfortunately, I missed the group meetings in class on Thursday. Due to this, I didn't have the opportunity to get feedback from my peers on my progress on my project so far. Now, I need to find a way to get feedback on my ideas. I told my parents, and my friends who are also AICE Media AS students about my film opening idea, and received all positive feedback. However, I feel this was not enough. In class this week, I plan to get feedback and criticism from my classmates on my project thus far. Then, during Spring Break, I plan to finish all of my filming and begin editing.

      Now that I have come up with an idea to film for my film opening, I have began stressing about the filming location. I am worried I will not have permission to film at the gas station, or the places I plan to film will not look as good on camera as I pictured. If this is the case, I will have to change my filming location. However, I think I'm just overthinking and it will look perfect!