Blog 23: Final Lesson Reflection

(1) What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or senior project?

I feel that I demonstrated my knowledge of my topic very well and I was able to keep my audience engaged, as well as impart some knowledge about film on them.

(2) What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?

I would give myself an AE because I think I presented an abundance of interesting information to my peers while keeping them engaged.

What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project?

I would give myself an AE. I strived to find knowledge with depth about my topic and provided my peers with information about film they might not know otherwise. I also feel that even though I studied a broad topic, I was able to acknowledge and present the intricacies of each facet and aspect.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

I thought every single component challenged me to examine my topic from different perspectives, thus enhancing the depth of my project.

(4) What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

I didn't feel that anything didn't work in the project. Although, when I rehearsed with family members, they expressed concerns about me overwhelming the students I was presenting to with information, so that led to me taking out slides that I think would have added a little more to my presentation.

(5) How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?

The project instilled knowledge in me that I may not have pursued otherwise. Also, I learned how to reach out to people in the industry and express my likes and dislikes about film and TV in a thoughtful manner. I found that I was extremely interested in screenwriting and producing through examining the different roles in filmmaking. Overall, my confidence in my abilities as a filmmaker has grown and my certainty about what I want to do in film.

Blog 22: Mentorship

Literal

• Link to Mentorship Hours
• Phillip Miller-ROP
• Priscilla Gonzalez
• Amanda DiPiazza-Disney 

Interpretive

• The most important thing I learned were the foundation and techniques for recording and mixing sound, camera angles and shot choices, lighting, cross-editing, and such in ROP. I also learned the importance of a pleasant collaborative environment with my mentors Amanda DiPiazza and Priscilla Gonzalez. I thought all of these things were valuable because I feel that even though I will not work in every single field in the industry, having knowledge of even the basics are useful to me as an aspiring producer and screenwriter. 

Applied

• Through taking ROP I learned the fundamentals of telling interesting stories, bringing them to life in unique ways, and trying to appeal to audiences. Through mentoring with Amanda DiPiazza I learned the importance of quality collaboration. Lastly, through mentoring with Priscilla Gonzalez I learned how subjective memorability can be, especially based on one's moviegoing experience. 

Blog 21: Exit Interview

1. My essential question and answers are as follows:

• "What technique can be most effectively employed to create a memorable film?"
• Successful collaboration between filmmakers--professionals in their respective fields whether it be writing, lighting, directing, cinematography, etc.--to combine their expertise.
• Screenwriters need to be able to empathize with their audience and know what appeals to people, whether it comes to story-writing or dialogue
• Filmmakers must be able to use their knowledge of what is aesthetically appealing to audiences. 
• My best answer is my third. I chose it because a film's aesthetic largely assists the story told in uses of camera angles, color, and production design. 

2. Initially, I read a lot more books on screenwriting because I intended for that to originally be my best answer, but I came across more visual sources such as informative videos, visually striking films, articles on visually striking films, and a couple of books that detailed the history of production design and how filmmakers have strived to alter visuals to appeal to audiences. 

3. Seeing as my focus was more so on screenwriting at first, I mostly just had to seek out more sources on visual aspects in film. 

4. The two most significant sources I used to determine my best answer was Gavin Miller's article 15 Visually Striking Films with Amazing Color Palettes because it provided an in-depth, solid foundation on how integral color palettes are to establishing the mood of a films and Cathy Whitlock's Designs on Film , which helped me understand the history of production design and how important it has been for filmmakers to adapt to their audiences' changing tastes in relation to aesthetic appeal. 

Extra Blog Post 1--Discovery of Celtx

So I have encountered something absolutely great (in terms of screenwriting).
A website called Celtx acts as a Google Docs for screenwriting:

I plan on using the website for future projects and if I have extra time during my final presentation, I might introduce it during the Answer 2 portion as it does help my understanding of formatting.

Independent Component 2

Literal:

(a) I, Micah Chambers, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 35 hours and 50 minutes of work. 
(b) Moore, Michael. " Michael Moore's Thirteen Rules For Making Documentary Films." Indiewire. 10 Sept 2014. Web. 21 Jan 2015.
(c) Senior Project Hours
(d) Veronica Lopez and worked on a documentary about fangirls and fangirling, in which we featured interviewees with several students from I-Poly. We also completed a trailer and some posters as a marketing strategy.

Interpretive:

We worked on the film in all five stages (development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution). We developed the idea for the film, conducted interviews, edited portions of the film, and worked on hypothetically marketing it.

Evidence: Independent Component 2 Booklet

Applied:

Through working on this documentary, I learned how to create a compelling story, albeit not a narrative, which can lead to a memorable film. We sought out interviewees we knew would have a wealth of knowledge to share, making sure their stories could appeal to the masses should we choose to distribute it. We also discussed the importance of marketing the film and how to make it outstanding.

Extra Blog Post 2-Fangirl (Change of Independent Component)

Even though I think my last independent component went really well, and I enjoyed that I was able to examine all the different stages and aspects of film through using real-world examples and my own work, I would like to mainly focus my second independent component on the production of Fangirl. I  have already dedicated a nice portion of my time to working on the documentary.
I originally planned on writing and shooting my own narrative, but I like the idea of working on the documentary because I will be conducting interviews and learning about fan-ology in general.
For my independent component, I would be working on conducting interviews, cinematography, later editing the interviews and ultimately creating an overall story for the documentary.

Extra Blog Post-Fangirl

So far, the production for Fangirl is going extremely well. We have filmed nine people. Veronica and I have created a spreadsheet so that we can keep our meetings and footage organized, as well as keep a schedule of the people we will be interviewing. This Wednesday, we plan to film a panel/debate with several fans of Marvel and DC. Basically, we want to see a heated discussion about which company is better.

Link to the Spreadsheet:

Fangirl Schedule

We will probably start asking for more interviewees after Spring Break, specifically lowerclassmen, mostly because we haven't had a chance to reach out to them. Once we interview a nice majority of people from school, we will probably start seeking out people in public places (malls, events, etc.) and perhaps reach out to people on social networks (Tumblr, Twitter, etc.)

Blog 18: Fourth Interview Preparation

1. (EQ)What techniques can be most effectively employed to create a memorable film?
2. What would you consider a technique?
3. What makes a film memorable?
4. What makes a film enjoyable?
5. Would you have considered memorable films relatable, timeless, awe-inspiring, well-written, visually striking, moving, or some combination of these characteristics?
6. What other characteristics would you attribute to memorability?
7. What would you consider the most memorable film for you?
8. When watching a film, what do you pay attention to the most?
9. Why do you pay attention to this aspect?
10. What techniques do you remember from memorable films?
11. Can you name any filmmakers who have made memorable films?
12. Can you name any recent films you have come across that you would consider memorable in the coming years?
13. What themes have you come across in films that are specifically memorable? 
14. What sorts of stories have you come across in films that are specifically memorable?
15. Do you think that there is a difference between independently financed films and studio financed films in relation to memorability? 
16. Do you think time effects memorability? Why?
17. Do you think it's still possible to make memorable films today? Why or why not?
18. If so, what would a filmmaker have to do to achieve that?
19. If not, what are filmmakers lacking? 
20. In general, what do you think determines the memorability of a film the most?
21. What would you do yourself do to create a memorable film? 
22. What type of genre do you prefer?
23. What is it about this genre that you prefer?
24. What sorts of aspects of that genre make it memorable and enjoyable for you? 
25. Are there any films you find memorable for a specifically bad reason? 
26. What sort of empathy do you think filmmakers need to have to appeal to viewers?
27. When crews are working together, what insights do you think they can provide to each other to create an enjoyable or memorable film?
28. Do you think collaboration between filmmakers contributes to the creation of enjoyable, successful, or memorable films?
29. What kind of collaboration have you encountered in your past experiences? 
30. Since film is such a visual medium, visually speaking what do you pay attention to in films?
31. What color palettes are the most outstanding to you?
32. Can you name any filmmakers who have created a film with memorable or outstanding color palettes?
33. In your opinion, do you think a film can have a noticeable theme, mood, or tone without a color palette to assist it?
34. What sources can you recommend to understanding color palettes and such?
35. How would you begin to design a color palette? 
1. Are there any films with a certain color palette you would want to redesign? 

Blog 17: Answer 3

EQ: What technique can be most effectively employed to create a memorable film?

Answer 3: Filmmakers must be able to use their knowledge of what is aesthetically appealing to audiences. 

Supporting Details:

• Color palettes are known to largely influence the mood or tone of a film.
• Films by James Cameron or Tim Burton are highly regarded due to their aesthetic appeal. 
• Directors and cinematographers alike have been able to set themselves apart as filmmakers due to their uses of certain colors and such in their films. 

Sources:

• "100 Film Moments." Guardian News and Media Limited. The Guardian. 6 Feb 2000. Web. 21 Jan 2015. 
• " Breaking Down David Fincher's Directorial Techniques." Vimeo. Vimeo, 2 Oct 2014. Web. 2 Oct 2014.
• Miller, Gavin. " 15 Visually Striking Films With Amazing Color  Palettes." Taste of Cinema. 19 Mar 2014. Web. 15 Oct 2014. 

Concluding Thought: It is well-known that films are a highly visual medium, and while other factors--such as how well-written the film is or how interesting the story may be--may influence how memorable one finds a film, an integral part of a film is its appearance, which filmmakers should dedicate time to creating. 

Extra Blog Post-February

It seems that novel-to-film adaptations, although always having been present in cinema, have recently seemed to significantly increase. I find myself constantly criticizing the adaptations I see, most often because I consider myself a fan of the book being adapted. However, it has occurred to me that since I have encountered many sources in which authors explain how they have adapted novels and I have taken notes on said techniques, I figure I might try writing an adaptation myself. I probably won't attempt something too grand, perhaps just a children's book I enjoyed when I was younger or something of that caliber. This exercise is to help me further my understanding of screenwriting.

Blog 16: Answer 2

1. What is your EQ?

What technique can be most effectively employed to create a memorable film?

2. What is your first answer?

I think the technique that can be most effectively employed to create a memorable film is successful collaboration between filmmakers--professionals in their respective fields whether it be writing, lighting, directing, cinematography, etc.--to combine their expertise.

3. What is your second answer?

Screenwriters need to be able to empathize with their audience and know what appeals to people, whether it comes to story-writing or dialogue. In addition to having a memorable or original idea, they need to be able to write something that their audience can either relate to, laugh at, be moved by, etc.

4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• If the dialogue is too complex or outlandish, the audience may find it bothersome or tiresome. 
• If the story is unoriginal, viewers will lump it with other films, thus making it unmemorable. 
• A viewer may feel too removed or may not be able to enjoy the film if there is no connection with it in any way. 

5. What printed source best supports your answer?

• Scoff, Kevin Conroy. " Screenwriters' Masterclass: Screenwriters Talk About Their Greatest Movies. " New York: Newmarket Press, 2006. Print.

6.  What other source supports your answer?

• Stoller, Bryan Michael. Filmmaking For Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, 2009. Print
• Schellhardt, Laura. Screenwriting For Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, 2008. Print.

• Sternbergh, Adam. "14 Screenwriters Writing." The New York Times Company. The New York Times. 25 Nov 2013. Web. 21 Aug 2014.
• Lee, Spike. " Do The Right Thing: A Companion Volume to the Universal Pictures Film." New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989. Print. 

7. Tie this together with a concluding though. 

Since I hope to professionally write films, finding sources that focusing on screenwriting and even actual scripts themselves were very important for my research. I feel that my first answer is the best, though my second answer is also equally as important, and has a large impact on the final product of a film. 

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

I figure since I was able to learn so much through focusing on the stages of production, I would like to make that my focus for independent component two.

This time, I will place more emphasis on the production, post-production, and distribution of Fangirl, though I will continue analyzing works that have already been completed, as well as books and other sources that will help me further understand production. 

See my post for my first Independent Component below for more clarification: 

Before you visit your local movie theatre to go see the latest blockbuster, it must undergo five stages--development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution. My plan for this component is to focus on these stages while applying them to projects I've worked on, ones I am currently working on, and other works I have enjoyed.

For development, I will create various outlines and such for projects I have had in mind and consider the development for known works produced by others. For pre-production and production I will focus on the documentary I am working on with Veronica Lopez--mentioned in my previous post-- as well as drawing parallels to other famous works while they underwent these stages. For post-production, I will be editing the documentary, as well as analyzing and drawing parallels to the editing of other known works. Lastly, for distribution, I was considering developing a marketing campaign for the documentary, and analyze campaign strategies from other films.

The goal here is to compare my projects with other well-known works and to combine research with real-world situations.

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

• Literal
• I, Micah Chambers, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 37 hours and 16 minutes of work. 
• Works Cited
• Lee, Spike. " Do The Right Thing: A Companion Volume to the Universal Pictures Film." New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989. Print.
• Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. Dir. George Hickenlooper. Perf. Francis Ford Coppola. 1991. Film.
• Link To Updated Hours 
• I worked on four out of the five stages of production. I used material from other films that have already been created in order to learn from and attempted to improve upon my own work by using examples from other works. 
• Interpretive 
• Through analyzing these stages of film production, I wrote my own outlines and scripts, planned out their production, watched documentaries and read a book on production while filming my own footage, and edited other works. Each thing I completed was relevant to the stages of production. 
• Applied
• Since I analyzed other people's works as well as my own, I was able to practice production and have a thorough lesson in each stage even though it was conducted by myself. This occurred specifically during production and post-production, when I was on an actual set and when I edited portions of other films, which gave valid insights on these stages. 

***Link to Independent Component Document 

Evidence: Edited Portions of Films 

The following videos are some edits I did for the post-production aspect of my independent component.

1. Breakfast at Tiffany's--When I searched for scenes to edit for this movie, I came across a comment on Youtube that said actor George Peppard's monologue was overshadowed by the juxtaposition between his face and Audrey Hepburn's face. I decided to enhance that by focusing on Audrey Hepburn throughout the entire speech, then suddenly adding Peppard at the end. I also changed the audio so that his voice seemed like it was echoing, which made his tone seem more reprimanding.

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button--I personally love the original scene that this is edited on, and I find that Brad Pitt's narration adds a lot of emotional impact, so I decided to see if scrapping the audio and simply replacing it with the song from the orginal score would evoke similar feelings. It obviously doesn't, but it helps create a different, explorative tone to the scene, especially because of the images shown.

3. The Graduate--When I first watched this film, I thought the original scene in which Elaine and Benjamin flee the church after Elaine's wedding would feature music, and I found it awkward that it didn't, so I added a Simon & Garfunkel song--which is featured earlier in the movie-- and decided to enhance the movie's bitter ending by adding another somber Simon & Garfunkel song. 

Extra Blog Post-Fangirl Progress

Development and pre-production for Fangirl is going extremely well. Last Friday, Veronica and I met to discuss and used a few articles and books on documentary filmmaking to help us narrow our focus, specifically what story we hope to tell, the types of events and people we are hoping to include in the documentary, and how we were hoping to go about these things. Luckily, we took notes so that our ideas were not lost. We made an email so that we would be able to reach out to potential interviewees and such and began drafting a flyer we're hoping to dispense so that students at I-Poly can be informed of our project.

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 presentation and why?

I feel most proud of how informative I was. I think I provided adequate examples and explanations that helped my peers understand my EQ and first answer.

2. A) What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson 2 presentation and why?

I would give myself an AE

B) I think I provided more than enough examples and explantations to educate my peers about my subject, my EQ, and my answer, as well as displaying the depth of my research. I feel that my presentation was very engaging, and my answer was made even more clear through my activity.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

I felt very confident about the content in my presentation, and when the activity was done, I felt that my peers fully understood what I had gone over.

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

I think I might have clarified my activity a little more. In the handout I passed out, I stated that if the students had another idea for a film they wanted to create, they were free to use it. A lot of people ended up using movies that had already been released, so I probably would have said that that was an option.

5. What do you think your answer 2 is going to be?

My second answer will be that filmmakers have to be empathetic to their audience. They have to know what appeals to them, whether it be visually, aesthetically, or even in regards to stories.

Blog 12: Mentorship Hours

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

I am doing my mentorship in my ROP video production class and at Disney Channel.

2. Who is your contact?

My teacher is Phillip Miller and my contact at Disney Channel is Amanda DiPiazza (although I have not completed ten hours with her yet.)

3. How many hours have you completed during the schoolyear?

So far, I've completed 75 hours and 43 minutes.

4. Summarize your ten hours of service.

In ROP, I have learned various filmic processes--storyboarding, camera angles, lighting, and screenwriting, among others.

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

Content:

1. What did you do over the break with your senior project?

A crucial portion of my independent component is combining research with real-world situations. Luckily for me, my research involves watching films. In fact, I was able to watch quite a few over my break--Top Five, Annie, The One I Love, La Belle et La Bete, Populaire, Fanny, Marius, and The Wolf of Wall Street. Since I am analyzing these films and not simply watching for enjoyment, I created a doc where I could log my thoughts once I finished viewing them. I am working on developing a spreadsheet where I can continue logging the films, my reactions and my opinions on them so that I may have a clear, organized way of displaying my research when I turn in my Independent Component. 


2. What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why? What was the source of what your learned? 

I feel that I learned the most from Top Five and The One I Love. 
Movies are often praised when the director's "artsy-ness" is displayed through obvious methods. When I think of artsy sequences in films, scenes where laws of physics are suspended briefly or specific camera placement and lighting are used to create a certain mood/tone come to mind. Directorial choices are made for artistic purposes. I felt that Top Five was artsy, though in different ways than most films. There aren't any scenes that suspend logic or overt artistic choices that I could perceive as typically artsy. I believe that is due more so to the dialogue, storyline, and atmosphere. Basically, my point is that the film taught me that there doesn't have to be dramatic lighting or camera pans to get one's point across in an "artsy" way. 
The One I Love, however, taught me that it is still very possible to surprise viewers, even a little. As a fan of The Twilight Zone, I was immediately drawn to the tone of the film because I could tell that it had to be inspired in some shape, way or form by the show. The reason I love of the show, of course, is because it is transcendent and the endings are still baffling, if not shocking, some sixty years after it originally aired. The One I Love did the exact same thing with an ending I definitely was not expecting, so even though the typical movie-goer may have a bit of cynicism in them, it may still be possible to surprise them. 

3. If you were to do a ten question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why? 

I would probably talk to seasoned writers, directors, producers, and distributors, among other people who have roles in filmmaking because there are so many aspects that make a film memorable.