ccr question 3

• How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Hi, blog welcome back. 

I will be answering this question simply by walking outside.

Honestly, this project pushed my production skills way further than I expected because I had to dive in and do everything myself. Right off the bat, I got better at planning and leading my group. In the beginning, we were a bit all over the place, but I figured out how to set filming days, organize props, and keep everyone on the same page. Even picking locations and tweaking things in the podcast studio taught me to think ahead. Set design was another area where I grew a lot. Every time we filmed, I’d move stuff around, try out different angles, and mess with the background until it felt right. That glove scene, for example, really showed me how tiny details like tossing in YouTube microscope videos, medicine bottles, or using darker lighting can totally change how real a scene feels. Before doing this, I barely knew what mise-en-scène even meant, but now I get how much it shapes the mood. Scriptwriting got more interesting for me, too. I started writing dialogue that actually sounds like how people talk. I also learned how to use silence, slow zooms, or just a look to make a moment hit harder, instead of packing in a bunch of lines. But editing is where I improved the most. Patching the clips together, I noticed right away how lighting can make or break a scene. Some shots were way brighter than others, so I picked up tricks to match the brightness and keep things looking smooth. I threw in sound effects from Mixkit, used Canva for the credits, and all that made the opening look way more put together. I got the hang of pacing, picking the best takes, and setting the right mood for the interview scene. Working with my group taught me a lot, too. We split up editing Jalin took care of credits, Santi worked on the main sequence, and I focused on lighting and mood. Watching their process helped me get better at working with others and giving feedback. At the end of the day, I went from knowing almost nothing to actually understanding how planning, set design, writing, sound, and editing all fit together to make something that works.

 

editing

Lighting and Visual Editing

For the editing part of our 2-minute opening I focused on making the lighting in the interview scene look good. When I put the clips together some shots were brighter than others. It made the cuts look weird. So I used iMovie to make the brightness the same across all shots. I also picked shots where the light hit Dr. Mueller on because it made him look stressed which fit the moment before he reveals the medicine is deadly.

Things like making the brightness a bit at the end helped make the silence feel heavier.

Canva Work

I also did the background sounds and outside audio. I used Mixkit to get typing sounds and clapping so the interview felt like it was happening in a studio. We also used Canva for some elements like organizing the credits and making sure the text looked clean and matched the tone of the film. Adding these details made the opening feel more polished and realistic.

Group Editing Roles

We split the editing work, between the three of us. Jalin worked on the opening credits. Helped design them in Canva. Santi focused on putting all the clips choosing the best takes and making the whole opening flow smoothly. My job was to fix the lighting add effects and help shape the mood of the interview scene with Dr. Mueller. All of our edits combined to make the final opening feel tense and dramatic.

Hi, So we finished the 2 minuet film opening a few days ago and we are finished with editing the reason I am doing this post this week is because Jain was sick.

| Mixkit -sound effects

ccr question 2

 

• How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

 For our film opening the main way we tried to get the audience into it was by throwing them straight into the problem. The second Dr. Mueller says his medicine is deadly, the whole vibe changes. You don’t even need a long setup because right away, you are like ok something is seriously wrong. That’s how mystery films work, something goes bad fast and the audience has to figure it out, and we did that without even realizing at first. 

The drama part also helps keep people watching. The slow zooms, the stillness, the lighting. When I was editing, I noticed how the lighting literally changed the whole mood. If one clip was brighter than the next it felt weird, so keeping it consistent made the tension build up more. When the light hits Dr. Mueller straight on it makes him look stressed and exposed, and that pulls the audience in because you can tell something big is coming. 

Another thing that helps is the characters feeling like real people. Maverick is just a normal guy, nothing crazy in his past, no dramatic trauma. That actually makes him easier to relate to because he reacts how a regular person would. Dr. Mueller also isn’t some evil villain; he’s just someone who messed up and can’t handle the guilt. That makes the audience feel bad for him instead of just hating him. All of that makes the story feel more real and keeps people watching. 

For distribution, since this is a short film opening and a student project, the most realistic way it would be shared is online. Stuff like YouTube or Netflix is where most short films end up, and it’s easy for people to watch and share. It could also be put into student film festivals or local competitions because that’s what a lot of people do with projects like this. Social media would help too; short clips of the glove scene or the moment he reveals the drug is deadly would get attention on TikTok or Instagram. 

And since this is for Cambridge, it would also be “distributed” through this blog and the CCR, because that’s where the examiner sees everything. So it fits the whole purpose of the project. 

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DClJUemDJz0/maxresdefault.jpg

Answering the questions

The way I will be answering this question and the first one will be on an interview with my dad because he's the interviewer in the film. 

script

Dad: Alright Sam, first question. How does your film use or challenge conventions, and how does it represent people or issues?

You: So we mixed mystery and drama without even thinking about it at first. In mystery movies something usually goes wrong right away, and we did the same thing with Dr. Mueller saying his drug is deadly. That sets the tone fast. For the drama side we used slow zooms, still shots, and the lighting to make everything feel heavy. The lighting was a big deal because if one shot was brighter than the next it killed the mood, so keeping it dark and even made the tension build up.

We also changed some conventions. Most drama movies have a main character with some crazy backstory or trauma, but Maverick is just a normal dude. No dramatic past, nothing wild. We wanted the focus to be the problem, not his life story. And in mystery films there’s usually a mentor or someone helping the main character figure stuff out, but we didn’t do that. Dr. Mueller basically leaves Maverick alone with the problem, which raises the stakes.

For representation we wanted everyone to feel like real people. Maverick is just a regular guy who reacts how a normal person would. Dr. Mueller isn’t some evil scientist, he’s just someone who messed up and can’t handle the guilt. And the interviewer is just a professional doing his job. No stereotypes, just people dealing with a bad situation.(target audience)

Dad: Alright, second question. How does your film engage the audience, and how would it be distributed if it were real?

You: The main way we pull the audience in is by dropping them straight into the problem. The second Dr. Mueller says the medicine is deadly, the whole vibe changes. You don’t need a long setup because right away you know something is seriously wrong. The lighting and the stillness help too. When the light hits Mueller straight on he looks stressed and exposed, and that makes you feel like something big is coming.

The characters help keep people watching because they feel real. Maverick reacts like a normal person, not some superhero. Dr. Mueller isn’t a villain, he’s just someone who made a mistake. That makes the whole thing feel more believable.

For distribution, since it’s a student film opening, it would mostly be online. Stuff like YouTube or maybe short film festivals. Clips of the glove scene or the moment he admits the drug is deadly would do good on TikTok or Instagram. And for school, it gets “distributed” through the blog and the project stuff we turn in, since that’s how Cambridge sees it.

ccr research 1

• How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

We wanted our characters to feel like genuine individuals in terms of representation. Because we decided to create a film combining both mystery and drama, we pulled many conventions from both genres without initially being aware we were doing so. In mystery films it seems that something usually goes wrong straight away and the audience must then work out what it is. We carried this out within our film with Dr Mueller's interview; as he states that his drug is deadly, this immediately sets the mystery tone. The audience knows that something is wrong, but at this point in time we do not know fully what this is.

In drama we incorporated slow zooms, serious tones and stillness so as to build tension. Drama films seem to have moments that feel substantial and we tried to convey this with lighting and the steady gaze of Dr Mueller; this helps build intensity and we thought that this suited the genre. Our change from convention takes place within the nature of the main character, Maverick; most drama films include a protagonist who has a dramatic background and a deep emotional history.

In our case, Maverick is merely an average individual with a regular history, no traumatic background and no underlying issue. We decided that Maverick would have an ordinary background because we want the focus of our story to be the problem and not necessarily Maverick; this therefore also fits into the aspect of mystery where you want the audience to focus on the issue at hand. We have also broken a mystery convention by not incorporating a 'mentor' figure. This is where the main character is aided in solving a mystery; here however Dr Mueller has no longer a reason to help Maverick and has taken his own life meaning that Maverick is to solve the problem alone and raises the stakes.

we wanted all of our characters to feel like real people. Maverick portrays a standard person, one who will rise to the occasion when needed. Maverick would then be able to relate to, and an audience may be able to feel sympathy towards such a character. Dr Mueller portrays the struggle and pressures facing scientists, and that one mistake will make millions suffer, we chose not to make Dr Mueller a 'bad' character but rather a person who has made one mistake and is unable to deal with the consequences. The interviewer portrays an everyday person who has a professional outlook towards the interview.

https://s39613.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/questions-and-answers-discussion-forum-picture-id1156622227.jpg

tomorrow I will explain what the process for answering the question will be like. 

editing post lighting

intro

 I was put in charge of the editing for lighting on i movie today i will be walking you guy through the process.

lighting 

In the studio before we even edited we used this big globe looking light, and the light from the studio.

                                                         This is similar to the light we used

editing the lighting

During editing today I noticed something about the lighting in our interview scene. It really changes the whole mood I think. We shot everything on the white side of the studio so it was pretty bright from the start. But when I started piecing the clips together brightness had to stay the same across shots or else it looked weird.

If one angle came out a little darker the cut just felt off somehow. So picking the right clips was a big deal. Especially for that part right before Dr. Muellers announcement. I stuck with shots where the light hit his face straight on. That made him seem tense and kind of exposed.

The slow zoom going in with that lighting it weighs the scene down makes it more serious. Then towards the end I dialed the brightness back some to let the silence hang there uncomfortably. It sort of matches how the reveal comes out.

The lighting did more than keep things looking clean I guess. It pulled the emotion along and ramped up the intensity of the announcement. Some might not notice that right away but it stands out once you see it.

Production post day 2

Day 2

Today will be the day we film the scene where doctor muller breaks the news two the word that his medicine is deadly, we will be filming on location at the podcast studio.

Today's filming went smooth we got all the shots that we wanted to get done with and know we only have one day left for filming at Santis house with Jalin's dad.

Bad news

Jalin got the flu and he's been out for many days now, but his work is not going unnoticed he's been helping Santi edit and polishing the opening for us. But we have to wait for him to get better before we can film with him.

filming process

We started off getting situated we found where we wanted to film, we introduced the parents and ready to work. We settled on the couch area and started with the mise-en-scene toying around with the set till we found the perfect fit. Then we pulled up the script and let the actors try to memorize their line we did a few worm up shot, and we stated actually filming this took a lot longer than expected over an hour, because our teacher always says over shot.

Santi and my dad looking over the script.

reflection

Overall, we did well today in the next blog i will be going in depth into ever shot and how it went

 

shots

The first shot we filmed was the two persons medium shot it was simple and good.  

Then we film the one behind the camera.

 This is the inspo. for the second shot.

last one was the close ups on both of them.

reflection 

Overall, we had a great filming day.