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Mastery Journey & Business of Film Course – Goals Review

Retrieved from: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/79172

Retrieved from: https://www.campfiretalefilm.com/behind-the-scenes

Over the course of 12 months, we have been given the task to review and reflect at the end of each class, our goals we set for each one of them. This time is no exception however, allow me to be brief with my class review in order to provide some room and reflect on my journey as MFA student at Full Sail University and as a filmmaker.

First, let me share with you some of the goals I had for this course right at the start of my journey. My first goal was to learn and understand the distribution process, my second goal was to create my brand representation as a filmmaker and lastly, submit my film to as many festivals I could.

One may think that distribution of a film is just making DVD’s or showing it in theaters. Yet, film distribution is more complex and as important as making the movie itself. Where do I take my film to, where and how much do I sell it for, will I make money out of this film or is just for art. These and many other factors affect the distribution process. From where to store it and for how long will it stay stored to marketing, licenses and copyrights, the distribution process can be tedious but is crucial for the success of your film. This success or failure will have a direct impact to your brand as filmmaker. This goes along with my second goal to create a personal brand. As the Producer of our thesis short film, I have to take in consideration not only the Directors vision or my own experiences but also, take the opinions and considerations of our entire class. Is not an easy task indeed, but it provides you with the opportunity to rely on colleagues, trust their craft so they can trust yours. Earning this trust with them and the rest of my crew and colleagues, is what will create that personal brand as a Producer. My achievements as a Producer will play a huge part of my brand however, I consider the trust of my crew to be the base of my core as a Producer.

Lastly, I wanted to submit our film to as many festivals as we can possibly do. With a $200 budget for festival we were able to submit our film to a total of 12 festivals, locally here in Florida and internationally in countries such as Puerto Rico (my home country) and Spain. With short-term and long-term festival strategy plans, our thesis film goal will be to submit in 20 more festivals around the world.

Now, let me expand on my journey as an MFA student and filmmaker in the past 12 months. My journey started back in May 2018. I had clear goals and a clear vision on which direction I wanted to go. Yet, little did I know, all of these goals and directions were about to change, transform and in some cases shifted to make me the Producer I am today.

Walt Disney once said “You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” As a filmmaker we have a sense of knowledge when it comes to know how many people it takes to make a film. However, I find myself not just knowing it takes a large amount of people to create of film but perhaps I am starting to understand how crucial it is for a film. The picture I show bellow Walt Disney’s quote, is a BTS picture from our thesis film, A Campfire Tale. With the largest crew in the MFA thesis films at Full Sail University history (81 people) is clear, to say the least, that it really takes a village to bring a story to life.

This picture captures what it looks like, how many people are involved in order to have a 30 second scene on a film. In my time at Full Sail I have come across with countless filmmakers from everywhere in the industry but most importantly I have come across colleagues for a life time. Going through my memories I cannot help but to notice that this industry is not made for everyone. If you want to make film, you better love filmmaking. This may be the case into why I have come across unlikable people but yet, I have bonded and made friends and colleagues for a life time. During this journey you get to find your nitch in the industry, discover who you are as a filmmaker, expand your network and my favorite one yet, get to share set with such creative and talented people. There are many takeaway’s from this journey but the two most remarkable ones are getting to know wonderful people/colleagues and getting to know who I am, where do I stand and where I am going as a Producer. And if I have to describe my journey in one word, that will be ACHIEVEMENT.

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Film Production Thesis IV: Film Assembly

Working on student level films means you have to wear multiple hats. Yet, somehow maintains the structure of a higher-level films and the way production works in the industry. As a Producer for years, I have learned the process of post-production but somehow, I never gave the attention I now understand is needed. I also understand, how much involved I have to be all the way throughout from pre-production through deliverables. This course definitely took my production skills to new levels and for that, here is a review of my goals set for this class.

My first goal was to learn the process of sound mixing in the post-production phase. Even though we did not have the entire month inside the Dub Stage, I will say that the time we did have was more than fulfilling. Having the opportunity to experience first-hand how our film transformed during the sound mixing process was just phenomenal. It was great to see how sounds we could consider as minor were in fact big part of a scene or a feeling in the film. Understanding the reason behind it and what you want out of it is just amazing. I may not be the greatest or most knowledgeable when it comes to sound mixing or sound editing but, this course gave me the confidence needed and the opportunity to learn and understand the process. I just finished producing and shooting another short film and I can already see the results of my improvement. From the pre-production I was already considering post production and its entire process. Moving forward sound editing and the entire post production process will be as important as any major aspect of the film.

My second goal for this course was to have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from other degrees. If there is one thing that I like the most of this industry is the ability to interact with people from different interests and skills. For our thesis film, we had the opportunity to work with instructors, interns and students from the recording arts school. Getting to know their perspectives and approach to sound and music was just one of the highlights of this course. Is sometimes surreal when you collaborate and share your vision when is interpreted in other forms of art. Working with the sound of our film and get as close as to create almost the entire film environmental sounds by doing Foley was just incredible. Working with the recording arts team have helped me expand my network and definitely has helped me be a better Producer. I can clearly state that I accomplished more than my goal hear. I have created relations that will last for a long time.

My third and last goal for this course was to have a well finished project that can represent my next step in my career. If the is something that I am confident about after this class is defiantly our well finished film. Words cannot describe how proud I am of my team and cohort. Everything we have work for months, all the sleepless and rough nights but also the happy and memorable moments, all are finally starting to pay off. Making a film is definitely not a one-man job, it really takes a village to make film. Having the opportunity to lead such creative and wondaful colleagues and crew to bring a film to life has been one of the greatest experiences so far for me as a Producer. To say the least, this month in general I have accomplished more than my goals and I am ready for my next step.

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Film Production Thesis III: Post-Production Goals Review

My first goal for this class was to learn what are all the aspects of post-production. When I first think of Post-Production I mostly picture just editing. In this course not I have only learned more about editing itself but, I was introduce to many more steps and processes done during post that I never considered. From editing the picture, to coloring, to sound mixing and to delivery, these steps are as important and creative as shooting the film itself. I now understand the importance behind discussing these topics even from pre-production. It is crucial and to understand where we want to showcase our film in order to determine the rest of the process; what equipment we need to use, how we will shoot it and how will it be transferred.

The second goal I set for this course was to collaborate and be involved as much as possible with our thesis film editing process. Even though I understand that the Director caries the main for the film, as the Producer, I am ultimately responsible for the final product and delivery of the film. Also, as the Producer, I have the authority to make any creative decisions during the post-production process however, but at the end of the day I also need to trust the Director’s vision. For our thesis film I feel very lucky to have a Director that has a clear vision and one that has been shared with me during the whole production which provides me the opportunity to focus in other areas of the post-production besides the editing, color and sound mixing.

My third and last goal for this course was to learn the perspective of a producer in the post-production process. For the past few 9 years I have worked to develop myself to the Producer I am today. But even though I have been working on it for a few years, is fascinating to know that there is so much more that I have to learn. I always knew that the editing and sound mixing process was something to budget it for but there is so much more than that. I have never considered where the film will be stored, what type of deliverable the film will have at the end nor what format the film use. The perception of the producer just bringing money to a film and putting a team together has expanded beyond that. As a Producer, I now understand that getting involved with every single department and learn as much as I can from it, is something to strive for on any of my future projects.

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Film Production Thesis ll: Production’s Goal Review

One will always hear colleagues stating that every production is different, and some will say is just the same. One may argue that the process is similar as any other production however, you will always encounter issues and setbacks that you never thought you will come across. Therefore, I will like define production in my own words as the preparation to the unknown. Along your crew, you will find a vision throughout the process but that is never enough. It does not matter how much ahead you think and plan, there is always going to be challenges and setbacks waiting for you. This course was not the exception in this learning process so please, allow me to review and compare my original goals to one of the best times I have had in mastery journey.

           My first goal for this course was to learn the Producers duties on set. The definition of this “duties” are always unclear. I discovered that there is no right or wrong answer to describe the producer’s duties on set since they will always vary. If there is one thing, I learned the most during my production is that there is always something to do. I realize that most of the hard work from the producer comes in pre-production. Making sure that everything we need for production days is as planned and ready as it can be. Now, by that I do not mean then there is nothing to do for the producer on set. I will say that the more you plan and work in pre-production, the more time you will have on set to take care of any unplanned issue or setback. Meaning, the more prepared you are from the beginning, your head will be clear and ready to take care of any issue on set in a timely manner. Believe me, you will encounter situations that you never thought you would but what makes the difference is how prepared in advance you are, so you can have a clear head to take care of the situation immediately.

           My second goal for this course was to use this time to identify future collaborators. If there is one goal that I accomplished the most was expanding my network during thesis. We took the time to review resumes and demo reels to make sure we had the best possible crew for our thesis. Not only did we find some amazing people to work with but more than that, we found lifetime colleagues. I feel honored to have the opportunity to lead such wonderful crew.

           My third goal for this course was to make sure I invested as much time as possible in our thesis film. As the Producer it may be strange if this was not a goal. However, I will say that at the start of my Master’s, thinking of future goals with only the description of the course, this statement makes total sense. I am glad I had it as a goal and that I can proudly say that I did accomplish. From discussions of the first draft of the script with the director months before even be the script was selected to actually walk on production days and see it all happening is just gratifying. And everything came together by just making sure I was involved in the most minor details of my production.

           In the Mastery book by Robert Greene he states: “A false path in life is generally something we are attracted to for the wrong reasons—money, fame, attention, and so on (2012).” Going through production was definitely an eye opener. Not only to discover that I am in the right path but also helped me discover myself and who I want to be in this industry.

Greene, R. (2012). Mastery. New York, NY: Viking Penguin.

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Visual Storytelling – Goals Review

           Film at is core can be defined as the ability to tell a story visually (visual storytelling). People in general believe that filmmaking is just pressing record on a camera then edit it and you are done. As a filmmaker I know that is not even close to what making a film is all about. But in order for me to get to pressing record on a camera, it is necessary that I understand the meaning behind visual storytelling and how does improve my film craft. This course allowed me to understand that and more while achieving my course goals.

           My first goal for this course was to learn different ways of composition. Composition is one of the most important aspects of filmmaking. Without it, the visuals will look uninteresting and armature. There are many aspects to be taken in consideration when composing like framing, distance from object, setting, lighting and what I consider the most important, your intention with that composition to evoke an emotion or to provide a message. Everyone has a different approach when composing which create different styles, therefore understating composition as a producer helps me make those important decisions like choosing a director.

My second goal for this course was to understand what visual storytelling means from a producer’s perspective. This goal goes hand on hand with my first goal. Understanding visual storytelling as a producer goes beyond framing or composition. This helps me evaluate and identify what I will like from a script to be the final product. Is understanding what type of approach the film needs in order to gather and combine the right team to execute the vision. This course definitely helped me boost my confidence when it comes to visuals storytelling and composition. I now have a better and vast understating of concepts and terminologies in order to communicate more effectively with my production team.

My third and last goal was to help me create more confidence when composing with a camera. There are many aspects involved in a camera when composing. Besides been a producer a really strong interest in the camera department and director of photography has emerged from me. The camera is the tool to take us to the screen, without it we will not be able to tell our stories. We had the opportunity to go over all the equipment we have available for the camera department. I soon realized that I knew more than I thought. My lack of confidence was created by not knowing the right terminology for the equipment and how to utilize them for what I had envisioned. I am really proud of myself after this course. I may not know all the insights of a camera, but I definitely know way more than yesterday.

If there is something, I will really take from this course is having an understanding of all the elements needed in order to create a visual that really tells a story. Knowing that every visual should have a meaning that compliments the script and helps move the story forward.

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Experimental Filmmaking – Goals Review

           When I think about experimental filmmaking, the first thing that comes to mind is breaking the rules, not follow structure or just film something just because.  In reality, experimental could be anything. By that I mean, is not necessary to just break the rules or not follow structure, experimenting can be anything I have not tried before in a film as simple as working with a green screen. Experimental filmmaking allows me to create and try out new things without thinking of the conventional ways of doing it, therefore providing me with a great platform to practice my craft and master it.

           My first goal for this course was to Identify current experimental films in the industry. During this course we had the opportunity to watch a few short films that are considered experimental for the industry today. For example, we learn about abstract short films which is a conjunction of images without providing any content nor following any type of structures. Another example will be VR or 360 videos which allows you to look around the image and focus anywhere you will like to. Today, this form of film is growing steady, changing and providing new ways to do films. I am glad I was introduced to new ways of doing film. It is definitely helping me understand my own craft and how to adapt to the new ways in the film industry.

My second goal was to brainstorm and allow my ideas to flow without thinking it will work. If one thing does not change when we refer to experimental is the fact that you have the freedom to think and create whatever comes to mind. Since I was introduced to new ways of filming, during this course, I had the opportunity to write many ideas and scripts without thinking that there was a structure or if it had any meaning. On the other hand, it allowed me to free my mind and write many ideas and concepts that are now taking shape, but all started by simply writing down the ideas. This course helped me open up myself and allow the ideas to flow without judging it from the beginning or worst, throwing the idea away because I believed it would not work. From now on I will not put any limits when it comes to ideas and I will give full freedom to my creativity and craft.  

My third and last goal for this course was to finish an experimental film by the end of the class. Even though I did not participate in any short that broke any of the rules or did not follow a structure, I did have the opportunity to produce three short films very different from each other. I produced my first criminal short film which involved proper procedures for prop weapons and green screen placement. I cannot thank enough the opportunity I had for the first time to work with a greens screen and understand the proper ways to do it. I also had the opportunity to produce an experimental short film which consist of a sequence of images followed by a voice over of a poem written by one of my classmates. It was interesting the pre=production process when we were trying to figure it out, what kind of images could be a good fit for the poem and that could also help represent visually the meaning of the poem. And last but not least, I had the opportunity to produce my very first sci-fi and more than that, I had the opportunity to shoot the entire short using green screen and a space ship video game simulator. It was a fantastic experience how we needed to visualize and translate that to the actors in order to understand the story without having it present at the time.

Overall, I can definitely say that this month was very successful and full of new things that I learned. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to put into practice my craft with no limitations. And mainly I am grateful that this course helped me allow myself to think and write new ideas without judging it first hand.

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Directing Talent Class - Goals review

           Directing has never been part of those departments that I would like to explore and pursuit in this industry. I have developed myself as a producer throughout my BA degree and I have considered it the role that I am more experienced in and that I could succeed in this industry. However, when I was writing down the goals for this class I got really excited that I will finally learn more about this role which is crucial in the film industry.

           The first goal I set for myself for this class was to understand the responsibilities of a Director from pre-production to post-production. I am really happy to share that I have accomplished this goal by the end of this course. I definitely feel that I have a much better understanding of the responsibilities of a director on set and how they play throughout the whole filmmaking process. As a producer, it is crucial to understand this role as much as you can. I consider this important specially as producer when you are looking for a director to take charge of a project you really want to invest in. This will help you manage and make decisions keeping the process in a specific budget but also balancing it with less limitations for the director’s creativity.

           The second goal I have set for this class is to play the role of a director for the first time. I first must mention that I have accomplished this goal and more. I never thought I would have the opportunity or the craft to perform this role on a set. I have to say that my colleagues and classmates played a big part of this, but I definitely feel really proud of myself with this goal accomplishment. I will lie if I say that I was not nervous the first time while I was directing for the first time and my professor grading me on the spot. The great thing about this class and the exercise we did in class helped not only understand this role but to play it and practice it enough to walk out of the class confident enough to perform it and keep on learning it. Like I mentioned before I never considered this role as a department that I was interested in for this industry but if something I am taking away from this course is the courage to keep on learning it and practice more.

           The last and third goal I have set for myself is to learn how to relate on set with the actors as a director in order to obtain the best performance. Same as directing, I have never considered myself an actor nor I like to be in front of cameras. I feel like I feel like I belong more behind cameras. I am really proud as well since I was able to accomplish this goal in this course. Having not only the opportunity to direct but to actually act in my classmates’ scenes was the best decision I could make in order to accomplish this goal. The professor can guide you and explain different methods on how to deal with actors but putting yourself in their shoes, I feel like you could learn and understand more their position on set. For me is like directing, unless I try it, I will not be able to understand or guide them the way I need to.

           I am very grateful for the opportunities I was given in this class. From directing, acting and even be part of the casting process, are just a few of the many opportunities I was provided in class to understand the directors role.  

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Mastery Journal Vlog

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To Quick To Judge short film Review

Too Quick To Judge(2013) is a three and a half minute short film. Considering the film content, the logline could be suggested as, “A young deaf woman is caught in the middle of society’s quick judgement”. Looking at the title and the quick reflection at the end, the theme for this short drama relates to how society is so quick to judge.  

The short starts introducing the protagonist. You see a young woman drawing in the middle of a park and as we get closer, you are able to see she is a fashion designer. A young man approaches the bench, sits his backpack and stretches before heading to run and exercise. A few moments later, the young man comes back and sits at the bench to drink some water. Notices the woman next to him is drawing and tries to compliment her but it seems that the girl is not paying any attention to him. The young man stands and leaves for another run thinking that the woman was just rude and did not want to talk to him. At this time, the woman notices he is somehow upset because of what just happened. The woman writes a sorry note on one of her sketches, put it under his back pack and leaves. The young guy comes back and reads the note and at that moment realizes that she was not ignoring him and that she was deaf.

We see that the characters do not know each other first seen that the story take place in public park and they really do not share any smiles or eye contact. Half way through the short the incident and plot is revealed. The young man tries to talk to her, but the young woman seems to ignore him.  There is a pause and the young man tries to compliment a second time where she does not react again. Now he starts deducing that woman are rude, he is not a creep, he just wants to talk about her drawing and people is just rude. She notices when he walks away that he was talking to her the entire time and Is here when we realize that is not her intention to ignore him and there is something else. The resolution comes when she leaves a sorry note with a sketch for the young man to find. The note says, “Sorry if I offended you. I’m Deaf”. Here is when the whole story takes a turn and teaches us that we should not judge so quick because we never know what is going with the people next to you.

The production uses a public place. We see there is natural light all across the entire short. Since is in the middle of a park we see a lot of greens, browns and yellows which gives the comfort and warmth of nature. There is music playing on the background the entire film which gives some emotion and continuity to the story. There is very little dialogue and when it does, we can hear the sounds of nature around them. The young man is dressed in a T-shirt and sweat pants since he is exercising, and the young woman is dressed very modern and fashioned and which we can understand furthermore by looking at her fashion sketches. The use of steady camera all the way through with multiple mid shots to reflect the separation between them or as they do not know each other and close ups to reflect their thoughts. The transitions thought-out the story we see them via the characters actions more than the editing.

The use of natural light and outdoor location is definitely something that can and will be used in our zero-low resource film project. The use of natural light will help us through the production since we do not possess any lighting equipment. It will also help to give a more realistic look and feel to the story since most of the settings are outdoor. They use very little dialogue and more visual though out the story. This was definitely a challenge while writing the script, but it gives us the opportunity to rely more on the visuals rather than the words.

Not having dialogue is definitely our biggest challenge which means our main focus will be visuals and audio. The positioning and location will play a crucial part since is what we will use to tell the story. We are also focusing in the audio to provide more meaning to the visuals to create continuity to the story. Analyzing To Quick To Judgehas definitely brought to my attention that there is so much that can be told with visuals and that a great short just need a good story and no need for big budget invested.

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“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” - Wayne Dyer

Retrieved from: Wayne Dyer Quotes (2018). In Brainy Quote. Retrieved June 24, 2018, from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/wayne_dyer_384143

Besides giving credit to the Dyer I also need to give credit to Professor Eric Miles for introducing me to this amazing quote. Ever since week one when Eric quoted this to us during class, it literraly got stocked in my head. There is so much truth in this quote and it does inspires me on everything I do. I now try to see things different and always look for the positive side of it because I know that if I see it as positive, the outcome will be positive.  Thank you Professor Miles.

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