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It certainly was an interesting month of September to end my MFA career in Business of Film, but I sure did learn a lot and am looking forward to my next ventures. I survived a hurricane and learned how to better negotiate salary in an interview, so overall, I’d say this month was super successful. Business of Film has been a helpful part of my curriculum at Full Sail and it was very enlightening to finally look at the business aspects and logistics behind film with all that money, money, money. Altogether I would say I met most of my original objectives for this course.

     One of my objectives was focused on making sure our film was completed and everything was in order for the title cards and credits. I would say looking back this objective really doesn’t fit the structure and goals for this course and wasn’t fulfilled. I am however very thankful that Peter gave us time around class to complete our final uploads of all the credits and visual effects shots. Having that time and support helped get everything in order for our film’s first screening. Also to have the financial support to send our film off to some festivals is much appreciated. On a somewhat similar side note with the first screening of our film coming in September I learned through this class that this time of year isn’t the best for premieres. Typically, that date means your film isn’t expected to do well and you should look at what else is coming around that period. If I could choose a theatrical premiere for Lemonade Stand I would choose a month or two ahead of now like mid-July to the start of August since families could all go together, or possibly January when more people will have holiday breaks and free time. Keeping track of film’s box office incomes on Box Office Mojo will forever be a useful tool to have and I’m glad this is involved in the course a lot. I now have the opportunity to always stay on top of how movies are doing and this is super important to be a successful business person in film.

     Another objective I had for this month was to create a strong campaign image. I do feel in varying ways this objective was fulfilled throughout this month. This course was beneficial with all the focus we put on branding within the film industry. I learned that studios today are all about production and distribution. One major factor that I will take away from this course curriculum is that your pitch for your film is all about the way that you brand it and sell yourself. The pitch must answer who, what, when, where, why, and how. When you create a campaign image for your production there are a mix of factors that drive the production’s value; the time, the ability of repeat consumption, differential pricing, and exclusivity. Business of Film put my mindset in the right place for future works of mine or that I will work on in how you must think about profit versus what is profitable from the film. I will keep a Producer role in mind as well as I move forward in my career path and have it be a role I work into. The fact that when you are at the top of the line you’ll get a piece of the gross profit is rather convincing to stick with Producing and put up with all the headaches it requires.

     My final objective was to make a strong trailer for use with our festival submissions, which we did not complete on time . Much of post-production has been a huge learning experience for me and keeping up with the work flow it requires. Also technical elements of having time code burn-ins on our footage threw me off. I am thankful Justin pointed it out so we can fix those changes quickly before we begin to submit within the next few weeks.  Overall I think a better goal for this course would have been to get a solid idea of our film’s value and create a strong festival strategy for Lemonade Stand. I believe our thesis film has major possibilities to do well during our festival run and I hope we can raise some money in the future to submit to as many festivals as possible. I think we could better organize our strategy as of now to make a game plan. I will keep my fingers crossed that Lemonade Stand will become a great exposure for me as a filmmaker and Producer, and in the future I receive an opportunity to look at agents and managers for my work. Within the next 5 years I want to get into the DGA union so I can continue to work hard at the rates I deserve. Everything we discussed about unions and what they provide for those in the union was beneficial to me. I plan to always work hard in this industry and will be better prepared to receive the benefits I know and understand now with all my learnings in Business of Film. I feel ready to step out into the real world and that anything is possible if you ask.

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Film Assembly

Overall I really enjoyed myself this month in Film Assembly and I feel this course met my original objectives from Mastery. Coming into this course I barely had a clue of what goes into the making of sound and score for a film. Watching our film grow from the assembly of our soundtrack for pre-dubbing into ADR sessions and reaching our final mix helped me grasp the workflow process that takes place to bring a film’s soundtrack to life. After spending this month with Bill and watching all that goes into the transformation from a picture-lock into an entire functioning film with visual and audio elements was extremely fulfilling.

My first objective for this month was to get software savvy. Each of our Pro Tools exercises met this objective for me. I barely touched Pro Tools before this course and I found it very helpful to have these exercises to watch and reflect on for class. Since I have mainly been on the paperwork side of filmmaking for the past few months it was great to step out of my comfort zone and learn this program. I feel our assignments helped me grasped the basics of recording and manipulating sounds through Pro Tools and this can help me as a filmmaker to take my work to the next level as I continue to perfect my skills with storytelling. I also really enjoyed watching Bill while we were in the dubstage as we mixed our film together. There are a lot of buttons on the console that I still don’t know what they do but I was super grateful to have the occasion to watch Bill pull all our sound elements together to time out and perfect each one.

My second objective was to properly manage video files. I feel this objective was met through Becca being an amazing and committed editor. Aside from a small tweak she had our film set to go when we entered this month for mixing. This course was a learning experience for many of us as we grasped the workflow process and I feel in some ways this objective wasn’t met as well, in which I take responsibility. As a Producer, it was my responsibility to make sure our visual effects along with our credits were ready for our final mix yet there were issues. I’ve also learned that as much as I ask others to delegate for me, this isn’t always the case. Danny kicked butt to get his work in on time for us yet other’s choosing not to step up and move forward with this work affected us. I also realized as a Producer you need assistance in looking over things since I made mistakes with our end credit list and having others willing to help and look over my work would have been a great assistance to me. Coming from a Producer perspective for this month I feel I continued to grow in learning what my role needs to be during post-production and to execute.

My last objective was to involve all teams during our mixing process this month. In some ways, this was met yet it was hard to involve all teams of our classmates with the needs of the film’s vision, sounds, and score. Our time in the dubstage was a huge help to keep everyone involved and also gave our class time to critique together and offer any creative suggestions. I found being able to do this each week helped our film evolve into a strong vision of what we originally pitched for Lemonade Stand. Altogether I am extremely thankful for all the work Pamela and Brandon put in for us as well as Oscar and Damian for our sounds and score. Once everything was added in for our sound elements I couldn’t be more proud of what our film has become and the story it tells.

Altogether I absorbed an abundance of information this month revolving sound. I learned the differences between background, foley, and hard FX stems that lead you to create your final mix down. I saw the importance of dialogue spotting as well as looping and all the direction/communication needed for ADR sessions. We explored the types of sound effects around original sound, analogous visualization and sounds without visual congruence. I learned the importance of adding in temporary tracks to the film’s visuals to build from. I also was able to identify songs as a source and how it creates a physical and emotional reality on screen with each choice of sound. This month has been so fulfilling for me as a filmmaker and I feel extremely prepared in the future for the workflow process of a film after production. It rang true to me the importance of having a good relationship with your sound department and always having a supportive attitude. Bill is a tremendous professor and asset to this program. I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to work with him for Lemonade Stand.

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“It’s Velcro.”

This month of post-production had me take on a whole new level of admiration for what an editor brings to the table in bringing a film to life. Watching our own thesis film grow from an assembly to our picture lock was a fun journey and I appreciate the components of what makes an “editor” compared to someone who “edits”. Overall this month I feel I grew in my editing abilities and definitely have an interest in editing in my future.

           One of my objectives for this month was to prepare for the unprepared- in the sense that we didn’t get all the footage that was necessary to tell our story. I was extremely proud of our class when it was expressed that we did a spectacular job in collecting the footage needed to tell our entire story, as we pitched it. Our production was a shit-show truthfully. Many departments were unorganized and irresponsible so I couldn’t be prouder that we pulled off the number one necessary aspect for an editor; which is getting the coverage they need to edit the film in whole. Altogether we had a solid structure and pace throughout our workflow process that made our story clear. I love Lemonade Stand and its story and I feel our edit shines through with our original vision.

           Another objective I had for this month was to rough cut and continue to cut, cut, cut our film until it is a work of art- and it is a work of art. Luckily that is the whole objective of this class already in our curriculum so I am glad that through this month we could watch the transition of our piece as a class together and discuss. Especially being in a producer position I wanted to be involved in our edit but also give our editor and director the space they needed to work on the vision together. All I can really say is how amazed I was by Becca’s passion to put our project together and she did a tremendous job. I am very thankful to have her as our editor.

           Lastly my final objective for his month was to choose our “sound” in which I don’t quite feel that is a strong objective for this month. I did learn a lot regardless of how important sound is within a film and how it can change the entire tone of a sequence. I would say a more appropriate objective would have been to get all our visual effects shots in place. We do have minimal VFX but I was quick to absorb all that goes into such shots and how you have to be educated and organized. I really enjoyed the video we watched in class about the effects behind Wolf of Wall Street. It opened my eyes to all the possibilities editing and effects hands you in filmmaking. Now there is so much possibility  to bring any vision to life in post-production workflows, and in many ways the editor becomes almost the unseen director of the piece.

           Editing has almost become a therapeutic process for me. Yet I also realized I am lucky in the passion I have towards editing and our thesis film, which made it so easy for me to get behind the editing process. This course has inspired me to continue my learning and expand my skillset with my editing workflow. Maybe one day I may dip my toes into visual effects as well. Further out any projects I work on are going to be more on point with my editing abilities after this month. Thanks Rob. Next time I have a few bucks laying around I’ll get me some Velcro.

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Lemonade Stand; What I learned in my month of production as a producer...

          Overall this month our thesis production provided a lot of educational experiences when it comes to bringing a film production to life and all the trouble-shooting it entails. My original objects for this month’s course were mostly met. My goals were to clasp continuity, keep a cool head, and find fanatical stability. Although at the time I created those goals I didn’t know I would be producing our thesis film, I feel I still tackled these objectives within my key role during this month of production.

           Clasping continuity was my first objective and for this production I feel I was able to focus on that, but in a different manner than originally intended. Altogether our thesis film was not in a strong place within our art department a week before our production. As a producer and the initiator of this project I felt it was my duty to get involved and make sure we were in a solid state at the start of production. In terms of continuity I began paying special attention to all the visual needs within the script for every scene. I created my own art breakdown to make sure everything lined up. This helped keep our production’s continuity in place. There are no words for how thankful I was for those who stepped up to make our art happen. Hand in hand our art came together and helped put us in a better place for continuity to thrive throughout filming than originally. This was also an interesting experience to step out of my producer role and see how much I enjoyed being a part of the art department.

           My second objective was to keep a cool head. I think I succeeded tremendously with this objective. One major factor I learned while working on our thesis is the endless possibilities one has when they have a strong working relationship with others. Altogether I really respect and genuinely like my classmates. I feel my actions shined through towards them while working together on this project. I kept communication at a high standard and with every obstacle we faced I chose to keep a cool head and just focus on creating solutions. This industry is fast-paced with an intense amount of preparation falling on you at times. I feel I really proved to myself that I have what it takes to work in this industry and I feel the way my class responded to me also shows that. According to the New York Film Academy although a film is a collective creation of actors, writers, editors, and artists, the producer is the one who initiates the creation of a film and sees it through to distribution. Because producing requires a variety of skills, it is not obvious how a movie is produced. I feel I gave it my all every day for this production and kept a good attitude to assist our class in creating and completing our film.

           Finally, my last objective was to find financial stability for our production. In some ways, I feel my objective was met but at times I struggled with our financial stability. Altogether our finances were a huge learning experience for me. According to the New York Film Academy producing a film from start to finish requires enormous resources. Usually, funding is secured from a large studio, but here at Full Sail University you must get thrifty. The Academy also states in the past few years, crowdfunding on sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo has become another way to fund a movie. I feel we were in a great spot for our crowdfunding and were able to pull in the amount of money we needed for supplies. Yet I learned the hard way that it takes time for that money to come in, so I’ll be better prepared in the future. Plus, I also learned a valuable lesson that sometimes cards do not cut off and you really have to be aware of the spending as you get down to the final amounts left. Another large lesson I learned is that you need to work with others who understand the budget restrictions that they must work within. We really struggled with art staying within budge but we still made it happen and worked it.

��          I am very pleased with how our thesis film turned out. We faced a handful of obstacles each day, yet we powered through to bring our film’s vision to life. There are too many people who came together to support this production and it was a huge reminder why I love this industry and how I will be a better worker from this experience. I am proud of what I put forth into this production and I believe I can have a future in producing or assistant directing.

References:

Kantilaftis, Helen. "How To Become A Film Producer." New York Film Academy, Academy Student Resources, 11 June 2014, https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-to-become-a-film-producer/. Accessed 25 June 2017.

Perry, Spencer. "Rambo: New Blood TV Series in Development at FOX, Fifth Film on Hold" Coming Soon- Rambo: New Blood TV Series will feature Sylvester Stallone in the title role again, 1 Dec. 2015, www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/637437-rambo-new-blood-tv-series-in-development-at-fox-fifth-film-on-hold. Accessed 25 June 2017.

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Llama. Llama. Red pajama.

Entertainment and Communication Law has been a fulfilling course throughout the month. I originally walked into class as the producer of my thesis film not knowing a clue where to start with paperwork. Now I am walking away feeling ahead of the game and completely capable to have my film in line with the proper materials needed to make it a fantastic film.

One of my original objectives was to become a copyright seasoned veteran. It is no question that Davey set me up to be a veteran alright. Copyright was one of the main protections we went over in class for intellectual property laws. I became aware what is covered by copyright, including pantomime! As well as the five exclusive rights with copyright: reproduce, publicly reform, derive, publicly display, and distribute. Davey put us in a solid place of understanding how to obtain a copyright, and the duration of copyright, whether it be individual or a business. We looked into ownership and registration infringement as well as what is fair use. You can’t say everything is a parody! After this month, I’m basically going to do silent films shot in the pitch black with how aware Davey made our class of the trouble you can get into without the proper copyright and considerations.

Another objective I had was to mega-manage my knowledge I was obtaining in class. I would say this idea was achieved throughout this course with the efforts I made to learn more outside of the classroom. I spent a lot of time reading up outside of class the types of insurance covered within our thesis film and the best ways to assure the locations we hope to shoot in that we would be covered for loss and damages. I spent time reading up on business entities and whether our class should form our own production company moving forward. I looked into the creative commons and if there is any way we would face infringement by calling our girl scout a Gator Girl. Now I’ve been spending a lot of time considering the proper contracts and permits to provide for our thesis film. Altogether I feel I took my knowledge from class to help me push forward outside of class with all that we need to put our thesis into action.

Lastly my final objective was to volunteer my neck to be in a position where I handle the paperwork side of things. I believe I’m already in that position with the opportunity to be the producer for our thesis film. Overall this class really helped me become more passionate about the paperwork side of filmmaking and doing it right. I’ve always been a stickler for details and now I’ve learned and absorbed through our classwork the importance to not cut corners, put anyone at jeopardy, or put our film in risk due to negligence. I plan to honor Davey as I move forward with this production and work on my massive binder of paperwork.

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Everything I learned in VST;

After completion of Visual Storytelling Techniques and Technologies, I feel that this course met my original objectives. One of my weakest areas in filmmaking is my insight on the technologies used and needed in creating an impactful and quality image. It’s easy to picture a story in your head, but it can be hard taking that vision and transforming it into a reality on screen. This month I learned components of lighting and structures around composition which have left me in a stronger position as a filmmaker. My three objectives for this month were to learn the necessities of lighting, build from blocking a scene, and to create my own studio.

My first objective was met through all our class lectures and soundstage workshops. Each day learning our limitations of the lens made me feel more confident in my ability to capture an insightful image. I learn about the meaning of color temperatures and how to pull an audience’s eyes to certain aspects of a scene. I learned the difference between tungsten and fluorescent use. We utilized types of lights such as directional, diffused, or base lights. I absorbed the importance of framing a shot and focal length. We went over types of movement like apparent or relative movement and what attracts the eye. And I can’t forget about Chiaroscuro and bathing in muted tones of darkness. I feel this is the first class in this program where I left feeling much more educated with the hands-on aspects of filmmaking.

My second objective was met through our making of a scene schematic. This month I wanted to learn how to break down a scene and look at all its major components. Our schematic had us take a scene we loved and look at it from a light and compositional standpoint. This exercise had me for the first time breaking down in my mind where each light must have been placed and how they went about camera setups. When I watch scenes now I look for key intensity, quality, color, or direction change and what it’s implying. I question the aperture they must have used to get certain exposure, and so on. We all joked that we’ll never watch movies the same and I don’t look at that in a negative way. It amazes me the passion I feel when watching movies and trying to figure out how they created the magic.

My last objective was to create my own studio and ironically that is exactly what happened this month. Many of my classmates wanted to utilize my apartment space for our assignments. We set up a backdrop, opened our ARRI lighting kits, got our cameras in focus, and went from there. I learned a lot this month troubleshooting throughout our assignments. I honestly think that’s the best way to learn is through hands-on engagement and experiences. I got to watch my own assignments come to life as well as many of my classmates. I believe we all walked away with a deeper understanding of balancing our framework and we are all much more competent in our camerawork and lighting. I am super thankful to have a class such as VST and it has shaped me into a sharper filmmaker.

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Experimental Filmmaking.

What I learned;

This month I had a ton of fun learning different forms of storytelling through our Experimental Filmmaking course. I feel this course met all my original objectives I posted about from my Mastery journal entry. My three goals for this course were to: try out new technologies in filmmaking, rewrite the written, and absorb abnormality. Overall I was able to challenge myself and utilize different aspects of these goals as I learned and immersed myself with our teachings throughout this month.

My first goal was mainly about trying new technologies that were nontraditional forms of storytelling. I felt this goal was met through our Tout video postings. This was a rather cool component of class where we could examine different mediums to share our work and how to reach our audiences through a smaller timeframe of storytelling. I never realized just how hard it is to tell a 15 second story through my iPhone, yet it was enlightening to see how you could tell an entire story in that time. I also learned that sometimes it can be easy to overthink your work and simplicity can be such a powerful tool for storytelling.

My second goal revolved around the idea of taking story ideas I already have and approaching them from an experimental structure to see where I can take my work. I learned a lot from class when we discussed the explicit and implicit meanings behind films. This helped pull my mindset to a higher standpoint as a creator. Moving forward I am going to constantly think about what I want my viewers to take away from my work as well as what I can create for my viewers to project their own thoughts and ideas onto within the work. In terms of form this class has really helped me step outside myself by creating detachments of what I’m trying to do as a filmmaker versus how my viewers will see it.

Lastly my third goal was to absorb as much abnormality in filmmaking as possible. I thoroughly enjoyed all the videos that we had to watch for class each week. We went from examining top hats floating in air, to a 40-minute zoom, to the use of reflection in Black Swan (2010). With each class I felt myself thinking in new ways with how I can express myself other than just a storyline. Each video taught us the representation of visual symbols and repetition to engage interests. We learned how to use stylistic expectations of mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, and sound to give hints as we progress our storylines forward. The strongest aspect I learned was to not let our urge for wider significance outweigh our focus of a film as a dynamic whole.

Overall I really enjoyed the ride this month through our Experimental Filmmaking course and steering perceptions with our work. Each month I feel I have continued to grow as a creator and gained skills I can use personally and professionally as I move forward crafting. Not only did I grow with my structural understanding of filmmaking but I had countless opportunities of hands-on experience to guide me this month. I cannot wait to continue to create works that are challenging for me and push myself to step further out of my comfort zone.

Black Swan (2010) – Darren Aronofsky. 2015, https://themindreels.com/2015/08/17/black-swan-2010-darren-aronofsky/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2017.

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Directing Talent;

Overall I feel that my objectives for Directing Talent were met throughout the course. My three goals that I listed in my Mastery post for this course were to: push myself to network, watch films from a director’s perspective, and audition for other student films. Leaving this course, I have watched myself grow not only from a director’s standpoint but also become a stronger storyteller on the page and through the lens.

Firstly, I feel that I pushed myself to network and a lot happened for me this month. I was mostly in the right place at the right time. One evening while we were directing in the soundstage I got to meet the producer for that month’s thesis film, D20. I was lucky enough to help on set for pre-pro and landed a crew spot for their film the next week. Since then I have felt extremely fortunate with all the opportunities that have come to me through D20’s set. I have now landed myself a few different crew positions for the following months of thesis filming and I’m super excited to get to know more hard working Full Sailian’s and expand my skill set.

Secondly I also feel that I took the time to watch films from a director’s perspective. Many of the films we discussed or mentioned in class I took the time to view out of class. My favorite was, It Happened One Night, 1934. We watched a few film examples in class that brought to light for me the real importance of understanding what it means to be in actor, in order to be a stronger director. I have always had a passion for acting and I really enjoyed the many chances to act in my classmate’s short films and to be on both sides of the camera. I grasped more and more of the importance of rehearsing and how rehearsing is a chance to play around with your work but not set it in stone. I also absorbed the many challenges of blocking and translating your vision statement through the lens not only for continuity but for giving a determined performance.

I as well took the time to audition during our day of assisting Allen with casting. It helped me better understand the roles the producer, the director, and the actors play during the audition process, and how to get the best performance out of your actor in the audition. I grew with my ability to state clear objectives for an actor, and to not use adjectives! Actors require a neutral state and the Meisner, Hagen, and Strasberg approaches we were taught not only helped me with my own acting abilities but taught me how to pull the most honest performance from an actor.

 Lastly and altogether I feel that aside from my original objectives I believe this course brought me into a more comfortable spot with my directing. This course taught me how to use proper action-verbs for actors, how to craft effective dialogue, and how to construct a strong theme for my work. Before I only saw myself as being a director for documentary-style works but now I have become extremely inspired to put on my directing shoes more often and perfect my craft outside of my comfort zone.

Sci Fi Art (n.d.). In Pinterest. Retrieved January 29, 2017, from https://www.pinterest.com/lildowdey/sci-fi-art/

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What I learned in Creative Writing;

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Grapefruit and donuts.

Pink Grapefruit by Michael Mohan: https://vimeo.com/110217114

In the ten-minute short film Pink Grapefruit (2015) a married couple and two single friends go on a quiet vacation getaway, but it does not go as planned. Writer-director Michael Mohan centers the premise of the film around young adults today and our societal shifting expectations between sex and romance. Mohan exploits on the ambiguity of intimate relationships and follows the central dramatic question of how we should choose to measure our happiness. Is it really best to measure happiness by comparing it to those around us?

Pink Grapefruit plays on an eerie tone of solitude throughout the film. You hear the diegetic tones of the environment around them. The Californian desert silence, the air, and the insects buzzing around. These stylistic elements convey an emotionally powerful tone that adds a suspense that something is to come, but we can’t quite figure out what it is. Throughout the film there is much emphasis with Foley sounds and no musical score. The naturistic aspects of the setting take on their own narrative element of the simplicity of the two couples, the house, and the land.  These elements combine to create a beautiful accompaniment to this aspect of isolation between each character even though they are all together in one space.

The central dramatic structure consists around the single female character played by Wendy McColm who is striving for love and acceptance within herself and with another. She is what stands in her way with preconceived notions that she will screw it up. Her married friends also take on an antagonistic force and seem to look forward to watching these events unfold almost using McColm as a form of manipulative entertainment. The irony soon unfolds as the married couple begins to question their own bond while witnessing McColm and her blind date fall into a genuine romance. There is a strong point of foreshadowing at the beginning of the film with dialogue where McColm looks at the married couple and expresses that she never wants to end up like them.

The shot compositions and production design provide a unified representation of the entire aesthetic of the film. The color palate is flushed out. The character’s themselves wear very light bland colors and the house is rather monotone in whites and tans, which shapes the reality they live in to be almost as dry as the desert around them. The film opens with a gorgeous establishing shot of the Palm Springs desert and hills. You see a close up of the main character as she stares past the rearview mirror of the car they are traveling in. The setting of the dry land as well as the large glass house they stay in takes on a denotative element that evokes the current time, place, and depicts the rather solemn mood throughout.

From the beginning of the film Mohan uses shots that are close to McColm. These shot compositions show the audience whose head they should be in to appreciate the moment. Since the film follows a theme of comparisons Mohan uses a variety of contrasting shots to stage a certain stylistic juxtaposition of depth. In one frame you watch as McColm and her blind date undress for bed alone in their rooms yet they are side by side. In another frame you watch through the window as McColm engages in sex for the first time while the married couple is outside barely talking to one another. Each frame is put to use with the cinematography aligning each character’s feelings and establishing a sense of perspective. Mohan utilizes the most basic elements of film grammar with shots that start long and slowly zoom in as the viewers get close up and personal with what the characters are experiencing in the moment.

Wrong Choices by Justin Appleton: https://vimeo.com/192229634 (password required)

In the short zero to low resource film Wrong Choices (2016), written by Oscar Romero and directed by Justin Appleton, you follow a young man who lets a night of drinking and partying get him into a sticky situation. The premise of the film is similar to Pink Grapefruit which centers around generations today and the shifting relationships between thoughts and actions. The central dramatic structure revolves around the young male character as he decides to break into his crush’s home after sending her an embarrassing drunk video. He also takes on an antagonistic force becoming the key problem to all the issues he is experiencing.

With barely any dialogue the narrative elements are expressed entirely through visual choices. The cinematic language alone is what pushes the story along as viewers experience close ups and point of view angles to understand the world the characters are living in. The small amount of dialogue helps convey information as a counterpoint to the visual representation the audience is experiencing as his crush ends up watching his embarrassing video. The shot design begins with the main character and ends with the main character, and with the most frame time it helps comment on the importance he plays to the overall situation. The main actor’s performance morphed his role into a compelling character quickly. You wonder why he is breaking into this house and what he could possibly be thinking when he decides to take a quick donut break during the process? The decision to have the visualization of the storyline use open-ended elements helps to keep viewers absorbed in it all.

The use of body language, facial expressions, needle drop music, and dubbed-in diegetic sounds add certain layers of comedic relief throughout the film where dialogue is missing. The film takes on a chosen aesthetic that is beautifully terrible all at the same time. The tone constantly switches back and forth between comedy and light-hearted horror through contrasting shots. One frame shows the main character in pain inside a lit up girly bathroom while within another frame his crush recoils in fear in the darkness of her room, confused at the noises she hears. With the use of edited jump-cuts it compresses time as you follow the main character and disrupts continuity as you follow him in his intoxicated state to retrieve the phone. Although he fails viewers can’t help but feel somewhat happy for him as he gets a not so sweet kiss goodbye from his crush.

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This is a video I made back when I was a sophomore at Emerson College. I find this inspiring because every once in a while I’ll go back and watch this video to remind myself why I’m on the right path of doing more creative work in my lifetime. I had joined Your Mag Emerson and fell in love with this group because I had the ability to take on roles such as talent, producer, director, and editor with work that was super creative and humorous, and was much more fun compared to my journalistic structured coursework. This video was one of the first instances where I realized that I wanted a different relationship with media than behind a news desk.

Emerson, Your Mag. (Production). (2012). Talking Love With Terrena [Online video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 23, 2016.

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