Creative Critical Reflection

Here is my CCR

The Making of "Mine"

Opening Fan Mail!

Officially done! 

Film Opening

Our project is finished! I honestly can't believe it. 

MINE 

Enjoy! 

Homestretch!

 CCR:

-Draw My Life: questions 1 and 2

I took inspiration from a youtube trend from a while back where people would draw their life stories and I thought this would be a really cute way to display my project! I already have some digital art experience from before and this just made it easier to do. Plus drawing my story was actually a lot of fun since it's a very eventful story. I used the app PicsArt to draw and it has a feature to record the drawing which was super helpful. I also was able to speed it up so that you wouldn't be able to tell that I was drawing slowly. then I just put the drawing clips together on iMovie!

FanMail: questions 3 and 4

This is a common celerity interview type of video. I watched harry styles and I was inspired by that video. i made some fake envelopes from fake fans and then just opened them on camera and answered the questions. This was really easy to do. 

The CCR was actually my favorite part of this whole project and it was so satisfying to see it come together and it made me feel accomplished and very proud of morgan and me. 

Filming day 2

close up of Elke with bruise. 

We filmed a lot! We got the bulk of our scene done and are pleased with the results, considering we barely had a plan. We took a lot of takes.

Morgan doing makeup. 

 We had my sister there so we could film the kidnapped conversations and she did great and her makeup was done by Morgan. This was so easy to do since my sister had a really big eyeshadow palette that we could use and my dad provided us with the chair, the duck tape, and the rope! 

We also had another friend there that we could ask for opinions and show her the takes which was really helpful. 

I had to do the scenes many times because I am a very awkward person. BUT we persevered and the scenes worked out really well and we were happy with the results. There might be some parts that we could refilm but honestly, the takes we have are pretty good. 

Next, we have to film the actual rambling scenes. we left those for another day because we both know that I am going to need many retakes for that amount of craziness. 

Overall it was a pretty successful day and on Sunday we will finish it hopefully. The rest of our focus will go toward editing and starting our CCR. We are almost done! 

Filming! Day 1 Review!

We filmed the phone scene and all that's left to do is do the voice-over part with morgan's voice. 

We did many many retakes today. This was mostly a planning day. We just wanted to see how the scenes would look and where my placement would look best. We also got most of the shots of the details today. The close-ups of stuffed animals, dolls, the shrine, and more feminine things around my room. 

We filmed many little details on my walls. Pictures of scarlet and i, the shrine, flowers, dolls, stuffed animals, post its on the wall and more to emphasize the setting. we will also include some of the hostage when we film with my sister.

Reflection of Melanie's Mind

We created a playlist! All of these songs were carefully examined and chosen specifically to fit the vibe of our film opening. We think this makes it easier to visualize what we want our final project to embody. This also helps us understand our character more. we will listen to this playlist while we film to help get us in the mindset of the characters and the story. 

these are lyrics that inspired us and that we think fit best for our character and story. 

"She's mine you stay away from her"- pierce the veil 

"they made you blind, messed up your mind but I will help see" -meant to be yours from heathers the musical

"all for you. never not for you" manta rays chloe moriondo

"don't blame me, love made me crazy"- don't blame me taylor swift 

The Devil's in the Details

This was our first-day filming and we really focused on testing shots for the first part of our scene and getting as many shots of my walls and props as possible. We made sure to focus on the little details. 

 We made sure to get consent to use my friend's pictures for the shrine of Alyssa.

Shrine! 

Choosing the pictures of scarlet from memories was fairly simple. I have been friends with her for a while so I have A LOT of pictures with her. It just looks crazy when you put them all together at the same time. The scrapbooks were actual gifts from Scarlet and I just changed the names to fit. This helps add to the obsession. The dried flowers also signify that this has been an ongoing obsession for a very long time. There are many polaroids and pictures around, a little stuffed animal, and just overall many things that show she's really in love.  

 

We carefully selected books we wanted in the frame and meticulously selected small details to include in the shrine. Things such as concert tickets, amusement park and fair passes, and notes from Sarah to Melanie were added to the shrine. 
Changed the phone case to include details since it would be in the shot. A picture with Scarlet, a hand-made gum wrapper heart, and a fortune that reads "Love because it is the only true adventure". These items add to Melanie's love for Alyssa and the lengths she'll go to for this "adventure".

filming schedule

03/14/23- filming! planning A LOT of planning. 

03/15/23- editing

03/16/23- filming with hostage

spring break- mess around w diff types of editing

03/26/23- filming rambling

03/27/23- voice-over recording in class 

last week CCR prep

This is a simplified version of our schedule for the next couple of weeks. we made this on our first day of filming since we were finally able to get an actual idea of how our plans would go since Morgan will be going out of town next week for spring break. 

This makes it easy for us to plan ahead and around our designated filming days. This also gives us enough time to edit and revise our final product!

It also gives our other actors time to prepare and make sure that they are free for their roles and we can practice lines if needed. (Running lines will be easy since she is my sister). 

Fit Check!

 We tried a lot of different outfits for this and these were our main competitors. We decided on a dress! 

We chose this butterfly dress because it signifies feminity and innocence. she is meant to be a character that does not look like she is going through anything. She is effortlessly put together and calm and collected while dealing with situations until she is faced with an obstacle. We think that putting her hair up in a messy clip will create this cute, messy, effortless look and allow her personality to shine through a little bit. Clipping her hair up will also allow us to make her take it out in preparation for the coming of her cop sister. This will lead to Melanie having to physically cover herself up for the arrival of Lizzy. The butterflies can also represent a coming change and evolution for our character in the film. Also they add to the emotional aspect of the film because of the popular saying "butterflies in your stomach". 

Blog Inspo

Today in class we reviewed different blogs people have kept in the past and I was really inspired. there were so many good examples and they were so intriguing and aesthetically pleasing to look at. They are what I aspire this blog to look like. 

There was one blog in particular, frameisokay, that was really cool. He had a playlist literally embedded into his blog post. We were able to scroll in it and actually click the songs. 

Morgan and I were talking about how we want to maybe do this with our scene. We think having a playlist to represent what our scene would be is a good way to represent what we want. 

I think making our blogs more personal is really a good idea and it will help bring our project to life. 

cast list!

We had initially said that my friend would be cast as the hostage but now we have decided on my sister. This is mainly because of our scheduling. We think that since the scene mainly revolves around me rambling we do not need to have that many with the hostage. This also makes filming really easy since we'll be filming at my house so my sister will just have to be there. 

We have also finally named our main character! Her name is going to be Melanie. We have decided to take inspiration from Melanie Martinez because she has the vibes we want for our main character. 

Melanie Martinez Inspo

So now we have all of our characters!

Main Character: Melanie- played by me, Elliette.

Sister (cop): Elizabeth(Lizzie)- played by Morgan (not pictured, voice-over)

Love interest: Alyssa- played by Scarlet (not acting, just in pictures) 

Hostage: Sarah- played by Elke.

script !

Working on the script right now! 

We are basically acting out the scene in a straightforward way so that we can make it sound conversational. We realized that I was better at the actual dialogue aspect of the script and morgan was better at the technical parts of it. This will make it easier to act it since I can improvise much easier and still fit into the scene since it's my own commentary being used. 

The script is not done yet but I'm excited to continue adding to it, it's really coming together. Morgan has experience with creating scripts and adding the technical parts of it which makes it so much easier to create it. 

This is a part of our script! it's even pink to match our main character's vibe

Making a script is a lot easier than I would've thought so I am glad that this is not going to be such a stressful part of our project. I am also so glad that I won't have to completely memorize the lines since I can improvise some parts of it really easily. Delivering the lines is my new issue though it should not be as hard as it could possibly be since I will be able to be more playful and crazy rather than intimidating and serious.

 

Location Scouting

 

Morgan's room

My room

We were deciding between what room we wanted or if we wanted the living room for our scene but we both decided that doing it in my room would be the best choice.

My room has many more toys and pictures that we could use for the effect we want for the character. also, my room has more floor space and we can easily rearrange if we need to.

Doing this in my house also gives us access to another actor, my sister! 

I'm excited to start filming. We have also been thinking about what decorations we are going to add because we are going to need more to create the correct environment. For example, more pictures of whoever the love interest is going to be in order to emphasize the obsessive nature of our main character.

I think we are going to start filming on Sunday early so that we can have all day to film. We need to focus on the time so that we can ensure we have natural light and that we don't have any drastic lighting changes during the scene. 

We are going to focus a lot on the stuffed animals and the personal items so that we can add more than just dialogue/ monologue to the scene. 

Group Discussions!

This post is a little late but better late than never

We finally met in class the other day with other people to get criticism and suggestions on our idea. They suggested we focused more on the dialogue of our movie since that is mostly what our scene will consist of. They were also very focused on us not having a title still but I think that we can worry about that closer to the end. 

I also realized we are significantly behind in terms of the actual development of the project, some of the people in our group already had scripts and titles and more developed stories overall. I think Morgan and I need to focus on having a totally concrete idea instead of just abstract thoughts and parts of the scene.

I know for sure we want to incorporate montage scenes in the opening so that we can change up the scene and it's not just the MC rambling and pacing on screen the whole time. My group also agreed that by having still shots of the setting I could establish a background story (like with pictures of the childhood best friend, since she's not actually a talking character.) 

Morgan's group suggested we make the detective related to the MC so that there is an actual excuse for her to be coming over instead of just a random detective visiting. that way it further shows that the MC is delusional and paranoid. 

Creative Critical Reflection

This part seemed the most exciting to me?? I learned what it was in class the other day and it’s so interesting. I’m excited for our piece to come together in a way that makes these questions fun and interesting to answer. The most intriguing thing is the fact that we have to answer the questions using 2 different medias.

It also made me realize that if we mess up it’s okay as long as we plan accordingly. The CCR is meant to highlight the whole process even the mistakes and setbacks.  

The example videos that our teacher showed in class really made what was expected so much clearer. I especially like the 73 vogue questions video, it was fun and creative and it kept people engaged. 

She gave us a lot of tips and the one that seemed to be the most important was to create a script!! I can’t just wing something like this and it’s just better for everyone to have a plan! 

I know we’re a long way from this part of the project but I’be been thinking about what I could do for it. A podcast sounds like a pretty cool idea and it’s possible to do or maybe an interview or like a 21 questions game with someone, I’m not sure but these are some ideas! 

This part gets me more excited for the actual project which is ironic. I am just excited to be able to reflect back on this and see that it all came together.  

A Waiting Game

This week at school was crazy. On Tuesday I saw morgan for 4 hours and on Thursday I was supposed to see her and never did. So it's been a crazy schedule and we have not been able to get feedback and criticism from others. 

We are trying to further develop our idea and come up with a script! I  asked my friend to be in our video as the victim and she agreed! so now we have our cast! Since the childhood friend will only be in pictures, I am just going to find pictures with a friend that I've had for a while to use as a prop for the film. 

I am seeing Morgan tomorrow so we will discuss more what we're going to do next. Creating the script will probably take a while since we have to somehow ensure that its 2 minutes long and we also have to create a title though that is going to be the last thing we do before filming. 

This is just a waiting game at this point. We have not been able to move forward with our project but tomorrow hopefully we will be able to officially start!

I got the part! Now what...?

Morgan and I have come to the agreement that I will be playing the main character in our film opening! 

I am terrified! 

I've never so much as acted in a play, the most performance-like activity I've ever done is presentations in class. Not only have I never been much of a film person, but I also am not a thriller type of gal. I don't watch them often and I certainly do not act as the main antagonist, I said this from the start. I am not a person who knows much about psychological thrillers though I do feel I understand them much more now after doing a lot of research on the genre. 

I seem perfect for the job I know. Morgan believes I am good for the part mainly because I am easily accessible but also because I am naturally excitable, giddy, and sometimes I get obsessive..but not in a stalker way! 

I think at least having me cast as our main character prepares us for the next steps. Knowing that I will be the main actress makes it easier to further develop the character since now we can base her a little more on me. This will make it easier for me to act believably since I am a total newbie at acting and our character still isn't completely developed. 

This also allows us to start thinking about clothing, makeup, and other costume items. We have decided that the MC should have a more feminine outfit and makeup. Her personality will be more like Harley Quinn and her outfits more like Love Quinn. She should look normal to completely contrast her irrational behavior. She will also have some blood on her face and clothes that she will wipe off before opening the door in order to show that she is calming down and collecting herself. 

These are ome simple outfits that are like the type of look we want for the main character. We want her to look girly and normal so that it contrasts her behavior completely. 

Character Development

Main Character: Female and queer. Her main traits are obsessive, crazy, delusional, erratic, unpredictable, and psychopathic. She does not realize that she's being irrational and that her behavior is wrong. She decides that the kidnapping of her coworker is justifiable. The MC has feelings for her childhood friend and is very possessive and believes that they're in a relationship even though they're not. The coworker interacted with MC's "girlfriend" for too long so the MC is determined to get rid of any threats to her "relationship" and is willing to go to any lengths to protect what she believes is rightfully hers though it is not.

Harley Quinn from DC Comics has a similar vibe to the MC. She's erratic, unpredictable, excitable, and giddy and makes jokes while doing awful things. She is more childlike and extravagant with her mannerisms and is crazy in a way that makes people love her. 

Her outfits are colorful, attractive, and exciting and she herself is also portrayed as that. She is determined to be the most fun and intoxicating person in the room.

She's so crazy in love with her boyfriend that she's willing to do whatever he asks and whatever it takes to keep him with her and keep him happy while also enjoying what she's doing. Her joy is purely based off of how her boyfriend feels about her and her main goal is to please him by being crazy and crazy in love. 

Love Quinn from Netflix's show YOU is another example of our character's vibe. She is impulsive, reckless, rash, and hasty. She doesn't think her decisions through, unlike her husband Joe who is sociopathic but thinks all of his actions through before doing anything drastic. 

She acts on impulse and after her actions, she rationalizes them with her intense love and fierce protectiveness for her family. She loves her husband and her family so much and is willing to get rid of anyone that he interacts with for too long or that threatens the safety of her family. She behaves like a regular 20-year-old and is usually not erratic until the moment that she makes a decision.  

Our character will be as excitable, giddy, and fun as Harley though she is not as overtly crazy, She will have bursts of this type of erratic energy and it will be reflected while she panics in our scene. Harley is more overtly obvious about her erraticness compared to Love so our character would be a mix of both. She is going to be crazy but not as scary. 

Other Characters

Victim: Female, MC's coworker, confused, scared. Tied up to a chair, provides questions for the MC to be able to show her erraticness. 

Love interest: Female. Not an acting character just featured in pictures and in conversations. MC's "girlfriend", childhood best friend, the reason for MC's actions, and why the victim was kidnapped. 

Brainstorming!!

Morgan (my partner) and I have come up with an idea! It was actually really fast once we actually focused on it and we had a lot of time in school today.

We’re taking inspiration from YOU the Netflix show and basing it off Joe’s internal monologues and his constant need to rationalize in order to relieve himself of guilt. 

We were thinking about a psychopath that decides to hold someone, hostage, for their own personal vendetta, and the scene is them pacing around and explaining their reasoning and trying to avoid being captured after receiving a call from the police that they’re on their way to her house just to chat. 

Our main character will be erratic, delusional, jealous, queer, and female. Our victim will also be female and she will have been kidnapped under the suspicion that she was flirting with the character’s supposed love interest. The supposed lover will be the childhood friend of the main character and the victim will be her coworker. 

The setting is going to be a typical suburban house and a regular-looking living room. The scene will begin with a ringtone to announce that she’s about to have a visit from the cops and then she would start frantically pacing and talking to the victim.

. 

Above is a storyboard of some of our initial shot ideas for the opening, a very very rough draft. 

I feel much more comfortable now that we have an idea and we just have to develop it more in detail! I'm thinking next we should develop the characters and setting in extreme detail since they're going to be the main focus of our opening.

IT & IT 2

IT is based on a Stephen King novel and an adaptation of the original 1990 movie. It follows a scary clown named Pennywise that kidnaps children and haunts the town, he feeds off of fear and eats the children's souls. There's a group of children, the loser's club, that is being targeted by Pennywise and they are all terrified of him and they refer to him as "it" because he is a monster to them. This highlights the psychological trauma that they are being forced to endure and eventually they band together and fight the clown and they swear to come back to Derry, Maine if the clown ever comes back to life. 

Unlike in YOU, this psychological thriller follows the victims as the main characters and it shows the effects of trauma. This is another approach that we could use in our intro, introducing the victims and the effects of the trauma could be done in two minutes successfully. 

IT for example starts with the initial murder of Georgie, the main character's little brother, and this sets up the main plot problem. Bill's obsession with finding out what happened to his brother since he is in denial over him being dead. Our intro could be done by following an initial victim and establishing the initial problem and the way that it affects the victims. 

This movie has a very dark and dull ambiance that implies to the audience that this is not a happy subject and that something bad is going to happen in this film. The intro specifically has Georgie wearing a bright yellow raincoat and there is a big contrast between the setting and him. The world around him is dark and rainy which emphasizes that Georgie is in danger though he has a bright and happy outfit that is joyful and young. 

Bill and his friends fight the clown and they think they are successful at getting rid of him but they're not. 

The second movie has an opening scene of a happy scene being ruined once again. There is a couple that is coming from a bright and happy fair and they are walking into a more dark and secluded area where they are attacked by other men and then Pennywise appears and attacks them. This scene once again has contrasts of happy scenes and dark environments to foreshadow the upcoming events of the movie. 

The clown comes back after 27 years and the kids are all grown up and have to come back to Derry and face their fears all over again. It begins with them all getting a letter from mike, the only one who remained in derry after years, and in the letter, it says that the attacks have started again and that Pennywise is back. they don't want to go back and they all struggle with the idea of having to face their childhood fears again. we see different parallels in their lives compared to their lives as kids. 

Our opening should include some type of problem being established and the initial conflict that will be developed as the movie goes on.