Ideas for the introduction

   I am back to reality and must explain my last thoughts for this project. The introduction. I am well aware we have to include a title and credits in our film opening and I was thinking of what they should be. I am glad iMovie has a variety of different fonts and sizes for this. But, I have decided not to be that crazy with my fonts and sizes of the title and credits.

   I am going to keep it very simple and keep the color white of the lettering to show simplicity. Or maybe even red to show stress. do you see my indecisiveness. I will figure that out will editing. Simplicity is also the route I take doing anything and since it is a morning routine and it is all calm, white will go well but, since it is also a disorder and a stressful thing to deal with, red works perfectly. Whatever I feel like using will be used and that's typically how I do things. Wing them. And it usually works in my favor. 

   I also was thinking to add a special effect when the title comes on like a little dramatic thump to kinda get the viewers attention. Again, iMovie got me with the special effect. It will make it more dramatic when theres sweet music in the background showing him waking up, maybe even birds chirping will be in the back but that will be a little extra.

   I specifically remember in our media class we had a lesson I believe during our magazine course, about the different types of colors and their meanings and how important it is to include colors to emphasize what you are trying to get across. So, I searched up some colors and their meanings. Link will be below. This will hopefully help me decide what color to be as my title and credits. 

Resources:

https://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/middle/color2.htm

Meanwhile traveling...

      So this will be a blog post while I'm traveling and the next will be when I'm home. Right now I'm trying to enjoy time with family and seem to be stressed about the project. That is for sure on my part but I relied too much time on asking my family and friends for tips and being indecisive. But, I am not too worried because I have the whole idea of what I am doing I just got to film t. The editing part will be easy and hopefully the recording part will be too. Since I am working alone and have my dad to help me, we for sure can get it done and he as as aware of the whole video idea as I am so we know what we gotta do.

 

   When I get back on Friday I will start working that week after school when he gets home form work. Most likely we will record on Monday and I will have the whole week to edit and add changes. The daylight savings change honestly became my best friend because it doesn't get dark until late so my recording process will be easy! If the time was still like before that it got dark so quick, I will not have time to record but I am set. 

 

   For now I am going to enjoy my short week of spring break and I am writing notes on my phone will traveling to remember what to mention in my blog post when I get back. Keeping track of tips and tricks and ideas on my phone really helps me stay concentrated and not forget what I mention in my blogs and ideas from other people. Overtime an idea pops up I write it down and it really helps me when I blog. I will post a screenshot of my rough draft of my notes on my iPhone. They are a bit messily typed don't mind that. Also the ideas at the bottom will be more thorough in my next blog post..

Foley sounds rundown

   I am now blogging from the other side of the hemisphere, literally. And I haven't really made any changes to anything but sound is something that I remember my group evaluations being about. The told me I should add foley sounds to my film and Im going tot try to do just that.
 
   Also, in my last blog I mentioned how thanks to media I learned all the different techniques that producers use during their film and we focused on sound for one part of the curriculum. We eve did a project on it! I use to not even know what foley meant. But now I'm aware its sounds you cam make at home. Im going to try to incorporate some into the film to make it more interesting and will probably end up taking some pictures of me creating the foley sounds.
 
   Im aware the foley sounds cannot be the actual sound made but with the materials which will be hard. If not I will record the actual sounds closer with the voice memo app and add it on. Foley sounds can be hard and I will try to incorporate some in the film but if not I for sure will be adding the sounds made with the voice memo app on the iPhone. For sounds more extreme, sound effects found on iMovie can be added but I will try to make them as natural as possible. The editing process will be posted in a week and a half as i come back late next week and want the whole week after that focused on filming and editing.

   Even though we had lessons on foley sounds and sound in general, I searched up some tips. The internet can really be your best friend to refresh your memory and give you more ideas. Link will be below.


Resources:
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/recording-foley-and-sound-effects-the-fundamentals/

Setting finale and tips from media studies course!

   Last week I was confused on where my setting could be and I had the idea to make it in the doctors office but then I realized it is spring break. Not only are we out this week in Colombia, but my dad has the next week off work. Being in spring break I believed the film process would not be an issue but it is becoming a big one. I wanted to start filming this week but my mom surprised us with tickets to visit our family in Colombia and I could obviously not pass it down. I come back the end of last week and I will only have 2 days to record before the last reflection blog post. Most likely I will record and edit in a span of two days so that does not make me as stressed.
 
   I am just upset I could not go along with my original filming schedule but since I already have my min set, the filming I ma not too worried about. If i have enough time to film next week, I will begin but I don't want it to be rushed.
 
   About the setting as this is title, we have decided it will obviously be at home but if time allows, w can bring it to the car and make some car scenes and how repetitive action sin the car. The only thing I dislike about the  film is the time. I know a lot of people dread long projects but I don't know if i can include what my vision was in two minutes. That is why I will try to make the scenes be quick to show intensity and to have enough time. I will voiceover some parts or my friends will explaining the disorder and the steps my dad has to take in order to go along his day.
 
   I again looked up filming tips and realized I have been following some just from the teachers suggestions and they are on the list! Such as making in advance a storyboard, lighting and angles. This was all taught in our class and I'm glad I know about it because I wouldn't know what to think ahead of time if I wasn't taking Aice Media.




Resources:
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/01/05/marketing-videos

Mind made up

   From the last blog post I mentioned that I didn't know what to base my short video on. I spoke to my dad and he said that we should do the repetitive OCD and include some germaphobe actions within some clips if we want but the bigger issue will be the repetitive aspect of OCD.

   

   This makes it easier to film as the plot will be the same and we can focus on that and to make it interesting, we will come up with little germaphobe ticks here and there. 

   

   The story line will still be of him acting and a morning routine and going into the car. I am also thinking of changing my film name to something else but that will probably be as soon as we get to filming next week and my ideas will come together and the title will be changed most likely. The storyboard is still the same and as I mentioned if any changes are going to be made it will be during the filming process. 

 
   I searched up how to film a morning routine and some angles and events that can be incorporated and I found a bunch of beauty guru morning routine. This of course gave me ideas of what a morning routine consists of but I tried to search up a guy routine instead to make it more relatable. The link will be posted below. 

Resources:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=My+Morning+Routine+Men&&view=detail&mid=D7D76442FE694B73CC67D7D76442FE694B73CC67&&FORM=VRDGAR

Ideas that can help in the future

   An important part of filming is the light and costumes. Not a lot of people pay close attention to them but, it makes the film flow effortlessly. For mine though, I will have costumes such as pajamas to emphasize it is a morning routine getting out of bed and I will have the change in wardrobe to show getting ready. Little things such as wet hair will emphasize that the character showered and those things are important to show the audience a more realistic film. Having everyday props will also be more relatable such as toothbrushes, combs, cereal etc. are things a lot of people incorporate during their mornings. I am writing these to remember to include specific details during my filming process.
 

   About editing I researched some tips on editing and colors and I have decided I am going to add different hues to emphasize stress or sadness but I'm not sure yet on when to do them or if they will make the production seem off. Either way I want to learn how to edit better and I will take some youtube advice for iMovie even though I have Final Cut Pro, that is not as easy to use.

   I can also add some text in the film such as and OCD definition on the screen so the reader can relate to the exact definition and I will explain my version as well. I really enjoy editing and I can edit really fast as I had experience before. The tough part is I remember the transporting onto my computer takes forever because of all of the storage used on my laptop.. so I guess I will be having to delete some stuff! I also decided oI 100% am going to use my iPhone to record and not my canon rebel t3i because the process takes longer and I can easily adjust the lighting, focus, zoom on my phone just by touching the screen. Although the camera will obviously be more professional, the iPhone 7+ has great quality and I will research if theres any hidden features on the recording on the iPhone.


Resources:
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/4-iconic-editing-techniques/
https://recombu.com/mobile/article/iphone-camera-tips-tricks-guide

Acting roles and setting

   Before beginning this process I alway thought about who can be my actors in my opening. Typically my friends are too shy as I am too. I would've done it myself but I really cannot be serious when I and being recorded and I have to act. I could make youtube videos and be myself when I was little but not be any type of actor now. So, I thought to myself, who lies to be involved, act, give ideas, criticism, and be fun to film with? Then I knew that was my dad. He has always been an amazing photographer and loves films.
 

   As soon as I told him to be in my project, he was incredibly happy. I'm glad I picked him instead of my friends as a main actor as I knows work schedules and how we can both manage our time to film. Filming with him will be nothing but a breeze and of course if I need nay background actor I can bring in my friends.
 

   Setting. This is being discussed as I wanted to do a morning routine. I will still stick to the morning routine idea but maybe I can even go to his job. My dad is a doctor so I can find a way to film clips during his breaks. This is yet to be discussed with him as he is finding a good day to do this and maybe incorporate his coworkers. But so far, the setting will take place at my house. And the filming will be done all in one day to make sure the outfits, lighting, angles will all be close to the same and we will run in to barely any problems. I researched several pages to see tips on how to prepare for  filming day and I will link it below. Other than that, I'm not that stressed and my dad is giving me ideas on how we can make this film interesting.




Resources:
http://actioncutprint.com/filmmaking-articles/filmmakingarticle-05/

Group evaluations.. confused

   This week was a group evaluation with the class to see what people thought of my ideas for the project. My group seemed a little bored as I went on I don't know if that was because they weren't paying attention or just thought it was boring. Either way group member told me I should add exciting events to the film and so I thought that in the editing process I can add super fast cuts to make the scene more intense of even different colors or hues to the scenes emphasizing stress/ anger.
 

   What I also got told is that my project isn't even OCD. As I mentioned earlier on this blog, that is exactly what many people believe. Many believe OCD is ONLY being a germaphobe. And as I have done my research on it, I know it can also be a checking OCD which means obsessive checking to make sure things are done in a strict routine or the person gets extremely stressed. I did research on germaphobes, link will be below, and it also interested me but it may be more intense but I could probably make it in different settings to jut my house.
 

   But, now that i went in the groups it kind of made me realize maybe it is a repetitive idea but I really believed it was interesting as I can incorporate my friends ticks that has OCD. I'm not quite sure yet if I should do the checking OCD or the germaphobe. I talked to my dad about it and he says that because I already planned out the checking OCD, I should stick to it, but I'm not 100% sure. Maybe I might incorporate both obsessive checking and germaphobe.. I will update throughout the weeks and will defienetly post any changes but for now i am sticking to my original storyboard.

Resources:
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/cleanliness-rules-germaphobes-lives#1

Shooting schedule draft

   This week I will still be revising and getting new ideas for my storyboard and will talk to my dad about the changes and how I should manage my time wisely in 2 minutes. I am also figuring out my shooting schedule. I feel as though this film is not going to be hard to film at all because it is a morning routine type story so it has to be strategically filmed. The background must be the same, the props, costumes, lighting, EVERYTHING. I will try my best to film this all in one day but I feel as if it is not going to be hard actually. It is following around my character along they morning. I will incorporate different shots of his face and POV shots. But for now, I will again do my shooting schedule on google docs as this is the easiest way for me to edit it throughout the week. I will again post a screenshot of the schedule and the link will be attached to be checked if any changes are made.
 
   The schedule will run smooth as my dad and I work well together and it will be filmed in my house so for now,, I am not that stressed about the shooting schedule.
 
   Here is the draft of the schedule and a screenshot of it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1doG0FMGzFPIhxuXhbvJaEA9YCZiUrCzV5g80j6sDqvQ/edit?usp=sharing

   I also researched short films tips to help me organize myself and be confident by getting some tips that may help me. Teaching up how other people organize themselves can really help you and the journey of this film opening. These are websites that I found to give me a few tips:

Resources:

https://www.stuff.tv/features/how-make-short-film-11-pro-tips-movie-making

https://www.filmmakingstuff.com/filmmaking-lesson-8-make-some-short-films/

The storyboard is being formed, finally

   As I had mentioned in the last post, I have been doing some notes on the story board of my film. I did not want to do this on paper as I get easily distracted and not to mention, am a horrible drawer. So anyways, I did this on google docs as a general idea of what ticks my OCD character will have ! I am really excited on how it's coming along although the ideas are not set and will change as the filming process takes place. My schedule will be roughly made in my next blog post but will also be altered but I will keep you updated on the changes I do.
 
   I will post a screenshot of my google doc with my planning and the link following it. I took some ideas from my friend who has OCD that inspired me to do this project and also from google. I searched up some ideas to incorporate them into my film. I will also post them in the resources.
 
   A little regarding my planning is, I will begin the video with clips of my character sleeping as they will wake up in the morning and show up their morning routine. The narrator (me) will explain the exact definition of OCD and the OCD that everyone believes it to be: a germaphobe. I will prove them wrong by showing them the other kind of OCD which is the checking. The checking is showing a continuity that has to be performed exactly or the character will be shown in extreme frustration. I also didn't mention the exact camera shots, movement, lighting, etc that I am incorporating as this will obviously alter and new ideas will come to me as I am holding the camera and ready to film.
 
   This is so far my storyboard and initial planning. As i said not everything is in order and will definetley be altered throughout the weeks and i will post the link to my google doc so it can be read more clearly ! Storyboard : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D_wJshupu6Ms4AwOK9KJSNKM3ZrF_1j1CmRyb9cNXPA/edit?usp=sharing

Resources:

https://www.ocduk.org/types-ocd

Revising last week

   This past week I really thought out with my family what I should do about this project. Last week as I mentioned I had the idea of doing a criminal doing his killings with a specific ritual. Although this idea seemed original and would be interesting to watch, I find it to be a little explicit and I wouldn't want it to be too sensitive for the audience. For this project, my target audience will be all ages as more of an educational and POV of a person with OCD.
 
   I had also discussed about the genre being horror and that will still be the case but more minor. In the other one i focused on horror because to was going to be a criminal scene but now i will still try to make the disorder be scary, because it is. OCD is not something one wishes to have as it can get too obsessive for some and even ruin their day and how their routines go. So, I will still try to incorporate a little bit of horror showing how scary it is and including some voices haunting the character with OCD.
 
   My film will also be a mixture of comedy and drama. Comedy because it will show how ridiculous some of these rituals are and how stressed the character becomes. Although it is not a laughing matter, bringing in some crazy rituals can catch the audience attention. Now, drama will also be a part of this film as it shows the dramatic conditions that the character goes through as some of the rituals are not performed the way they "should". The character will be seen as dramatic but really it is extremely tough for the people who are affected by OCD.
 
   I am glad I finally narrowed down to what I want my film to be about and this week I have been adding some ticks that the OCD character will be doing in my film. My dad is still going to be the character as of now. But, I am still not sure how to fit in all the ticks I thought about in a two minute video. That will be discussed as be start planning each scene.
 
   I researched different types of OCD's as there are many. I will begin the video by explaining the misconception of OCD as many people believe it's just germaphobe. But in reality, i can to find to there are several different types that aren't noticed. So that is what I will be filming. My OCD character will have an obsession over checking over and over again his things and doing stuff in a strategic manner. I researched and found what I want my character to feel:


"Obsessions are typically accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is “just right.”"


Resources: 
https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/?gclid=CjwKCAiAxJPVBRB4EiwAsCA4aSbD1SXAHz4jSy77VKgfXMbLEA3GK2cvZW1OMUe-T8wyen2V2IB1hhoCtUAQAvD_BwE

Initial planning

    Time to plan? Probably the most stressful part, as I mentioned how indecisive I am. As i was researching more and more about the genre and OCD now i don't know if I should make this into an actual horror film having to do with an OCD criminal or just the daily life of someone with this mental disorder. I feel as if making this into a crime scene will only make me a little nauseous and make the process not as educational and enjoyable, but it would be way more interesting. 

   But, to be quite honest the ritual of the criminals I have read about quite scary yet unbelievable. I read about two specific criminals, Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgwayand their killings having to do with rituals. They obviously had some OCD and this gave me a little bit of inspiration. 

  

   Though I have yet to pick wether i want to do it towards the crime ritual side or a POV/ more explanatory video. The explanatory video I believe can be more educational and easier to produce and I can add specific rituals that I have heard about from people I know. For know I am going to do my research on OCD deeply and also the crime perspective. I will love to educate people on the different scenarios of OCD as many people are not clear of what it is all about and how it can be cured.

   

  My production will be filmed by me and edited because I feel like I can easily incorporate all the camera shots, angles, lighting, movement, etc. techniques i have learned this year. My dad will most likely be the actor on this film as he is as interested in film as I am. 

   

  A little about me before I forget to mention is I used to have a youtube channel dedicated to makeup as funny as it sounds. I used to be so dedicated and interest din the arts of not just makeup but also the different camera and editing techniques. I even had a Canon Rebel T3i and Final Cut Pro to edit my videos. This spark the creative side in me and my dad was also a big part of helping me get out there and enjoy what i loved to do. I then faced something that geared my focus on something else rather than youtube, and stopped posting videos. It didn't feel the same when i went back although i still regret not making them. My young self was so happy with the camera in my hands making videos about my passion.

   

  I know i just went off track talking about myself but that shows my attention span. I began to talk about that because i was planning out my actors. My dad of course would be in this production. If this film is the POV it would be him most likely and i will incorporate the shots in some scenes and the OCD examples. 

   

   If this film turns out to be a crime ritual scene, I will obviously beg my friends to be in my video since I feel like i can't act very well. For now those are my two ideas and I am super excited to do this production I actually can't with to begin brainstorming my storyboard and get all my ideas together next week.

Resources:

http://www.thecrimemag.com/5-serial-killers-bizarre-killing-rituals/

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/ocdkeyfacts.aspx

Onto the genre research!

   My production will be a mysterious and different story. I will try to make the production as interesting as possible. The genre of my film will fall into more of a horror genre or maybe even drama i still have not decided, but am more geared towards horror. Since OCD is something not many people want to have, it is not usually discussed about. This may not seem as if it should fall into this genre but little do people know what actually goes on in peoples brains when they have this mental disorder.
 

   Since I am best friends with someone and have known them my whole life i know how horrific this disorder is and how frightening it is in their head. As I was explained, people with this disorder tend to have voices in their heads guiding them throughout the day. These voices tend to sound demonic to the human because of how controlling they are. Of course this is the extreme case of OCD, but this is what my best friend experiences.
 

   The genre of horror is targeted to "invoke our worst fears" and OCD does just that. Not being in control of our own brain and being almost forced to complete these daily rituals a certain way, affects us mentally. When a task is not completed in a certain way, the scary voices in these peoples head tells them to go back and repeat it all over again.
 

   When watching this short film, the feeling of shock and almost a demonic experience will hit the audience. There are many films dealing with mental disorders that interested me for the past years. When i watch the films they are not only an adrenaline rush to see what the person goes through but also and informational video.
 

    I took my ideas from different films that deal with killings but because of mental disorders. My film will not have any crime scenes or killing of any sort but it will be similar to the part having to do with the people being lead on what to do by the evil voices in their heads. Many films have these crazy criminals doing the same rituals over and over again when doing their killing, which is them having OCD. In my favorite TV show, Criminal Minds, in Season 1 episode 1 the episode "compulsion" treats a young college student that is found to do her killings with an OCD ritual. They explain this mental illness and how she couldn't control herself all in the episode. Usually this is seen a lot with criminals, if they practice the rituals a specific way and get mad when its not done, it is OCD. This is why I chose horror because my production will include the scary and overpowering voices in these peoples head, everyday.

Resources:
https://thehorrorfiend.wordpress.com/2010/04/30/horror-films-and-mental-illness/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0550487/

The beginning...

   Today marks the beginning of the chapter of the AICE Media project. Not going to lie I was nervous for this moment the whole year. When I heard that this project is the one cambridge sees, I knew i had to try my best. As always I, Catalina Real Escobar,  was quite indecisive when picking wether to do a magazine spread or video and wether to do it in groups or not. I decided my idea may not interest everyone so I believe I made a good choice working independently. This way i can schedule and produce my project according to my preferences.
 

   When the class was told to think about what we had to do the project on, I initially was very indecisive, as I always am. Being indecisive really seems to hurt my thought processes as i cannot concentrate on what i want to do. At first I had many different ideas on what I can work on such as a breakup story, a day in school life, growing up etc. but these did not seem to interest me. I kept thinking and asking my friends what I should do and only got boring ideas.

  I then thought to myself when i was watching youtube videos about psychology and mental disorders about a close family friend of mine that had OCD. Obsessive compulsive disorder. This rang a bell. I remember how tough it was for her and I remember being extremely interested on finding out why she was like how she was. Being in psychology interested me in all the different types of disorders and i thought to myself maybe I could make this into a POV/ explanatory video? So, so far this is what I am interested in.
 
  Making this blog is actually helping me focus on how I want to break down this project. Even just picking the background of the theme of my blog sparked an idea in my head. The color blue. Might seem weird but that helps bring the whole idea together, since OCD is a really depressing the blue sky makes the tone low and the empty road shows the significance of being alone in the journey of this mental illness. The title different will probably be altered but for now, I believe it fits as someone definitely feels isolated and different when they have this disorder.

  The production in my head seems incredible as I can incorporate different camera shots, angles, editing and many more techniques! I am beyond excited to start this journey on my production on the mental disorder called OCD, as many people are not fully educated on what its about or how it can affect someones life.

Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhlRgwdDc-E