My Project Choice

    What I'm going to do for this project? A question that was hunting me up until I saw a penny on the ground. Well let me give you guys more context, while in class our teacher starts discussing our portfolio project and what is expected to be done for this project. The project has 4 routes one route being music another one being doing a documentary, another being to do a promotional campaign for a full length film, and the last one a short film.     

    Well the one I decided to pick was wait drumroll pleaseee no like I'm being serious okay okay, I CHOSED THE SHORT FILM ONE. Reason why well this is where that penny comes to play. Well once she finished discussing the possible routes that we are able to approach, I looked on the ground and saw a seemly lonely penny, not paying any more attention I simply glance back up trying to think on what route would be the best for me. Accidently I kicked the penny and saw that it was in a whole other part of the room in an instant and boom that where my brain clicked

(One of the film locations)

    After witnessing that I immediately thought about teleportation and realized why not do a short film about using a penny to teleport places. ALSO I almost forgot to mention this but this idea also got influenced to due to the fact that we would still being doing the project during spring break which is PERFECT for my idea as I will be traveling to both London and Madrid. All I can say I'm pretty excited with how this is going to turn out (hopefully good)..

(Another possible film location)

My Amazing Blog Schedule

 

    GUESS WHOS BACK!!!! Well obviously me but I just wanted to make it dramatic and cool. Anyhoo, lets get into what I will be discussing in this post, for this post I will be showcasing my amazing and wonderful schedule to my beautiful amazing audience. Enough with the talking and let me just show you. 

Week 1: Introduction (Feb 17 – Feb 22)

• Post 1: Introduction to A-Level Project. Define your project choice, the concept, and why you chose it.

• Post 2: Project Timeline. Post this exact schedule to show your planning process.

Week 2: Genre & Media Research (Feb 23 – Mar 1)

• Post 3: Genre Research. Deep dive into the conventions of the genre.

• Post 4: Media Text Analysis 1. Research 2 real-world examples of genre.

• Post 5: Media Text Analysis 2. Research another 2 real-world examples.

• Post 6: Media Text Analysis 3. Research a final 2 examples 

Week 3: Social Media & Early Planning (Mar 2 – Mar 8)

• Post 7: Social Media Research. Analyze how similar projects are marketed on Instagram, TikTok, or X.

• Post 8: Initial Planning. Share first outlines, mood boards, or layout sketches.

• Post 9: Production Logistics. Share shooting schedule or equipment list.

• Post 10: Group Meeting Summary. Reflection on roles, decisions, and collaboration.

Week 4: Detailed Pre-Production (Mar 9 – Mar 15)

• Post 11: Storyboarding/Layouts. Detailed visual plan of project.

• Post 12: Advanced Planning. Scripts, casting, or location scouting notes.

• Post 13: Technical Process. Testing your camera settings, lighting setups, or software.

Week 5: Production & Print Research (Mar 16 – Mar 22) Spring Break

• Post 14: Production Day 1. Behind-the-scenes photos and reflection on what went well.

• Post 15: Production Day 2. Documentation of key moments or any changes made on the spot.

• Post 16: Print Component Research. Analyze magazines, posters, or physical media related to the genre.

Week 6: Editing & CCR Kickoff (Mar 23 – Mar 29)

• Post 17: Post-Production Log. Reflection on the editing process or software challenges.

• Post 18: Refining the Product. "Before and after" shots of your edits or layout changes.

• Post 19: CCR Brainstorming. Intro to CCR and initial thoughts.

Week 7: Finishing Touches (Mar 30 – Apr 5)

• Post 20: Final Production Reflection. Final changes made to the project and why.

• Post 21: CCR Planning. Detailed outline or draft of reflection answers.

• Post 22: Final Polish. Reviewing the aesthetic consistency across all project components.

Week 8: Final Submission (Apr 6 – Apr 10)

• Post 23: Project Showcase. Link to/embed your final A-Level project 

• Post 24: Critical Reflection. Post your completed CCR.

• Post 25: Final Project Reflection. Final thoughts on the journey and growth as a creator.

(Last day of project)

I know I know pretty amazing schedule if I do say so my self, I truly believe that by following this schedule I wont feel overwhelmed with the workload throughout the duration of this project.     

Also already have the final day of the project marked on my calendar, kind of emotional to be honest but that's not something to worry about right now, I'll get emotional on April 10th.

Representation in our documentary

"How do your products represent social groups or issues?"

Social groups and issues represented: The documentary represents one main social groups. Intergeneration groups being is one of them, showcasing representation of different age groups working side-by-side. With this in mind a problem that gets address is Societal Distinctively, it tackles the issue of social isolation by demonstrating that connection and learning can occur when typically separate demographics are brought together through a shared goal.

Discussion of representation: Our documentary effectively represents intergenerational social groups by actively challenging the societal issue of age-segregation. It uses b-roll to portray older participants as willing learners and also experienced mentors, while younger participants are shown as energetic empathetic teachers, challenging common age stereotype.

How our group worked with each other

 "How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of bonding?"

Brand: For starters the brand that we wanted to create was one that had a Core Identity that showcased human connection and the strength coming from pooling varied life experiences. This was a key thing towards the documentary as its main goal was to showcases how different ages come together in order to achieve a goal.

Sense of Bonding: In order to make the audience the sense of bonding and a feeling of connection, we used certain shots. With the frequent use of wide shots where showcased the subjects during rehearsal helped reinforce the idea that of them are like one large unit rather than a bunch of isolated individuals.

Research for Doc

WELLCOME BACK TO BLOG, LONG TIME NO SEE MY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.

Today we will discuss a variety of different stuff, ok enough with the stalling lets get into

How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions?

Studies on the currently made documentaries played a key role in defining our vision and aesthetic of our product. The study of a wide variety of style gave us a basic knowledge of the conventions of the genres, so that we could make choices about which conventions to follow and which to break.

I picked three examples, including Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010), American Promise (2013), and Abstract: The Art of Design (Season 1, Episode 5)

Exit Through the Gift Shop

(2010)

Technique/Convention: The movie employs the raw style using high amounts of shaky, handheld shots, and shooting on the ground. It is a fashion that is usually used to share genuineness.

Influence on Production Decisions: While the piece in it self is a very well made production with a deep underlying meaning, it however didn't influence my group on production choices.

(2013)

American Promise: The 13-year observation-based documentary, American Promise,
documentary that follows two African American boys, Idris Brewster and Seun Summers, from their start in kindergarten through high school graduation.

Technique/Convention:The documentary American Promise utilizes a key longitudinal technique, following two African American boys, Idris Brewster and Seun Summers, from kindergarten to high school graduation over 13 years during which the documentary explores themes of race, class, and the education system. The film relies heavily on the observational style of Direct Cinema in order to capture real family struggles and personal development without any external narration. A unique technique used is the blurring of the filmmaker with the subjects, as Idris's parents are the directors, though sometimes controversial, it provides access to the boys' private lives making the film a raw account of their journey.

Influence on Production Decisions: American promise did give us some inspiration. With the whole documentary following the boys growing up, showcasing a wide spectrum of ages, we decided to take that idea and morph it into what is now our documentary, showcasing a wide variety of ages working together in order to achieve something.

Abstract: The Art of Design: The Netflix documentary series Abstract: The Art of Design is a visually compelling series that showcases leading designers across diverse fields. Rather than just showcasing the final products, each episode provides a deep dive into the designer's creative process.

(2017)

Technique/Convention: The series uses a wide range of techniques, most notably through its use of seamless integrated animation to visually translate abstract creative concepts. The series also challenges the idea of a default style by using the aesthetics of the featured designer in each episode. This approach shifts the narrative focus from the final product of the process and struggle involved in creative work, making the world of design engaging.

Influence on Production Choices: This certain documentary also didn't have much on a influence on our production choices. Although visually appealing it just didn't have any effect on our teams choices.

Audience for the Doc

                                        "How do your products engage with the audience?'

Great question, well Our documentary, which focuses on different age groups collaborating to achieve a common goal.

(Extracurricular activity involving
 intergenerational connection)

Target Audience: The target audience primarily consist of families and community members, specifically tailored towards individuals who are interested in intergenerational connection and local arts. This includes parents, grandparents, teachers, and students involved within these extracurricular activities.

Engagement Techniques:  Our documentary uses a variety of techniques in order to engage the audience. One technique we used was to highlight and focus on the collective ambition from different generations putting on a show. Another one was our use of b-roll. By using certain b-roll it helped  showcase genuine moments of connection between the vastly different generations. Alongside these are interviewees who were also of different ages, highlighting how different each of the individuals are, and yet still coming together to achieve a common goal. During these interviews the subjects discussed personal challenges as well as what they learned from the other generations and it has affected them. 

(Different ages coming 
together)

Criticism: While on paper this sounds amazing, the end result did not achieve this effectively. This problem was predominantly caused due to the poor editing on my part. Along with the editing I personally think if we filmed better b-roll it would have helped elevated the documentary a lot more.

Film opening and CCRs

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1enJ6KLtL7tIFp1uSBcJYcCVO-IU8h02b/view?usp=sharing - Film opening 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XIQjRWJkgQiQpdF3KaxnwDOULDTSWlZE/view?usp=sharing -CCR #1,2

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aU5BuN8tV042FOA3Seb0OR0iDC6pmMyM/view?usp=drive_link -CCR#1,2