Final Links

CCR 1 & 2: Marat Rabadanov CCR 1&2

CCR 3 & 4: Marat Rabadanov CCR 3&4

Film Opening: Marat Rabadanov Calling Card Film Opening

Calling Card: Post-Production

Editing Process for CCR 1 & 2

For starters, I wanted to refresh the memory for you guys and let you know that I did a podcast for the first two CCR's. An average podcast typically goes uninterrupted and has minimal cuts. That was exactly my thought process while I was editing. Instead of flooding the screen of images and clips of coorelating stuff, I just let it play because it's a podcast, and podcasts do not really have anything crazy going on other that simple pans or tilts. But since I did have multiple cuts throughout the whole shooting phase, I simply had to do some minor adjustmens and just cut a bit off each clip and match everything up so that the sequence flowed nicely. I also played around with lighting for a bit because simply why not and after a while I just decided to stick to the original colors the piece has. And with that I finished and exported my CCR 1 & 2.

Editing Process for CCR 3 & 4

This CCR involved me opening some "fan" mail that regarded questions about the film opening, which were just the CCR questions. After I pulled of the clips together in ClipChamp, I started editing. First, I had to organize all of the clips in order and cut them to size them up to my desired length. Next, since I did not want my CCR being visually boring, I decided to incorporate some images that overlay my actual presence and me talking which resulted in a voiceover of me talking and then having the images play. After I did all of that, I was basically finished and I wrapped up my CCR's

Calling Card: Final Reflection

 Final Reflection

These last 8 weeks, I have been carefully putting together my project from the bottom up. It started as a project that I took somewhat lightly and became something that I can look back upon and smile. Me and my partner went through many ideas trying to design a suitable film opening and we also went through a whole ton of ideas for CCR's.

This project helped me develop a more thorough understanding of the media sphere, as well as planning, shot angles and how they work to develop meaning, how to work in a crammed time sequence, and overall developed and honed my skills and knowledge. At the start of this project, I wouldn't say that I was particularly confident or knowledgeable on some specific aspects of film development such as shot usage or intentional hints. By the end, I felt that my film opening has helped me refine my knowledge and understanding of certain aspects especially the ones I mentioned above.

I learned how to research different topics on a more deeper way than before. Additionally, prior to this project, I actually had zero experience filming anything important. Due to that, I was extremely nervous and I thought that this would end up going off rails or even worse submitting a slop of a project. But contrary to this, I would say that I am happy with how the finished product turned out and I also want to give a special thanks to everyone that assisted me with the creation of Andres' and my work.

Editing this project was another milestone I learned to overcome and become better at. At the start, my editing skills were nowhere near to where they are now, and that is because all of the editing me and Andres have been doing helped me familiarize myself with various editing platforms, especially clipchamp. 

Reflecting was also an important part of this project. CCR's helped me think about my thinking process, or metacognitive thinking. This process is a very valuable skill that I would likely hold for the rest of my life and this project forced me to improve it. CCR's also gave me the opportunity to fix any potential mistakes or errors before or after they were committed. This was possible because I tried to reflect on how and why I did certain actions and why they worked or not.

Once again big thanks to everyone who took their time to help me and Andres and I really enjoyed this journey.

Calling Card: CCR Production Post

 CCR Production 1 & 2

For my first 2 blogs I did a an interview-like talk show where my friend interviewed me and I responded appropriately to those questions, as listed in previous blog posts. 

I began filming them yesterday and everything went almost according to plan. Me and Alex sat diagonally to each other and we had Andres stabilize the camera so that it did not shake. We tried our best to find and organize the most acceptable background and we came up with a passable one. The filming time took around 2 hours because we are not great actors and we also tried not looking at the script as much as possible. This eventually led to me completing the 1 and 2 CCR. As we wrapped everything up, I realised some of the shots were filmed shakily, so I had to refilm some of them to have them be correct.

CCR Production 3 & 4

For these next two CCR responses, I pretended to open fan mail and answered the CCR questions that were sent to me by the fan.

I began filming them today. I first had to decided on where I wanted to film. This may sound generic but I could not find a decent filming spot in my house. I eventually settled for a clean and solid beige background that I spend the entirety of the video in. For the props, I found a brown envelope somewhere in my house, and I folded a piece of paper awkwardly so it fit into the tiny amount of space. Once I began filming, I had to do a decent amount of takes because I struggled remembering the script. I later found a camera position that does not make it super obvious that I'm looking at the script and not the camera. I conluded CCR 3 & 4 the same day and went on to start editing both of them.

Calling Card: CCR 4

 CCR 4: How did you intergrate technologies -software, hardware, and online -in this project?

For software, we used canva to create our logo which I mainly worked on. We also used clipchamp which is an editing software provided to us by the school so using it is a no-brainer. Clip champ allowed us to tweak a variety of small details that are very important to the overall production of the film. These details include brightness settings, volume, fading, and other stuff. Moving on, we used the camera software on Andres' iphone to film most of our clips

For hardware, we did not have much at our disposal. We used Andres' iphone to record all of the clips which proved effective. We also used a selfie stick to give stabilization and to also reach shots that would not be possible without it. I also used a microphone as a prop when I was filming my first and second CCR.

For online programs, I used this platform (Blogger) to keep my progress in check and to also help me plan for the future. Additional softwares we used included Paxabay and BenSound, which helped us when we needed to pick copyright free music.

Script:

"Another fan by the name of "quack quack58," sent and asked me this question: How did you intergrate technologies -software, hardware, and online -in this project?."

 "To start off, I used the canva software to design and produce our film company logo, which is Viper studios. I was the one who came with both the logo and the icon after pondering for quite some time. I also used Canva to create the Calling Card, which turned out pretty well. Another software we used is Clipchamp. Clipchamp is an editing program which is also supported by our school so choosing Clipchamp as our main editing software was a no-brainer. Clipchamp was introduced to us earlier in the year so that is another reason on why we chose it. Clipchamp also allowed us to tweak smaller details such as brightness, fading, and volume, which made our film opening sound and look more polished.

 For the hardware tools, we used a selfie stick to effectively reach places our hands could not and to also stabilize our phones on which we recorded all of our shots on. Adding on, we used mostly used Lucas' and Andres' phones to record and see which one came out better.

 For online programs, I wanted to mention this app, Blogger. Blogger has helped me tremendously because it kept me on top of all my work, it helped my plan for what I needed to do in the future, and it also helped me improve my writing skills. Blogger made this project a very non-stressful experience for me and I am surprised by this because this is rare. An Additional program that was helpful is Pixabay. Pixabay helped me and Andres get all of our copyright free music and soundtracks for no cost and it was extremely easy to navigate. 

This is everything from me, I genuinely enjoyed this fun project and I am grateful to everyone that helped me along this journey. This is Calling Card and thank you for watching."

Calling Card: CCR 3

CCR #3: How did your production skills develop throughout this project? 

For the last 2 questions, I will be reading my "fans'" mail.

Script

"Hey guys, today I will open some fan mail and do a little Q&A! regarding my film opening, calling card!"

*opens mail*

" A fan by the username of Marat's biggest fan123 asked me this question: how did your production skills develop throughout this project?"

"Good question, In the beginning, I was very inexperienced in film. I relied on basic shots, I did not know much about framing, lighting, and even editing. I had limited experience in filming and I had trouble working on more complex scenes. As I spent more and more time in that class, I improved my ability to use and recognize different types of shots, editing techniques, just an overall feel for how everything works to achieve purpose in film ."

 I learned media theories and actual proper camera work which included learning more shot techniques and how they affect film. I improved my editing skills particularly when I helped Andres cut and organize the clips so that the sequence flowed smoothly.

Another area I improved on was planning. While working on the storyboard for my film opening, I learned to better visualize scenes and think on how they would contribute to the story.

 I especially improved my lighting skills when I was working on the antagonist part. since our film opening was based off the mystery genre, we opted to create a dark mise-en-scene to emphasize on the fear and unknown. At first we struggled because we did not have proffesional equipment. After experimenting for a while we found a creative solution. Lucas, a team member, used a spherical portable light and partially hid it behind his shirt to reduce the brightness. This created a darker and more atmospheric effect which worked really well with our scene.

After that confidence boost, I quickly started becoming more technical and I also developed stronger camera skills. This is shown when I started planning shots that revolved around more than a midshot and close up. I faced challenges during filming which included faulty shots, but after me and my team revised them and reshot some clips, we managed to get a a strong, final outcome.

By the end of this project, I had developed a much deeper and clearer understanding of how camera work, editing, and planning work together to create an effective film opening.

Calling Card: CCR 2

Research: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

Our project engages with audiences by having them try to guess a multitude of plot holes. Mysteries such as the antagonist's motives, his masterful evasiveness, the protagonist's motives, and how the dynamics between them would develop if it were a real media text. 

Additionally, If I had to distribute this as a media text, I would utilize both physical and digital distribution. Through physical distribution, I would put up flyers and do public presentations of me introducing my piece to the world. While for digital means, I would post my clips and highlights to social media platforms to attract audiences with the peak moments. I would also try to get a famous celebrity to talk about my media text and promote it.

Script

 

Alex: "Welcome back to another episode of interviewing movie directors everyone, today we have the co-producer and director of calling card!"

Marat (me): "Thank you so much for having me again Alex, what can I do for you?"

Alex: "Well, our viewers have been wondering Marat, how did you get the audience to engage with your film?"

Marat: "Great question, When we created Calling Card, we wanted our audience to feel the obsession that drove Matt and Oliver. Meaning, we specifically created Matt and Oliver to be appealing to certain audiences that relate to them.

Alex: "That's very creative of you. what about Shade? does he play a role in engaging the audience as well?"

Marat: "I'm glad you asked, because honestly, he plays a bigger role than the protagonists"

Alex: "go on"

Marat: "We included enigma code by showing the impact shade has on his surroundings and not revealing a single piece of skin to emphasize on the unknown that fuels the viewer's fear. This element also turns the viewer into a third detective as they try to figure out how, why, and who Shade is."

Alex: "amazing technique Marat. tell us more about the technical aspects of your film."

Marat: "Gladly, We chose low-key lighting style that appeals to most audiences. Using low-key lighting for the villain really creates a dark atmosphere that people associate with evil. This reinforces our concept of portraying shade as mysterious and unknown. Additionally, we chose an eerie soundtrack that instills unease because humans are literally WIRED to react negatively to low pitched sounds which connects back to our concept of engaging with our audience."

Alex: "So you purposefully imposed fear into your audience to get them hooked?"

Marat: "Yep. fear and paranoia"

Alex: "What a monster *jokingly laugh*"

Marat: "*Laughs Back*"

Alex: "Ahhhh, enough of that, how did you market your film successfully?"

Marat: "Well, First, we have to establish our target audience before we get into any specifics. 

Alex: "Of course"

Marat: "Our primary demographic involves people ranged from 16-30 years old and a mixed gender demographic. So considering this, we would go for social media synergy, where we would "leak" grainy CCTV of Shade on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to create a viral mystery."

Alex: "Great choice, but how would people that do not have a phone access your content?"

Marat: "We would try to go for an streaming services. We would try to get a contract with popular streaming platforms like Netflix or Hulu and connect to people worldwide. These platforms are the perfect spot to do so because they have because they have built-in algorithms that find people that love dark and mysterious movies"

Alex: "Fantastic Marat, well, I think all of our questions have been answered. Thank you for showing up and giving our viewers some attention"

Marat: "My pleasure, Thank you for having me"

*Marat gets up and leaves*

Calling Card Production Ideas

 Production Ideas

For my production ideas, I have a couple ideas I want to do. For starters, The first 2 CCR questions will be almost like a podcast where I have my friend interview me about my film opening and I will respond with appropriate answers to the questions. I will then continue that for the 2 questions and have Andres help me with film it.

For my second CCR, I want to do a presentation where I have me talking and have images coorelated to what I am talking about with occasional voice overs. So essentially, It will be me infront of a camera talking and have clips of coorelating information be presented to the viewer.

I already ended up filming the first CCR stuff and I will end up doing the second CCR around next week.

Calling Card: Obstacles and Issues

 Editing Visual Elements

During the beginning phase of editing, we realized that we had multiple missing shots and clips that needed to be filmed. To solve this, we decided to regroup together on Monday the following week to finish everything and wrap up filming. This regrouping will be done to reshoot and improve older clips as well as to get the required ones done. Secondly, when we were editing, we realized that some of the shots we filmed had odd lighting. This means that it was either too bright, too dark, or just outright wrong. To combat this; Andres, who was editing this, decided to use one of ClipChamp's features where he can adjust the brightness and exposure.

Editing Audio Element

Once we found the antagonist soundtrack, the real problems arose. We could not find any protagonist soundtracks nor did we foley our sounds yet for more minor stuff. This again would be solved by coming over to the filming location and finishing all of the filming there. We would also be researching sound audios on Monday and ask around for opinions to complete our sound part.

Editing Credits

For the credits, Andres ran into even more issues that he was able to clear up shortly after. He solved this by recieving advice from his mom who gave him credble fonts that elevated the entire beginning of the project. Another obstacle with credits was the placement. He firstly placed the credits in bad locations which prevented the viewer from properly seeing Shade. This was also solved with the valiant help of his mother.