Peer Feedback

Mood: Persevering

Hii! It was such a crazy day yesterday that it was hard to find time to churn out this post! Yesterday in class, we had group meetings with our peers where we run our ideas by them and hope for some good feedback. I met with two of my classmates, Asher and Catalina, and I explained that I was creating a poetic documentary with the purpose of reconstructing the negative narrative that is associated with teenagers. They loved the overall idea of the doc, and the intro that Kass and I had planned. Asher suggested that instead of having all of our subjects collectively say "but they're wrong," we should cut all background noise and have one voice say it to make it more powerful and impactful. I think that's a good idea for change, as it will make it less cheesy. In Kass's group, she asked about our title (which completely slipped my mind), and they really liked "We Are Not Who You Think We Are," so I think our title is set!

I also started working on general topics for the script, but I still feel a bit stuck. When I write, especially when it's about really personal stuff, I often have to sit somewhere quiet, alone with my thoughts, and just start writing whatever comes to mind. I think that's what I'l have to do to come up with some useable content for this doc. 

In Amnesia (that poetic doc that I really liked), the narration begins with:

"I'm full of old and new sights. I'm overwhelmed, not repulsed though, just affected. Vivid sensations..." 

I noticed that the narration is slow-paced and that the writing is more abstract than concrete; it is full of descriptions that allow viewers to figure out what is being discussed, rather than blatantly stating it. I think it will be challenging for me to write in this manner, but, in my opinion, it will better suit our doc to do the script this way. I really want to ensure that I address some traits such as responsibility, compassion, empathy, intelligence, and drive in the doc, so I'm keeping that in mind as I write as well.

See ya later!
Chey :)

Looking Within

Mood: Reflective

Hey there!! Kass and I have been brainstorming during our classroom time, desperately trying to come up with a subject for our documentary that could work with our weird schedules and can get personal on camera... naturally, we decided to go with me haha! Basically, we figured that, as part of Gen Z, I often notice how people look down upon us all, and I think it's horrible. I've had family members ask criticize us in front of my face, sigh. Anyhow, I think I'll be a good fit for the documentary, as I've had many experiences that have tested my maturity, responsibility, strength, and drive. I feel as if, through a great script and well-constructed doc, I'll be able to represent just a few of the positive qualities that many members of Gen Z also embody.

As for the script itself... heh. It's been an interesting journey, and we're working on it. So far, we have been so focused on finding someone to be in our doc based off of our mental image of this project, but we have been extremely challenged in trying to make it all work. One thing we've noticed among some poetic docs are that they are mainly visual-driven; however, we want the audio to maintain that element of control and stability throughout the piece, as the visuals will be more disjointed. I think that the narration will convey the story and set the mood, and the visuals will aid in that storytelling.

In summation:
Challenge: Scripting such an abstract type of documentary
Solution: Looking within and a ton of freewriting - the results of this TBD

Wish me luck and see you next time!
Chey :)

Research Makes the Dream Work

Mood: Investigative

Hey there, hope you're doing well today! Recently, I've been thinking about the doc website that I'll have to create as a component of the portfolio project, so I've been looking into color psychology - which, by the way, is SUPER interesting! So far, I came up with a few general ideas that will become more narrowed once we have a solid picture of how our doc will turn out.

What I learned was that the use of color on websites can determine how engaged people are with them. Because our target audience encompasses Gen Z, in addition to older generations, we will try to find a middle ground with the engaging features of our site.

This cool blog provided some great examples and explanations on how color psych works, and how it can benefit the creators of the site. With the right layout and color choices, our website could have higher engagement and product interaction, which is exactly what we need to promote our doc. Promotion is of the utmost importance for obtaining fans of the doc and possible business with buyers.

I also searched the gazillion Google results to find info on how some filmmakers created their own experimental pieces to alleviate my anxiousness about the whole process. I found some interesting stuff in an article from Documentary.org as well as from NoFilmSchool.com. Both of the above articles gave me tips from various professionals on the creation of their own pieces which I hope will aid me in my journey.

See ya soon!
Chey :)

More Planning!

Mood: Bouncy 

Hey guys, I'm excited to share a little more information about the planning process of our doc!! As of now, we are planning to film on a blank wall in Kass's room, probably in dim lighting so that the focus is on the subjects. Here is a breakdown of our plans:

Intro: 

First of all, I was inspired by this scene from One Tree Hill (a guilty pleasure, what can I say). In it, this character, Brooke Davis, is faced with all of her insecurities due to what people say about her. I'm looking to replicate this type of scene with my doc, of what people often say about Gen Z. I was talking to a friend of mine about this idea and about how I wasn't sure where to get a projector to use for it, and she actually has one; therefore, this idea is actually feasible whooo!!! This scene would be part of the introduction, and it would be the start of every episode. As we outlined the intro, we came up with the basic order and a few relevant details to how the intro would progress:

1. Start with projector shot - use 5 subjects, same mid-shot and composition; 3 second shots? 13 possible subjects to choose from

2. Fade to black transition

3. Black background - "they call us" audio begins, use 3 subjects, switch between subjects throughout audio. Subjects never fully facing camera - look down/to the side

4. SHIFT - abrupt black screen or sound cut with audio "but they're wrong" said by all subjects - can use faster paced music to intensify the piece. Use of empowering "we are..." audio. Subjects look fiercely into the camera, keeping their heads and chins up to look proud and strong. 

Content:

We are hoping to have the intro at about a minute, give or take, so that would leave us about 4 minutes of content. Kass and I are working hard to figure out how to make this portion of the doc as interesting as possible. I love to write, so I want the script for the narrator to be interesting and engaging, and add to the visuals. Because this type of doc is so different from anything that I've ever produced, I'm having a hard time with figuring out how to plan it - or what I should even include. I went with this idea to challenge myself, and I know that I just have to keep thinking and researching, or even start filming at this point to get a sense of how different shots look together. Kass and I have blocked out a chunk of time this weekend to film with some of our *possible* subjects (we are still checking schedules). We want to experiment and play around with filming, and we are going to have them stick around for quite a few hours to get some of that done. We are hoping for the best, and we are going to make it work.

This post got a bit lengthy oops, hope you enjoy it!!

Chey :)