week 15 final

As I turned in my film today, I reflected on all of the struggles that Devin and I over came this past semester. I feel like we have done so much in such a short amount of time. I am proud of the way our film turned out. I think it's funny, relevant, and has some real truth and meaning that will resonate with people. Although I do feel like it could benefit to some sprucing here and there, I still think it's a good film that holds its own.

I enjoy seeing it, and I think that all of the stylistic decisions we made were the right calls. We had every problem on set that you could have for a film, but every single shoot we learned something. I think there's something to be said for overcoming obstacles on set. It helped us learn. I think if everything went right on set, then we wouldn't have the same amount of experience that we do now. Every time something went wrong, we fixed it to the best of our ability, and even though it wasn't perfect - it worked. That's the thing with documentary, it's never going to be perfect, because it's real. You're dealing with people and places that you can't plan for, so not everything can be perfectly lit or mic-ed. You just have to roll with the punches.

In the end, I think Devin and I are extremely happy with the structure, edits, and flow of our film. The only thing I would add if I had more time would be more b-roll.

Thanks for a great semester!

week 14

This week Devin and I did a lot of editing. We thought a lot about what our graphics should like for the panel and thought that having them have little speech bubbles that imitated the chat rooms was a really cool idea. We also met with Michelle who helped us out with color correction and Anthony Guevara who did the sound. We added a lot of music, and really thought about what the audience was seeing, and how we could make it make more sense to them.

I think trying to watch it as if you haven't seen it 40 times is the hardest part about editing. It's hard to know what people are going to get and not going to get, because you get it all since you've been involved with it for so long. I also think it's hard to cut, because some of the shots you get so attached too, but you have to cut them for the sake of the film's clarity and brevity.

I also learned from editing that you are going to struggle with some sort of technical problem that you may not know how to solve. It's just going to happen and you are going to have to go and find research that tells you how to solve it, ask someone, or mess around with it until it works.

The title cards we put in the film didn't work because the lines were so small so we looked it up. Apparently you need to put an edge blur effect on them in order for them to appear.

Week 12 Update

Departmental Meeting

Jack and I met on Wednesday at 1:30 and he updated me on what he's been doing and how he plans to  handle social media. We also talked about the best way to convert the oped piece into a blog piece and I asked him to begin researching film blogs we might go after and their contact names. 

Director's Meeting 

Class without Shannon

Class without Shannon went well. We talked about the new name for Film Kid Mixer. I suggested just Film Mixer but people thought that was boring (I agree). So we brainstormed and someone came up with the idea of Cinemixer. We thought it was cool, but did sound slightly like a cereal, but we kind of liked that aspect. We gave Tyler the idea of laser turkeys to put in his thanksgiving animation because we thought it lacked some holiday cheer. I presented our marketing action plan, talked about my oped piece and brainstormed that with the class and which direction they wanted the call to action to go in. We decided on involvement. 

Treasure Hunt Meeting 

After class on Tuesday, James, Rebecca, Jack and I met to work on the treasure hunt. I had emailed my advisor from High School and she gave us some helpful tips on how to start planning it out. She said that the locations are the first thing you want to get, then you map it out, then you write the clues. I explained that to everyone and we picked buildings we wanted to tailor the game to and then divided them up amongst us and decided that we would find five hiding spots in each of the buildings. I am in charge of finding five spots in CAB. After we get all of the hiding spots we are going to map out the order of the clues and then write them to lead to one another. I'm very excited about this and they seem to be too!

Indiegogo Video Meeting

Adrienne, Michelle, Devin, and I met on Monday and talked about the calendar Adrienne made, when we needed to shoot it and the script Devin made. I was a little taken aback by how short the time frame for this was. With all of the film festivals I had forgotten that we didn't have that much school left, especially with break. Adrienne said that from her calendar we only had this week to shoot. I realize now that I should have come to her sooner about it, but I also wish she had come to the directors about it sooner. We informed the class the next day and not everyone could come. Michelle and I rewrote the script with Devin's help editing the wording and worked it out so that Kevin would be the star of it, but then he had a death in the family, and will not be able to make it. I wish we had more time to wait for him, because I don't want to film it without him. I talked with Adrienne and she said to go on with the shoot. Devin made storyboards. Michelle's made the shot list, and I'm making the shooting schedule. 

Cucalorus Response

FST 495 Cucalorus Response

Trinidad Shorts

            I watched the Trinidad Shorts at night, and so that meant that many of the filmmakers (and mediator) were all tired, drunk, and ready to get more drunk at Jengo’s. The mediator didn’t let the audience ask their own questions. When the filmmakers answered the mediator’s questions, I noticed that there were two types of answers – the dreamer answer and the funny, realistic answer. A lot of the short films I saw were dark or satirical (or hybrid) narratives. I figure that the reason so many shorts are dark is because it’s easier for us to bond and sympathize with the characters during hard times. Comedies also seem to be troublesome for short narratives, because the acting has to be timed right and timing is hard for anybody. Some shorts had better production values than others, but I noticed that as long as I was involved in the story, I didn’t mind the quality as much as long as I could see and hear what was going on.

            Most of the shorts lacked production design, which I believe would have made better films. All of the films focused on lighting and cinematography. One in particular had spectacular lighting, special effects, camera work, and acting. It felt like what an abstract would be to a paper, and showcased the real talent of the director.

Wilmington on Fire

            Wilmington on Fire was a work in progress last Cucalorus, and this year, he had a full fledged film. His documentary seemed to have lots of poorly compositioned shots, lighting, and not enough focus in the structure of the film. Although he used chapters to separate parts of his film, he was still focusing on a lot for one film. I think if he cut back, his film would have been stronger. However, the topic was so strong, relevant, and controversial that the audience didn’t care. In fact, Wilmington on Fire had the longest Q and A I saw at Cucalorus. The strong, strange characters and the director’s passion for the subject outweighed the mess ups the filmmaker had.

            I noticed that the mark of a good DP is to be able to pull focus fast, because the subjects don’t know about blocking or waiting to move to the next thing until you pull focus. One way to combat this I think would be to ask the subject to put the document out for us to see or get separate shots of all of those documents. That way they can be overlayed with the sound of the subject’s voice.

            Another thing I noticed from this documentary is that when picking a documentary subject, it’s always good if you get a subject that people are willing to talk about. Forcing people to talk about something they are uncomfortable with may prove to be a good film in the end, but essentially that’s a longer, arduous process.

Week 10

This week we held a panel to see what men had to say about Tinder. I brought Miller Lite to the set - a beer I thought is inherently manly. We had them drink a little and set up when they got there. Even though I checked the equipment before I left the equipment room, we had a bunch of technical issues on set. We had a lot of feedback from the lapels, and I'm not sure why. We had four plugged into the H6N, like Aaron said and then we were going to use the boom mic as a backup but that didn't work out. Our lights were also not going well, and I think it was because of the shape of the room and, in hindsight, maybe shooting in a larger room that wasn't under the light source would have been a better idea.

I thought that we had a lot of good discussions though, and I am hoping that we are able to fix the visual orange tone to the film and the sound quality. I also believe that maybe bringing on an editor with a bit more experience will be beneficial, and I know a guy who can sound mix that I think will help out.

I am discouraged by the workshops we have had and feel that I cannot keep up with the technological opinions of people. There are so many technical issues that I still do not understand, even though I've been through a lot of different courses in my college career. I have tried researching and playing with the lights, but it seems it's just not my forte, and I feel discouraged about that. I will continue to research.

Research:
http://nofilmschool.com/2012/05/interview-lighting-tutorials-thatll-kick
Soft Box: helps to diffuse shadows and add eye light
Hair Light/Backlight: helps separate the background from the characters

http://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/filmmaking-tip-gear-for-a-one-man-documentary-crew/
I think we have been missing the back light on a lot of our interviews and that's why it's been so bad.

White Balance for T2i DSLR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlPszRgHhUM
https://vimeo.com/9742411
http://www.learningvideo.com/custom-white-balance/

Change exposures:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/exposure-mode-quick-guide-for-your-canon-rebel-t2i.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgqB1L9jI74

Manual Focus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTJikVeLu74

Week 8

This week Devin and I interviewed Mars Incrucio who made the tinder card game, Matchr. He only brought a prototype, so we didn't get as much b-roll as we wanted, but it was still a good interview. It was helpful that Mars was a film student, because he knew what we wanted, and even though he rambled, he tried to oblige and be a good interviewee even when the camera cut off sometimes. We shot in a local coffee shop that had a lot of sunlight and they were very nice. Luckily, there was a family who came in and sat down behind us and started playing games. This was kind of funny, but also slightly annoying. I talked with Michelle about the shaky camera and so we posted the camera on the tripod the whole time to avoid that. The light looked clear and not orange at all.

I have been trying to listen to the class with what they are saying technically. I feel as though I am playing catch up though. We also came up with an outline from what Mars said that I feel fits the film a lot better and makes it unique - with a lot of help from Alex in our class.

We were trying to get Mars to go on three different tinder dates and take a fly on the wall approach with those dates, but he refused to do it because his "publicist said it would be a bad idea for his image." So, now we are going through tinder, as well as people we know from tinder, and trying to find matches. However, a lot of people are wary of going on the tinder date or are confused about what it is. We have also been looking to our friends and seeing if they would be willing to let us film their tinder dates since it's less creepy that way.

We have one date lined up for Sunday night, and the guy seems pretty friendly and unawkward about it all. I feel much more confident about how my footage will come together now.

Update Week 7

We have finally found an interview with a Domestic Violence Abuse Center Worker. She is very excited to work with us and I think her interview will be beneficial for getting a full perspective of what love can mean. I think it may also lead to a full cover of the center if she ends up being interesting on camera. I also found a professor at UNCW whose speciality is working with love and the structure of a relationship. Which could really be helpful in figuring out the structure of our documentary.

I'm currently thinking about adding a participatory Vox Pop, like setting people up on blind dates as a way to break up the monotony of talking heads. I think finding a compatibility test and setting people up might be fun. Or hosting our own speed dating event. I am also going to interview some couples that I know of different ages and a child who comes from a broken family about love and how he sees it.

Week Six Update

Week 6 Update

I've had a really tough time trying to get people to be in front of a camera for an interview. The problem I run into the most is that I invest a lot of time in emailing and talking with them and then they drop us, and say that they can't do it. I'm trying to find a way in somehow, but it has been really tough and discouraging. I'm also getting a lot of spontaneous emails saying let's do the interview in a few hours or tomorrow, which is hard/impossible to schedule with the equipment room. 

I'm also having a hard time figuring out exactly what I want to hone in on. It's hard to nail down exactly what I think and I want to talk to more people and film more things to solidify a focus. 

Devin and I are going to go downtown and film Vox pops and see if anything or anyone stands out. 

Week 5

This week Devin, Michelle and I met with the psychic for an hour on Saturday 9/19/15. She was welcoming and very excited to talk with us about her experience in her work with life coaching, tarot cards, and massage therapy. She talked with us about her life and her subjective opinions on life and love. She talked a lot about her new dog, Hope, that she got three weeks ago, who was adorable. We pet Hope for an hour, and Lorri talked about how love can be about anything and how Hope shows her a new side of love everyday. She gave me a lot of ideas to think about and I know that her perspective will bring an interesting aspect to the film that is not all about romantic love. Devin and I also met on Friday 9/18/15 and worked on Assignment 3.

We have been emailing and calling all of our experts, but not many have wanted to respond or are responding slowly. The funeral home is interested but seems hesitant to talk with us, but we are calling them on Monday. The bartender is also interested but is being difficult in setting a date for the interview. The sex therapist just got back to us today and wanted the questions but didn't want to set a date for the interview yet but does seem excited.

Expert Bios and Questions

Love Experts - Bios and Questions:

Mother – Jennifer Freeman

Jennifer is a semi recently remarried mother of three. Her kids, Grace Dodd, age 8, Wright Dodd, age 6, and Emerson Freeman, age 1 ½. Age 38, Jennifer graduated from Mount Olive College and works with an activist group involved in drug representation. She currently lives in Wilmington, but is originally from Teachy, North Carolina.

Questions:

1. In our eyes you qualify as an expert in love being that you are a mother and wife, in as many or few words as you’d like, what is love to you?
2. If you do not mind sharing, what toll did divorce have on you and your kids?
3. How do you share the time with the kids between you and your ex-husband? What prompted this arrangement?
4. What do you look for in a relationship/father for your kids?
5. Can you tell me about your first love?
6. What’s the difference between the first love and the ones to come after?
7. Describe the feeling of being a parent - the transition from you being the center of your world to little humans acquiring that position; what’s running through your mind, etc.
8. Did you see changes in your marriage after having kids? What were they?
9. What would you have done differently in your first marriage? Why?
10. What has been the most helpful advice you’ve received about marriage?

Counselor - Douglas Owen

Douglas is the owner of Bridge Builders Counseling Center, a professional therapy and counseling center located in Wilmington, NC. Having received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Randolph Macon College, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Science in Pastoral Counseling, Douglas is highly qualified and passionate about helping people in his community. His center offers services dealing with a wide range of issues such as anger management and mental illness, to parenting and marriage counseling.

Questions:

1. What is the most common issue you’ve seen among couples using your services, and why do you think that is?
2. How would you describe the difference between romantic love and familial love? Is one stronger than the other, why?
3. What exactly does counseling do for couples and parents in need?
4. What experiences in your life prompted your interest in such work as couples and marriage counseling?
5. Are you married? (If I may ask) How is your marriage?
6. What do you believe to be the connection between spirituality and love?
7. To give a definition to it, what is love?
8. In the simplest sense, is love more about biology or chemistry? Explain.
9. Do you agree with the opposites attract theory or those more similar attract?
10. What is the most basic advice you would give to a couple having problems?

Bartender – Jim Radle

Jim is the owner and one of the bartenders of 22 North, a beach bar and restaurant located on Wrightsville Beach. Jim is in his thirties, and has been married for a few years, with several children. Jim is also a first hand witness of the minglings of college students during his bar’s nightlife.

Questions:

1. How would you describe the basic interaction between college kids at your bar?
2. Describe some of the best and worst couples you’ve seen?
3. How do you balance the young bar scene with being a father and husband?
4. What were you like in college?
5. When did you meet your wife? How has your relationship changed over the years?
6. Do you think it is possible to have a lasting relationship in college? How/Why?
7. What kind of relationship advice would you give your kids?
8. How much of an effect does alcohol have on the college dating scene?
9. What is the difference in behavior between a girl and a guy at a bar?
10. Do you think the social environment promotes or inhibits a young person’s relationship? Why?

Preacher – Anthony C. Grills

Anthony is a preacher, husband, and father, currently working for the Holston Conference for a small church in Tazewell, Virginia. Having worked in several different facilities, preaching to a variety of age groups, and handling situations from funerals to weddings, Anthony is well acquainted with how people deal and don’t deal with love.

Questions:

1.     If you were to make the Webster’s definition for love, what would it be?

2.     When you join a marriage, what is the most common issue you find?

3.     Tell me a story about a time you felt loved.

4.     Tell me about when you saw love for the first time.

5.     What do you think brings people together? What tears them apart?

6.     What does religion have to say about love?

7.     When people don’t feel loved, what do you find happens? How do they show it?

8.     Are there different kinds of love?

9.     Why do people need to feel loved?

10. What would you say to a person who didn’t feel loved?

Psychic – Lorri Gifford

Trained in tarot card readings, life coaching, and massage, Lorri has been honing her skills since 1986. She has obtained a variety of clients since she was a young adult, and is familiar with peoples’ desires out of life—one of those desires often being love. Living in the Wilmington area, she has been life coaching nationally and writing.

Questions:

1.     What do people usually need when they come to you for life coaching? Do couples ever come to you?

2.     Why do people come to have their cards read?

3.     What are the types of advice you give to them?

4.     Where do you think most issues in life stem and why?

5.     What do tarot cards say about love?

6.     You have an interesting combination of talents. When you are giving massages, are there certain areas of the body that hold tension from feeling lonely? Where do we carry that loneliness?

7.     Tell me about a time you felt most loved.

8.     Tell me about when you saw love for the first time.

9.     When people don’t feel loved, what do you think happens? How do they show it?

10. If someone you were life coaching didn’t feel loved, what would you coach them to do? What are the steps they should take?

Sex Therapist – Dr. Ralph W Fox II

Dr. Fox has been in therapy for over thirty years helping couples realize and resolve their problems. He directly addresses sexual issues in relationships, whatever they may be, always reminding his patients that confidentiality is key in his work. Dealing with many more addictions, Dr. Fox will have a wide range of past clients who have struggled with love in their lifetime.

Questions:

1.     What is the most common reason couples come to you? Why do you think that is such a problem for couples?

2.     Where do you think struggles with sex or sexuality stems?

3.     What does sex say about a relationship and the individual?

4.     Tell me a story about a time you felt most loved.

5.     Tell me about when you saw love for the first time.

6.     What does sex do for love? What does love do for sex?

7.     The “hook up culture” is becoming more and more of a trend in the young adult world. As a sex therapist, do you see this trend as harmful if safe sex is practiced?

8.      When people don’t feel loved, what do you think happens? How do they show it?

9.     Are there different kinds of sexual advice you give to couples that seem to increase romantic feelings in the relationship?

10. If a person didn’t feel loved during sex, how would you advise them?