Critical Creative Reflection

    Here is my Critical Creative Reflection. After weeks and weeks of work my project is finally done and so is my beautiful CCR. 

CCR - Gabriella McMillan

~ENJOY~

Portfolio Project

     The long wait is over. The film opening for "I Remember Nothing" is here. After WEEKS of planning, researching, and filming, our project is finally done. 

    We believe we have reached the goal of an opening: capture the audience's attention. And without further ado, here is the link.

"I Remember Nothing"

Portfolio Project - Gaby McMillan and Eric Diaz

~hope you like it~

We Got Our Title!!!!!!!!

 FINALLY. WE HAVE OUR TITLE.

    After weeks and weeks and weeks of deliberation, our title has been chosen. After revamping our film's opening ending and overall direction, we ditched our old title. We did a lot of brainstorming and decided to get some inspiration from songs. 

    We listened to Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" *click me to listen* and were inspired by the song I Remember Nothing's lyrics, especially "Get weak all the time, may just pass the time". This speaks to our main character's weak mental state in the face of his family issues and depression spiral. Therefore, we chose the title, "I Remember Nothing", since the main character is trying to forget life around him as he lets his art consume him. 

   

One Last Bump in the Road

    Since my partner and I did not get another chance to discuss the project over Spring Break after the shooting days since we were both out of town, I am currently sitting at my desk trying to settle on the order of the footage as well as the title. 

    Before my partner and I changed the trajectory of the opening, we had a title picked out. However, the title "Another Chance" no longer resonates with us. We have class on Tuesday and will more in-depth discuss this then and pick out the title as soon as possible since we need to edit the project this week.

 

Figuring out the B-roll

  

    Above is a still from one of the shots we will be using at the very beginning of the opening as the credits roll. We are currently still deliberating on what fonts to use and such. But, with the shooting we did yesterday in the garage and the B-roll we got in Las Olas, we are pretty much-done filming and are very happy with the content we have gotten. 

    However, shooting was the easy part and now we must think about the order in which we will edit the different scenes and where we will begin the credits.

   

 

Painting is Fun

     With some help from my boyfriend who is also partaking on a portfolio project of his own, my partner and I painted and drew a bunch of artworks that Jack will be contemplating and working on in the opening. 

    While painting we had one objective in mind: make each painting look abstract or eery. We reached this objective 10000%. After painting in the garage we decided that the garage could also double as a shooting spot for the parts where Jack is concentrating on his artwork and isolating himself. 

    Since we liked how the garage looked in the test footage, we decided to use the footage we got last week in Las Olas as B-roll footage while the voicemail plays in the background. 

Location Scouting

    Today my partner and I went to Las Olas Ft. Lauderdale to location scout and better visualize our project and how it would fit the narrative etc.

    We decided Las Olas was perfect especially since there is a lot of construction going on right now on the roads. The construction added to the sort of somber industrial look we were looking for to put in our opening. We walked around for an hour and picked out locations. We were going to film today but my partner's outfit did not really fit the idea we had in mind for Jack and since he will be playing Jack we postponed filming the main parts for next week!

 

Fixed Issue

     As mentioned before, my partner and I ran into an issue with how we were going to end the film opening in a way that did not seem abrupt.

    We decided to entirely scrap the idea of Jack waking up and having it be the day before again. Instead, Jack will be portrayed as a disturbed artist who is struggling with a mental disorder, isolation, and a family tragedy. He expresses how he feels through his art. 

    We will develop this backstory through a voicemail playing in the background rather than a dialogue in the scene. It will show how he is isolated more than having him talk to someone to convey this idea. 

Above is a draft of the voicemail that will be playing in the background. I will be the one speaking as the song The Future by Have A Nice Life plays as well. The voicemail will last about two minutes and the rest will be scenes portraying Jack's mental state. 

Group Meeting in Class!!!

     Here is a picture I took today of my classmates and me discussing each other's projects and progress. Today was our first day of group class meetings and it was very insightful. I spoke with Aneesa, especially about what I should do to end my 2 minutes as my partner and I were not sure yet. She gave me an idea about utilizing pictures to add to the characterization of Jack: for example, placing pictures of him and a loved one in the background.

     However, I am not sure if I want to go the picture route since we were already discussing making Jack an artist and the pictures might take away focus from Jack's actual artwork. 

Moving Along

     We intended to begin filming this weekend but my partner and I had some scheduling conflicts and a lot of assignments to finish so we decided to move filming to next week, we are looking at Monday, Thursday, and Friday as possible filming dates. Since one of our scenes will have to be filmed in Fort Lauderdale at night we need a lot of time to location scout and film. 

    My partner Eric Diaz bought a phone tripod to facilitate our filming (especially since I have shaky hands and I will be filming most of it) and make for a better end product. We are making our final changes to the storyboard tomorrow during class and will make an updated posting accordingly.

Here is the tripod we will be using. link to tripod on Amazon. 

A Few Changes

     After meeting in class, my partner and I decided to change the end of our film opening. Our original ending seemed a little cliche and too much for a 2-minute opening. The idea of Jack falling and waking up to it being the day before would be too much for the small amount of time we have to introduce the film and would not be as executable as we thought it could be.

    We're still currently debating what the ending scene will be but since we plan on filming soon we will have it finalized by Monday. Spring break is also coming up and we both will have limited time to film and edit so we want to have most of it done before we go on break. 

    We also have been deliberating more on what songs to use for the 2 minutes and decided we were settling on only using two to three song snippets to not make it overwhelming. We decided on the song "The Future" by Have A Nice Life for one of them, this song will play as Jack walks through the city.

    

Even More Good News!

     Just when we thought we were only going to have one artist to choose from for songs, another artist answered us! The band Duster finally answered my message yesterday night.  

    I asked for permission in a formal manner with the same message I sent Have A Nice Life and received a somewhat passive-aggressive response from Duster. However, it still means yes so we will take it. Even though Have A Nice Life was a bit more enthusiastic about it, we are still very excited to be able to use Duster's music, especially the song "Earth-Moon Transit". 

 

Final Steps Before Filming Week :)

    Above is a screenshot from our original brainstorming document in which we just threw off some ideas to run off of. My partner and I like to reserve our creativity for the actual shooting days and not stick strictly to how the storyboard or script looks since it can result in a project that comes off as robotic. We wanted to have a set idea of how the opening would flow, but we may also change certain aspects as we film if we realize it doesn't seem cohesive. We have cast our characters and gotten our film opening's score settled as well as our locations and filming dates set; we are organized and ready to go! I am so excited to finally begin shooting, especially since getting permission to use one of my favorite band's music :)

The Recording Schedule Has Been Set!

    After getting approval to use Have A Nice Life's music in our project, we could finally set the schedule as we had finalized every detail for our film opening. 

    Since I work most weekends, I had to request a day off to ensure we had enough time and days to get all the footage we need. Since we will be shooting in three different locations, we split shooting into two days. Next Saturday we will shoot the party scenes and the bedroom scenes in my room. Because it would be difficult to shoot at an actual party, we are simulating the party by turning on my room's LED lights in flashing mode and having some friends in the background to make it seem like a crowded party. 

    The scenes where Jack is aimlessly laying around and drinking will be the simplest to film so we're not really worried about those since they are pretty self-explanatory. Because we obviously cannot actually use alcohol since we are not 21, we are faking it by using glasses and apple juice. 

    The most difficult scenes in the film will probably be the ones in the city. We plan on going to Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday night to film when Jack is on the walk he falls and hits his head. The drive is not too bad however, finding a spot empty enough to film will require some location scouting and walking around but there's a spot nearby Las Olas which is usually not as crowded and pretty dark which may perfectly fit the exact background we were thinking of for the opening. 

This is the song that will be playing in the background as Jack wastes away his days on the couch..

Never Mind, Really Good News!

    Finally, we got a response! The band we were hoping for most to answer finally did today. When we first came up with the concept for our film opening, my partner and I imagined the song "Bloodhail" playing in the background. The low-toned and brooding bass on the song would perfectly create the mood and tone we are trying to convey for the rest of the film. 

    Having an actual song to work with and not having to use copyright-free music is such a relief and we are so excited to work with Have a Nice Life's music since we are big fans of their work. Plus, we know exactly which songs will fit each scene of the opening therefore we won't need to waste time looking through dozens of copyright-free music samples to find what fits best. 

 

Bad News, Sort Of

 

    Although we REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to include non-copyrighted music in our film opening and include music from some of our favorite artists such as Swans, Have a Nice Life, and death's dynamic shroud, none of them answered! 

    We thought reaching out through social media would be the fastest way to get a response, but it is more than likely that they do not manage their own social media and their managers probably do not spend a lot of time reading through DMs. 

    Since those three artists did not respond, we decided to try one last artist, and if we receive no response, we will have to sadly opt for non-copyrighted music. Fingers crossed that we get a response since we will begin filming next week!

Screenshot of my DM to the Duster official Instagram account 

Storyboard Sneak Peek

 

    My drawing skills may be subpar, but my brain was good enough to formulate a film opening! 

    In the first frame, Jack is introduced. He is seen alone yet surrounded by many at a party, the lights behind him are flashing and music is loudly playing. The emphasis of him being surrounded yet lonely contributes to his characterization as lonesome and troubled by depression and addiction. 

    In the second frame, we see a close-up of Jack's expressionless face, still surrounded by flashing lights, which leads into the third frame which goes back to a long shot of Jack but this time there are fewer people around him as the party is ending. 

    In the fourth frame, we see Jack with a drink in his hand and a slight hint of excitement on his face (not to say happiness because he truly is not and probably will never be). Due to his severe depression, he takes to drinking to feel the excitement and slip away from the numbness and repetitiveness of his daily life. 

    In the fifth frame, Jack has left the party and is walking alone again through the city. The contrast of the high rises and lights with his emotionless face furthers his characterization as depressed. This leads into the sixth frame where he lays looking to his ceiling, emotionless, as he prepares to sleep into the next repetitive day.

    In the seventh frame, the light leaks into the room signifying the next morning, it is 11:00 AM, as he blankly stares at himself in the mirror, not recognizing who he sees as his depression has led him to become detached. In the eighth frame, he begins drinking again, in fact, he drinks away the day in solitude as in the ninth frame it is once again night time signified by the darkness in the room and the empty glasses around him. 

    In the tenth frame, his location changes again as he goes in a walk through the city once again creating a parallel to earlier in the opening representing the repetitiveness of his life. 

    In the eleventh frame, he trips, and in the twelfth frame, he is seen laying unconscious on the sidewalk, presumably dead after hitting his head harshly. However, in the thirteenth frame, he jerks away back in his bed, the alarm clock reading 11:00 A.M., of the same day he had just experienced. 

    The final shot shows a black screen with the film's title "Another Chance", a phrase that encapsulates the entire film opening: Jack gets a chance to turn his life around and not die as a consequence of his addiction. 

The Storyline Has Been Completed!

 

    Coming up with an entirely new concept and trying to develop a film opening is completely new to me. It's been hard to come up with the storyline but, we did it! After brainstorming on a google doc and coming back to it, we finalized our idea. My partner and I have watched a lot of the same movies belonging to the drama genre and decided to go down a path we were familiar with. 

    Jack suffers from chronic depression  (I linked the DSM-5 criteria that we researched), and also struggles with alcoholism as a coping mechanism. Depression and addiction are often seen at the same time as a form of attempting to lift one's mood. However, seeking gratification from alcohol often ends up having the opposite effect and leading to addiction. Jack attempts to mask his chronic depression by partying and abusing alcohol, which leads him into a repeating cycle (foreshadowing of the film opening hehe) of going out, regretting his decisions, and sleeping the day away.

Here's a graphic detailing the extent of the comorbidity of depression and addiction. 

 

Naming our Character

 

    After careful deliberation, we decided the easiest way to come up with a name for our character would be to google "creepy names" and we got this as a result: https://www.babycenter.com/0_dark-evil-and-scary-baby-names_10392907.bc

    After looking through this list we landed on the name "Jack". Although a commonly used name, something about it has a sort of shielded darkness. Famous "Jacks" include Jack the Ripper, Jack Torrance, and Jack from "The House that Jack Built". The name has come to be associated with well-known horror movie characters and even real-life serial killers. In The Shining and The House that Jack Built, both of the main characters are named Jack and both represent the toll of mental illness, which is exactly what we are trying to create in our film opening. 

Jack Torrance 
    

    Since we currently do not plan to include dialogue in our film opening due to time constraints, the character's name won't be of immediate importance. However, having inspiration and research to back up our choice for Jack's name will continue to help us develop the storyboard and storyline for the film opening. 

Jack from The House that Jack Built

Brainstorming and Research Continues!

    Since we are developing a drama film opening, we began researching many drama film opening examples, such as the "Joker" opening scene. What we liked about it was the extreme close-ups on Arthur's face to highlight the mental struggles he faces. The eyes are the window to the soul and showing emotion through the eyes is a critical component of the drama genre and we plan on including it in our film opening. What we also liked about this opening was the establishing shots of the city, something we plan on doing since we would like to film in a city such as Ft. Lauderdale or Miami to break out of the plain surroundings of the suburbs to make our opening more substantial.      

                                                 

    Another film opening we analyzed was that of "Taxi Driver". Since our opening must include the film's title as well as credits to the director, editor, producer, actors, and sound, this opening exemplifies a way of presenting it in a way that is not overwhelming but rather helps introduce the setting. We would like to present our credits and title in a way that blends in with the surroundings to establish where the film will take place and introduce themes and create a tone. Choosing a font and color that matches the tone and setting is also imperative and "Taxi Driver" does a great job doing so.