Submission

Creative Critical Reflection

 CCR Questions 1 & 2 here

 CCR Questions 4 & 3 here

 Film Opening

  Film opening here

 Resources

 For CCR Video #1: 

 image: a damsel in distress. (2025). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/damsel-in-distress#google_vignette

 image:Media Studies. (2025, February 3). Laura Mulvey’s “Male gaze” theory: Definition and examples. https://media-studies.com/male-gaze/

 image: Weishaar, J., & Weishaar, J. (2025, January 6). How to Improve User Experience and SEO with Engaging Visual Content. New Horizons 123. https://newhorizons123.com/improve-user-experience-engaging-visual-content/

 image: Understanding the five key elements of a plot line (Video). (2025, January 8). |. https://www.mometrix.com/academy/plotline/

 image: Coppola, M. (2024, August 24). 9 tips for breathtaking action photography. Digital Photography School. https://digital-photography-school.com/take-better-action-photos/

 image: Aldredge, J. (2017, March 8). The 10 Best Film Festivals for Up-And-Coming Filmmakers. The Beat: A Blog by PremiumBeat. https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/10-best-film-festivals/

 image: Social media icons on business Cards: 10 awesome examples. (2019, January 28). Brandly Blog. https://www.brandly.com/blog/why-you-should-add-social-media-icons-to-your-business-cards-and-10-awesome-examples/

 image: Admin. (2023, June 6). youtube-logo-preview-1 | Your Retail Coach. Your Retail Coach. https://www.yourretailcoach.in/youtube-logo-preview-1/

 

 

Final Reflection!

  Hey blog!

This is, sadly, my second to last post for this portfolio project. Today, we will be dissecting my journey with this project, and reviewing it. 

Throughout this whole project, I have learned a whole lot. I learned how to write blogs, edit, film movies, and use technology to my advantage. This experience has taught me so so much. I feel so accomplished. For me, committing to such a tedious project and having the reward of finally finishing it means the world. This is definitely one of my biggest achievements so far in my high school career. 

I feel so proud of myself that I stepped way outside of my comfort zone by joining aice media. I would have never thought that I would be capable of putting a few clips together and making a literal film. Well, a two minute film! However, there are totally some things that I could have done better. My partner and I could have used our time way more efficiently and gotten some things done faster regarding the film. I could have made my CCR's a bit more polished and more entertaining. Overall, of course there are so many things that could have been worked on, but I feel very good about submitting my project. 

Neither me or my partner had access to any sort of advanced film technology. We literally filmed on a phone, and borrowed a light from our teacher. So, considering that, we did pretty good. Also, I had the most amazing partner. Nothing was ever depthless with her. We both care so much about the project and that alone speaks volumes. 

Well, thanks for coming on this ride with me, blog. Remember it's not goodbye, it's goodbye for now.

Marissa is outttt!💓

Post-production for CCR!

  Hey blog!

Today, I have finally finished editing both of my CCR videos! How exciting! We are almost at the end of our journey. It is such a bittersweet feeling. What will fill the void of spending hours of editing?🤣

Here are some pics!

This image shows my completion of CCR video 2!

Done! Woohoo! 

I feel like this has been the shortest part of the portfolio project! Well, here we are! Now, we just have to upload...

See you later blogg!

CCR Production!

  Hey Blog!

I have finally started filming my CCR's. I am filming the second video now! Here's a sneak peak of the shooting process!

3/21/25

A big thanks to my Dad for making any of these CCR's possible. He has been the biggest help ever regarding my project. 

Here is a little clip from my CCR video! It's supposed to be satire, so LAUGH!

Overall, this filming day was such a success in my eyes. No, it is not exactly how I visioned it, but I am very happy in what I did. In this video, a fan (my Dad) comes up to me, as I am a famous movie filmmaker, and asks me questions! The questions are obviously the CCR questions.

3/22/25

For this day of filming, I do not have a lot of footage to show you guys! Sorry! However, I have a blooper!

Again, my Dad is a huge help in my portfolio project, so, props to him!

In this video, I answer CCR questions 3 & 4! No duh!

My Dad is hosting an event in which I win "Best New Film." I hinted at this "award ceremony" in my first video! Of course, you will see that later :).

I am so proud of everything I am putting forth to Cambridge and, most of all, I am proud of myself. I never thought I could learn any of the skills I apply in Aice Media every day. I really hope you guys enjoy my project as much as I have!

Can you believe this is one of the last times I will talk to you, blog?

I mean one of the last times of this school year.

Byeee blog! I'm running out of creative ways to say goodbye.

Another One Bites the Dust!

 Hey blog!

Unfortunately, the film opening ACTUALLY is not done. I have made a terrible and stupid mistake!

Don't get mad...but I put in an artificial image.. I TOTALLY FORGOT YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!

No need to fear, I just need to make my own, original sunset sequence.

I am planning to make it tonight, so the actual completed film should be done in no time!

See ya later, blog!

Regarding Editing for the Film Opening!

  Hey blog!

I am so glad to announce that the film opening is finally done! Juliana and I have been editing all of this week. Little by little everyday. I mean, I was mainly the one who edited so she could focus on making the foley sounds and other audios, but this was a group effort! Let me show you my recorded editing journey throughout the week. 

3/11/25

So, on Tuesday, Juliana retaught me how to use adobe because it has been so long!

 Yes, this was in class. The grind never stops!

She laid down the ropes so I could continue from there, and I did!

3/12/25

This day I just was editing as I usually do! Nothing special.

3/13/25

 This day, things took a turn for the worst...

Two days worth of editing went down the drain.

Here is a photo of me after this amazing discovery!

Is this an embarrassing photo to show Cambridge?

Yes!

Does it show my dedication to my craft and how serious I took this?

Yes!

I'm going to look back at this and laugh one day...hopefully.

Do not fear! Somehow my Mom literally helped me get it back!

3/15/25

Sorry for the time jump, but this was the day that Juliana and I met at our local Starbucks and completed the project!

(Yes, I got a strawberry acai.)

After we finished it at Starbucks, I did some final touches at home.

This is me about to finally export the video!

You have no idea how relieved I am!

Well blog, this door closes and opens another; CCR's!

See ya blogg!

My For-Now Script for CCR Question 3!

  Hey Blog!

Long time no see? Don't worry, this should be a short blog post regarding CCR number 3!

In case you forgot, the question for CCR number three is "How did your production skills develop throughout this project?" This question is short and sweet. It is asking my personal take throughout the whole process of my portfolio project. Let's get into some of it now. In short, the beginning was a real struggle. I hated the whole idea of editing and making something. I know, I am lazy. But, now, I really enjoy making these posts and editing. Don't tell anyone..! In all seriousness, making the film made me feel like I was an actual filmmaker. Getting the camera and the lights in the right position was a really cool thing. Yes, that sounds super geeky, but it's true! My production skills have gotten so much better regarding editing and executing different camera shots and angles. Anyways, let's get into the script!  

This video takes place at an award ceremony, which I hint at in my first video for questions 1 and 2. 

The whole script is the beginning of my acceptance speech after I win the award. Pretty cool, right?! 

Further adjustments will most definitely be made with all of my scripts because, as you know, my thought processes are rapidly changing and improving!

Isn't it crazy that this is almost the end of our blog journey for aice media as level?? Yes, I am hinting at something.😙

I am looking forward to our next post! Bye blog!!

Some Research and My For-Now Script for CCR #2!

  Hey Blog!

Welcome back to CCR talk!

Today, we will be discussing CCR number 2. In case you forgot the question, it is "How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?" Well, I have my script. But first, let's research.

The question is essentially asking my target audience and how I would originally release my film being a small filmmaker. Well, in recent blog posts, we have reviewed that vampire films target women. Specifically young adults. Why? Studies show that females are attracted to the mysterious and dangerous persona of the vampire. However in my film, the vampire is female. This factor creates room for a much larger audience including both men AND women. Now, onto how I would distribute it. Well, in class we have discussed that we are essentially a very, very low budget production. So, we would showcase our films at events like film festivals and getting on YouTube, with a contract of course. I would all of that include that in my video with highlights of my personality! Let's see the For-Now script!

As you can see, question 2 is included in the video inspired from 73 Questions With Vogue. It is me being interviewed and asked questions that seem organic. 

That's it for now blog.

Catch you later!

Second Group Meeting!

  Hey Blog!

Long time no see!

Today, we just had our second group meeting, and I have received so much positive feedback regarding my film opening! Although I was only able to show certain clips, my group members thought my film was very well thought out. We all went around the table showing some footage from our film opening, and, wow, I was so impressed. My classmates are so creative and I am genuinely excited to see how their projects go! Anyways, after sharing all of our films, we started to discuss CCR's. Let me tell you, I am feeling much more excited now. We all went over our potential ideas for the CCR's and how we plan to approach the questions. After that discussion, my original plans for my CCR's have now changed! Sorry for using the word CCR so much.😅

My original inspiration was 73 questions with Vogue, and I plan to stick with that. However, I am going t put my own twist on it. I will be interviewed by a fan of my "many famous films." In the interview, I will just be seemingly on a morning run, so it will look more organic! For my other type of media, I was going to do a PowerPoint. But, I decided to not be so "blah" and do another video. My other media will be me at an award show accepting a trophy. In my acceptance speech, I will answer the CCR questions. Pretty genius, right?

I'll be back with more CCR discussions very soon!

Until then, blog.

 

Shooting Process!

  Hey blog!!

I'm so excited to announce the wrap of the shooting for our film!

Here's some behind-the-scenes for you!

Here is a picture of me and my fellow actor, Jordan! We are preparing for the next scene as you can see the script in my hand.

This is just a funny picture of me in my SFX makeup at the park!

This is Jordan just hanging around!😹

Here is a before and after of me with the SFX makeup!

Crazy, right?👻

Now here is some footage of me applying the SFX makeup. BTW, it took me almost 2 hours to apply!

Now, let's address a MAJOR issue. So, the footage Juliana and I have collected was...too brief. However, when we finish editing it, we will decide if we need to add more scenes or not. Do not fear, we will always have a solution!

Toodles, blog!

Research for CCR #4

  Hey blog!

I'm back here to address the fourth CCR question! Sorry, I know it's out of order!

The question is..."How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Well, this answer is easy, so let's discuss!

As you can see in this image, Juliana, who filmed the film, utilizes a handy light to add to the film. The light also came with cool filters to modify what color of light was displayed. For instance, in the nighttime scenes, we used a blue toned filter! Next, of course, to film, we used just a phone to capture the footage along with a tripod. Using the phone to film made the experience much more simpler. The tiny accessible technology does the same thing a professional camera can do!

Moving on, we will be using Adobe Premiere to edit our film!  

So, overall, we did not utilize a ton of technologies, but we used what we needed in order to produce our vision for the film.

Catch you later, blog!

Research for CCR #1!

  Hey blog!

It is finally time to get into the CCR's! 

Today, we will be discussing question #1; How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues? 

In order to properly answer the important question, let's analyze what is is really asking. Overall, it wants me to discuss my film and how it blends/clashes with my genre and what problem it addresses. Time to do some digging!

For part one of the question, let's talk about horror conventions.

h

In this image, we can see how horror varies as one genre. My film is under the "monster" category. But what is typically found in this type of film? Many films like mine are set in a gloomy location, typically isolated, and shown in dark colors and tones. Also, the music, sound effects, and lighting add to the intensity of a scene. All of these factors and conventions align with my film opening perfectly. However, it is typically found that the main antagonist, aka the monster, is masculine. Juliana and I definitely challenged that convention!

Moving on to the next and final part of the question, what group or issue does my film represent?

This is a great question because it is not common for a woman to be displayed as a danger to society. My film represents the societal issue of constantly overlooking women, and demonstrating how women can be both the perpetrators and victims in situations such as horror films.

This is a very powerful peace of text as it refers to the message a "vulnerable" woman displays. 

My film defies this stereotype by introducing a female monster that, actually, targets men as her main victim. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Well, blog, it's been real. Peace!☮

Resources:

 Research For Horror Conventions: Media-Studies.com. (2023, May 8). The codes and conventions of horror films. Media Studies. https://media-studies.com/horror-genre/

 Image of Genres: Hellerman, J. (2024, January 12). Defining the horror genre in movies and TV. No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/horror-genre

 Image of Addressing Stereotypes: Meier-Klodt, K. (2021, February 28). Stop vilifying strong women in media | Female Empowerment — Heroica Women. Heroica Website. https://www.heroica.co/identity/women-in-the-media-why-we-shouldnt-accept-damsel-in-distress-stereotypes

Onto The Next!

  Hey blog!

In addition to the film opening and these postings, we now have to work on ANOTHER project! Yay..!

This other part of the portfolio is called ✨CCR's✨ 

What does CCR stand for? CCR means Creative Critical Reflection, and in this reflection, we have to create two types of media answering 4 questions. We will get into the questions in future posts...

I am planning to answer these questions in a video and a presentation. The presentation will be answering questions 1 and 2, while the video will be answering questions 3 and 4. Let's get into it!

The Video.

My video will be in the style of 73 questions vogue. 

So, why did I choose this particular example of media? Well, I have always enjoyed when celebrities show themselves being vulnerable instead of their persona on stage. These videos always seem so much more interactive rather than a simple sit-down interview. The constant change of scenery is refreshing to see when the video is dedicated to a simple conversation. This factor keeps viewers engaged rather than just looking at a "talking head" for 20 minutes. What makes this even more interesting is that it is all filmed in a single shot, which makes the conversation happening look much more organic and real. You cannot tell me that you don't feel more connected to the person when watching these videos! This style of media will be a great way to portray my CCR's because it holds opportunity for much more than a simple interview. I can showcase much more of my personality while answering the questions formally. Not to mention, keeping the viewer interested.

The Presentation.

There is not much explanation to it. It's a PowerPoint. Why did I choose to do a presentation? Honestly, I do not trust myself to answer, probably, the most important questions in the CCR portion of the portfolio on camera. What I mean by that is, me and a big script in front of a camera do NOT mix. The first two questions of the CCR's are so detrimental to this portion of the exam and I do not want to take any chances sabotaging that. But now I face an even greater challenge. How do I not bore the viewer with a presentation? I have got some solutions. To keep someone interested in reading slides, it needs to be interesting. I plan on keeping the text on each slide as concise as possible, and integrating many images and videos. I'll even put pops of color to keep the audience interested! I feel totally comfortable working with PowerPoint, so I have confidence in demonstrating portions of my CCR's on this!

I am feeling a ton of emotions about these CCR's. I am scared, nervous, excited, and much more. 

We'll have to wait and see what journey these CCR's will take me down!

Farewell, blog!

Resources:

 73 Questions with Vogue link: Nast, C. (n.d.). 73 questions. Vogue. https://www.vogue.com/video/series/73-questions

 Adele with 73 Questions with Vogue: - YouTube. (n.d.). https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D544DTGHIBM0&psig=AOvVaw1rfI_PQ57XrHFL6M0Nedb3&ust=1741625384402000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCNjm6qW6_YsDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

 PowerPoint image: Writtenhouse, S. (2023, January 20). Save time in Microsoft PowerPoint by making your own theme. How-To Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/856809/save-time-in-microsoft-powerpoint-by-making-your-own-theme/

Just My Luck!

  Hey blog!

Juliana and I have run into another issue.

Our initial actor to play the role of Benji has flaked. More specifically, our original Benji can no longer be a part of our film. Juliana and I are panicking because we had already placed the order for his costume, and have practiced with the script. We do not know who else will be willing to play our Benji, so this will be tough. The thing that really hurts about this is that he can actually act. I acquired him through the drama club at my high school so we could have someone with experience. Now, I don't know anyone that would be willing to do this project. Let alone actually put effort into the scenes with acting.

How am I approaching this problem?

For now, I am planning to talk to a couple other guys I know and seeing if they would be interested in doing it. I am even willing to pay them...ANY amount! Okay, not ANY amount, but a good one! I am honestly scared our new Benji will not be able to properly deliver Juliana and I's vision for the film. So, I'll update you guys if any more changes occur. 

Cheerio, blog.

Technical Difficulties..!

      Hey blog!

So, it seems I have ran into a tiny issue regarding production. 

For my opening, act II requires SFX makeup. I though it would be no problem to apply it and make it look good, but I was seriously mistaken...

My liquid latex arrived today, along with the fake blood, so, of course, I applied it. When I first opened the bottle of latex, my eyes started to water. Tell me why it smells absolutely vile! I literally started to cry on the spot! However, I still applied it to my face. The latex made my skin itch and nose run, but no problems yet. I hadn't looked at a tutorial, so I was going into this process with no guidance. It didn't turn out bad, but definitely not good. So, after looking up some tutorials, I made my look better. Let's check it out!

This is not my finished product by the way! It was simply a test run. For the actual film, I will be putting fake slashes and scab-like wounds all over my face and neck. I was only making sure I was capable of doing it, LOL! 

Now onto the next dilemma.

I have taken off the makeup, and my face has a lingering tint on it. More specifically, a red tint.

I am not sure if my skin is reacting to the latex or if it is stained from the fake blood. Hopefully it goes away!

Well, that's all for now blog!

À la prochaine, blog.