ALMOST TIME TO CLAP

Today was a very exciting day as I finished editing my entire film.

I was wondering how the beginning was going to turn out, and I really liked the outcome. Therefore, I will use the new beginning of the girl getting ready to go to the disco instead of the establishing shots of Mexico.

I again showed my film to about 10 different people and they all really liked it. They suggested to change the tonality of the colors when I am showing the younger version of the girl. This way I will create a past vs. present contrast in the film.

I have already translated my script, so all I need to do is include the subtitles in the film.

I am planning to show my video again to my American friends to make sure that the subtitles flow smoothly, and they have enough time to read them.

I can't wait to be able to share it with you!

MUCHA SUERTE!

     (Good luck)

P.S. I am trying to come up with the best title for my film. I am thinking about naming it Oblivious because both the girl and the government are oblivious to the criminal activity. If you get a chance to read my blog, I would really appreciate if you gave your opinion or suggestions about the perfect name. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

THE END FINISHED FIRST

Today was a really great day!

I finished editing the end of my opening film, and I am really happy with the result. I showed this part of the video to at least 7 different people to ask them their opinion. It is always good to get a new set of eyes to watch something you have already seen more than 30 times. They all seemed to like the ending.

I took all of their feedback in consideration, and asked them what they thought about the idea of starting with establishing shots of Mexico as the reporter is speaking. Many considered it a bit boring, which is why today I experimented different beginnings. I shot the main character (me), getting ready for the disco, and I will edit these shots tomorrow and see how they turn out. Then I will decide whether to use the establishing shots of Mexico, the girl getting ready or try something new.

I really hope that this new beginning turns out as good as the ending as it was really fun to shoot.

Break a leg...

PS. This is a video of myself admiring a ballet shoe...yup, today's shooting was pretty odd :)

WORKING WITH A STAR

As I started editing the little girl dancing video, I realized that the green screen effect was not going to work . I tried using several blue and green backgrounds when filming, but I was not able to get the appropriate effect. Furthermore, I realized that if the little girl scene was filmed in a black background, the movie would be too dark as the disco scene is also in the dark . Therefore, I decided to find an empty, light colored wall. My house does not have empty, light colored walls, so I decided to shoot the little girl scene again at my neighborhood's clubhouse.

The filming was successful; however, I have to say that working with my little sister is like working with a real moviestar. She's got the attitude ;) Furthermore she is BUSY! My sister literally said, "I have another GIG lizzy so hurry!", as she is also acting in my fiends' film. It was really funny.

Here are some pictures of my  attempts to use the green screen effect.

FINDING THE PERFECT VOICE

Today I wrote the script for the radio commentator's voiceover for the beginning of my film opening. 

I listened to different radio announcers' voices to be able to find someone with a voice suitable for the  part.  This website offers live Mexican radio stations, and I listened to several radio commentators.

I asked my mom to recite the script, and she really sounded like a radio commentator. I am pleased that the announcer will be a female as the problem involves young teenage girls, making the speaker more sensitive to the crime.

Emisoras. "Radio En Vivo, Radio Por Internet, Emisoras De Radio Online, Radio En Linea De 

         Mexico." Emisoras.com.mx. Emisoras, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

       

         <http://www.emisoras.com.mx>.

GREAT FRIENDS, WONDERFUL OUTCOME

Today was my first shooting day. My friend Stephanie and my sister, Sara, helped me choreograph the dance steps. We started at 11:00AM choreographing the routines for both the disco scene and the little girl's dancing scene.

At 4:00PM as planned, my friends, "extras", came, and Steph, my sister and I started teaching them the dance routine.

We started filming at 5:30 and finished at 6:30. 

We all had a great time and I really hope I got the shots I need.

I have attached a video of Steph, my sister and I choreographing and practicing the dance steps.

My sister, of course, had to step on me...

Perfection hurts :)

STARTING TO MAKE IT REAL

After doing my storyboard, I am ready to start shooting.

I have already decided on my shooting schedule and I am so excited to start.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 22nd I will start to shoot the little girl dancing scene and the disco scene.

At 11:00AM, I will start getting my sister all dressed up and combed to dance ballet.

At 12:00PM, I will film my sister dancing her ballet routine.

At 1:00PM, I will get her all dressed up and combed for her tap routine.

At 1:30PM, I will film her dancing her tap routine.

At 2:30PM, I will get her all dressed up and combed for her hip hop routine.

At 3:00PM, I will film her dancing her hip hop routine.

At 4:00PM, about 8 of my friends will be coming to my house to film the disco dancing scene, and I will start showing them the dance steps.

From 5:30-7:00PM, once my friends learn the dance steps perfectly, I will start filming the dancing portion of the scene.

On Wednesday, March 23rd, I will gather all of the images and videos I have taken from Veracruz, Mexico. I will make sure that I have captured all of the places I need and if not I will  ask my cousin to take certain images and videos of Veracruz as he is currently living there.

On Thursday, March 24th, I will edit the little girl dancing scene and the dancing disco scene to make sure I do not have to reshoot any shots.

On Saturday, March  26th, I will reshoot any shots if needed.

Next Tuesday March 29th, I will shoot the drug dealer at the disco scene as my dad is playing the drug dealer and is not arriving until Monday. I will have to recreate the disco dancing scene so it seems as if the drug dealer scene at the disco and the dancing disco scene  were filmed on the same day.

On Wednesday March 30th, I will edit the drug dealer scene with the disco dance scene to make sure they both fit cohesively. 

On Thursday March 31st, I will reshoot anything needed, concluding my shooting schedule.

I'll let you know how tomorrow goes!

Break a leg...

STORYBOARD

YAYYYYY!!

I finished my storyboard and I am really excited to make it real. I have all of the shots in my mind and I really think the film will look and be AMAZING.

I have attached images of my storyboard; however, since I am not very good at drawing, I will explain it to you.

The film will start with establishing shots of Veracruz, Mexico, the place in which my film will take place. As the images are being shown, the audience will hear a radio station commentator discussing the problem about girls being abducted at discotheques. Furthermore, as the establishing shots are shown, the credits/titles will also be shown. Then the scene will go completely black showing a 10 year old girl dancing. Long shots of the girl dancing ballet, then tap, and then hip hop, will be shown. Then a mid-shot of the 10 year old girl flipping her hair as she dances will transition into the teenage version of the girl dancing. Now instead of the background being completely dark, the teenager will be dancing at a crowded disco. Close-ups of the feet of the people at the disco dancing will be panned up to a point in which 2-3 men's shoes will be completely still. A tilt up from the shoes will reveal the men. A mid-shot will then be used to show the men talking and pointing. Then the teenage girl dancing will again be shown making the audience infer that the men are pointing towards her. The scene then goes black again displaying the title/name of the film.
All of the dialogue in my movie will be in Spanish. Therefore, I will use English subtitles throughout.

LEARNING THE STEPS AND MOVES

As I was doing my storyboard which I will post ASAP, I was wondering how I was going to get each shot, the black background, etc.

I asked my teacher what would be the best way to get a black scene without actually filming in a black background. She told me about iMovie's green screen tool.

That is when I realized that it would be best for me to learn more about iMovie and the tools that it offers before filming. By doing so, I will make sure that I get the shots I need to be able to appropriately use iMovie's tools to present my film in the best possible way.

I found a really good tutorial on YouTube that teaches step by step  the different tools iMovie offers, and how to use each one of them. As I was watching the video, I took notes which I have attached.

I am using iMovie to edit my final project. If you would really like to learn more about the features of iMovie, do not hesitate to watch this 50 minute video and read my notes which helped me understand the basics of iMovie.

Cox, David A. "IMovie 2016 LIVE - Full Tutorial." YouTube. YouTube, 3 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 

             2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UviYzKGFm4g>.

MI HISTORIA

I finally have my story, and I am really excited about it.

I am Mexican and I moved to the United States 3 years ago due to the violence in the country. There has been a problem in Mexico for many years in which drug dealers come into the discotheques and select a girl who they are attracted to. Once they see her, they take her. This is not traditional kidnapping, as they take the girl forever and never contact the girl's family asking for money or anything. The girl becomes their mistress or sex slave, and families may never find their loved one again.

I was kidnapped in Mexico and even though this specific problem did not happen to me, I do want to highlight this MAJOR problem that has not been as widely reported. Mexican authorities know that thousands of people are kidnapped in the country and in my personal experience, they did NOTHING to try to find the criminals. They just played along with the criminals'  business.

I have attached a specific story about a girl who went missing and the authorities literally just told her family that their daughter had probably been taken by a drug dealer who thought she was pretty and that they would never see her again. UMM EXCUSE ME.. DO SOMETHING!!!!!

My story would incorporate dancing at the same time that this problem is introduced.

The film opening would start with a black scene in which radio commentators would be discussing this problem. The dialogue would be in Spanish and I would put subtitles to make it more realistic and make sure the audience understands that this problem is taking place in Mexico. Then the black scene would be lit up revealing a 10 year old girl dancing to an upbeat song. As she is dancing, the scene would transition into the older (teenage) version of the girl who is now dancing at a disco. People would be seen in the background dancing instead of the black background. Then 3 men would be introduced who would point at the main girl. It would end with one of the men saying "ella"(her), then the scene goes black again.

By making this film, I will combine 2 topics about which I am passionate: dance and the culture of violence in Mexico.

I will start my storyboard tomorrow as I would like to start filming next week.

Fingers crossed


P.S. The article that I have attached is in Spanish but basically tells the story of a girl named Fernanda,who went missing after being taken from a discotheque. Furthermore, it criticizes the authorities lack of response to the girl's family. 

Martinez, Paris. "Se Llevaron a Fernanda "por Bonita" - Animal 

           Político."Animal Poltico. Animal Politico, 09 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 

           Mar. 2016. <http://www.animalpolitico.com/2013/09/se-llevaron-a-

           fernanda-por-bonita-alegan-autoridades-de-veracruz/>.

FOOTLOOSE KIND OF DAY

Today as I was trying to finally come up with a definite story, I watched the film openings for both movies of Footloose, the one made in 1998 and the one made in 2011.

In both opening scenes, close-ups of feet play the main role.

In the 1998 film opening, the background is always a solid dull color, bringing attention to the feet of the people dancing. A variety of shoes such as heels, sneakers and boots are shown one at a time demonstrating to the audience that dance is for everyone. I really love that idea. It is simple and the diversity of shoes presented make you, the viewer, feel like dancing. 

In the 2011 film opening, the same idea of starting with close-ups of different shoes dancing is used. However, instead of having solid colors as the background, other shoes of  people dancing can be seen in the background. However, the main focus keeps on being the shoe that is being presented at the moment. What I liked about this film was that the entire opening was not only shoes moving, but also a problem was presented. After the close-up of the shoes, a group of teens are introduced getting into a car. As the teens are driving, they get into a terrible car accident. That is how the film opening ends. It really made me want to know what was going to happen next. Did the teens survive the accident? Who are these teens? How will this problem still be related to dance?

I really want my film opening to end with some sort of powerful event that will keep the viewer engaged and wanting to know what will happen next.

The idea of having close-ups of shoes could really be beneficial for me as it does not require a budget, many people and professional choreography.

I really need to put my cascade of ideas together to have a concrete story today.

What I know I want my movie to include are:
-kids
-dance
-a turning point/problem introduced.

"Now I gotta cut loose, footloose Kick off your Sunday shoes"...


"Footloose Feet Dance Scene (1984)." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2016. 

           <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSWlpZSdu4E>.


Footloose Opening Scene (2011). YouTube. YouTube, 12 June 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.    

           <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJZeWUumO0E>.

BREAK A LEG

Today in Media Studies class, my classmates and I got into groups to discuss our projects and give feedback to one another.

We were 5 people in my group, 4 girls, Kiara, Veronica, Jen and I and 1 boy, Jacob, each doing the project individually. What was really great about getting into groups was seeing the enthusiasm each of my classmates has about his/her particular film. We all have unique and completely different ideas about our project, but we all were really enthusiastic about each other's projects and actively gave suggestions to help one another in the process of creativity.

As I introduced my film, my classmates gave ideas on how I could develop my film. As I mentioned the fact that I want my film to show how many teenagers are putting extracurricular activities behind due to school work, one of the girls, Kiara, suggested that I could do a scene similar  to that in the movie High School Musical.  This scene takes place in a High School cafeteria, and the students in a synchronized and choreographed way dance in the cafeteria. This really shows a different side of students. They are not only focused on the academics, but also have other passions, in the case of my film, dance.

I really like the high angles that are used in the video showing the choreography and synchronization of the dance and scene. It all seems perfectly organized and really adds technique to the film. I would really like my film to not only focus on a story, but also be visually pleasing. It is a dance film, so I really want to make sure that dance is the central theme of the film.

Furthermore, I also presented my idea of making the film in a way in which I would show the main character's childhood as a dancer contrasted to her life as a teenager at school and how dance is a part of her. That is where the High School Musical type of scene could take place. It could maybe take place in a classroom instead of a cafeteria, and I could synchronize the movements with shots of the main character dancing as a kid.

Tomorrow I am really dedicating my time to finally come up with a concrete story.  I will also look at and analyze different film openings within the genre that will give me ideas on how I can convey my story while still being stylistic. I really want to start my storyboard next week.

Break a leg everyone!

High School Musical: Stick To The Status Quo - Disney Channel Sverige. YouTube. YouTube, 2 Sept.    

            2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vr7PiGtqH0>.

MY SIS WANTS TO DO THE TWIST

I really want to introduce my little sister, Sara, as she was the one who gave me the inspiration to make a dance film.

She is 10 years old and has danced for half of her lifetime. She is currently taking Ballet, Tap and Hip Hop dance lessons. The different techniques used in the different types of dance make me want to incorporate different dance styles in my film opening. 

As soon as I told my sister that I had decided to make a dance film, she jumped up and down, and said that she was going to be the star. This got me thinking... maybe I could make a movie in which I contrast and incorporate teenagers and children. 

I would really like my movie to show the passion children have when dancing. They dance for fun, because they love it. I have seen how many of my friends, including myself,  have quit their extracurricular activities because school has taken over their lives. Attending their extracurricular activities has become an extra burden, and they have forgotten how much they actually love the activity. 

I have researched and taken notes abut 3 different types of dance, Ballet, Tap and Hip Hop, so I make sure that through my shots, mise en scène and music, I can capture the essence of each type of dance. 

These are the key characteristics of each dance:

Ballet:- Very graceful

           - One can tell a story through ballet

           - Movements look natural and seem to defy                 

             gravity 

           - Dancer needs to understand the music and feel 

             the rhythm 

           - Generally danced to classical music

           - Very clean, neat simple attire; leotards and tutus 

              are worn

Tap: - Rapid footwork

        - Feet and shoe act as a drum

        - Each part of the tap shoe makes a specific sound

        - Usually accompanied by jazz music

        - Tap dancers usually dress formally  

        - Feet are the main instrument  

Hip Hop: - Complex rhythms

                - Not an Academy dance but a street dance

                - Can be improvised or choreographed

                - Danced to Rap and Hip Hop music

                - Casual attire such as sneakers, flannel and          

                   jogger pants

               

The 3 Types of dance are incorporated in the picture:

- The leotard, ballet shoes and tights represent Ballet.

- The flannel shirt represents Hip Hop.

- The tap shoes she is holding represent Tap.

 Hanson, Rachel. "History of Hip Hop Dance." Love To Know.

      Disqus, 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.    

      <http://dance.lovetoknow.com/History_of_Hip_Hop_Dance>.

United States. National Park Service. "Tap Dancing: It's 

    All in the Feet!" National Parks Service. U.S.Department of the Interior, 2016. Web. 

      09 Mar. 2016. 

      <http://www.nps.gov/cham/learn/historyculture/tap-dancing-its-all-in-the-feet.htm>.

Web. 09 Mar. 2016 <http://www.kidzworld.com/article/5499-ballet-  dancing>.

LET THE SHOW BEGIN

Hi, I'm Liz! I am currently in a wonderful Media Studies class in which I will create my own original film opening.  How exciting is that? My film opening can be about almost any topic I choose, and  I am not going to lie, this freedom has made me a little bit scared and confused.  What will my movie be about? What genre will it belong to?

Today, as I was discussing this project with my family, my little sister arrived from her dance class. She was extremely excited about her new Hip Hop routine. I saw that excitement as a key to inspiration. What if I make a dance film! When the dance film genre came to my mind, I was thrilled. I had always thought about making a romantic film, but I did not want to delve into the same cliché girl meets boy film. Therefore, this dance film genre will really allow me to be creative, play with music and sound, and even choreograph new dance routines.

I danced for 5 years and then sadly quit. Dance and music are inside me, and are two things I am really passionate about. Making this film opening will bring back really happy memories, and I can not wait to show this passion through my film opening.

I've got to get my feet to start moving!

I have attached a video of my 6th grade graduation dance. This was the last day I danced in a group. The upbeat music and vivid colors in the video just make me even more excited to make my film opening a dance film.