CCR

Hi, blog!

Here's my CCR! Enjoy!

CCR: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gcmcNQ53jzQyQxBRCGNlB4H76PrGG_YS/view?usp=sharing

The final product!!

Hi, blog!

Below is my short film along with my postcard and website. I hope you enjoy! This has been quite the experience for me and I'm glad you were able to join me for it. Here's Insatiable!

Film: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mmx-wYrvwsEEeU2w2a11iHXVVAtlMo_y/view?usp=sharing

Website: https://rlaynelevitz.wixsite.com/website-2

Postcard: 

Reflection

Hi, blog!

It appears this journey is coming to an end and I honestly couldn't be more relieved. This entire process has been extremely stressful but honestly an interesting experience. I ran into many obstacles due to everything that happened with the coronavirus. My original idea had to be changed to fit the circumstances as the actors I originally was going to use were unable to film due to being in quarantine. I had regrets about which project I had chosen to do, but ultimately everything turned out ok. I know I could have done better with my project if all of this hadn't happened, but it was a good experience and I think I handled it OK considering me nor anyone else could have seen this coming. I had to work with what I had and come up with almost a completely new idea, however, I didn't stray too far from what I had originally planned to do. The idea I ultimately chose to go with was still very similar to the main idea I was going for with my short film, basically how an obsession with someone or something can be harmful, or even deadly. From reading my blog, it's interesting to see my process of thinking through all of this and how I managed to work around the obstacles I was faced with. Even though I was extremely stressed out through it all, I think I made it out just fine and all I know is that I tried my best!

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

Wrapping it up!

Hi, blog!

So I wrapped up filming today and I am so relieved to finally be making the final edits on the film. I'm looking forward to seeing how everything turns out. I will be posting a reflection blog in a couple of days talking about this whole process and how I felt about it. This journey is soon coming to an end, and wow what a journey it was. I have finished the website and postcard so that will be posted along with the final short film at the end of this week. I'm proud of myself for doing the best that I could with the circumstances I was presented with. I do wish things could have gone differently, but in the end, some things are just inevitable. This is a short post but just an update on what's going on with the project!

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

Filming!!

Hi, blog!

So I got a lot of filming done today which is good because a lot of my stress is now relieved. I’ve been using my mom’s Nikon camera for filming because I definitely want a higher quality look rather than just filming from my iPhone, not that iPhone’s quality is bad but, you know. I did all of my brother’s filming today at our house so I just have to upload all of the footage to my laptop. I’m pretty glad I decided to go down this route for my short film as a lot of footage is the stuff that my brother does naturally, minus the steroids of course. Therefore, it was pretty easy to film him and he was very cooperative. Since all the gyms are closed for quarantine, my brother actually built his own gym equipment and has been keeping it in our backyard. I filmed my brother standing around and using some of this equipment which I think is a pretty good mise en scene element for what I’m going for. I’ve been on the fence about a certain aspect of my film: dialogue. Since my film doesn’t necessarily involve anyone talking to anyone, I don’t think I’m gonna have much dialogue at all. If anything I might include a voiceover monologue relating to the super fan’s obsession with the bodybuilder. I think this might be a good idea. Other than that, I have to now film all the scenes involving the superfan. This requires me to go to my boyfriend’s house (I know, I’m breaking quarantine rules but don’t worry I’ll stay 6 feet away!!) and filming him kind of doing a similar normal routine, with a little bit of a twist. Well, that’s pretty much it, just giving an update on how things are going and what I’ve gotten done. 

That’s all for now!


- Rachel

Storyboard final

Hi, blog!

So I have a complete storyboard all drawn and written out for my scenes for the film. It’s nice to finally have something you can work with without having to change something every few minutes. I’m still gonna add some extra filler scenes here and there but this is basically an entire outline of what my short film entails. John (played by my brother) is the famous bodybuilder while Alex (played by my boyfriend) is the super-fan that looks up to John and basically want to look just like him. I think it’s gonna be interesting to show this topic/theme in a kind of different than normal fashion. You usually see this kind of story like a famous singer, actress, model, etc. You don’t usually see these people in works that involve this obsessed fan mentality, so it’s kind of fun to show that in a different light, with a bodybuilder instead. In the storyboard, you can see I wanted to incorporate a lot of close up shots, specifically of the obsessed fans' eyes to create the idea that this person was obsessed with something. These close up shots are seen more on the scenes with Alex rather than John to distinguish between the two. That’s pretty much all for now, just wanted to post my final storyboard!

- Rachel 

Researchhh

Hi blog!

So I did a little research on steroids in order to make the ones in my short film look relatively real. Apparently one of the side effects of taking steroids is blurred vision so maybe I can like blur the screen as if it was the POV of the guy Alex in my film. I don’t know if that would be cheesy but it’s just a thought. Another thing I didn’t actually know about steroids is they are a synthetic form of testosterone. 

According to healthline.com, these are the main benefits of taking steroids: The main potential benefits associated with anabolic steroids are the following:

• increases in muscle tissue due to enhanced protein synthesis
• decreased body fat percentage
• increased muscle strength and power
• enhanced recovery from workouts and injury
• improved bone mineral density
• better muscle endurance
• increased red blood cell production

I could probably also include a scene of Alex looking at this same website and reading these benefits and reacting to them in a positive manner. 

and these are all the side effects:

• Increased risk of heart disease. AAS used in combination with resistance exercise can increase the size of the left ventricle of your heart, as well as blood pressure. This may increase your risk of heart disease and related death 
• Can increase aggressive behavior. Steroid use has been associated with increased aggression and impulsivity in male teenagers and adults 
• Can affect body image. AAS use and dependence are classified as a body image disorder in the diagnostic manual for mental disorders 
• Can cause liver damage. AAS, specifically those taken orally, have been shown to increase your risk of liver dysfunction 
• May cause gynecomastia. Defined as swollen male breast tissue caused by a hormone imbalance, gynecomastia may occur when you stop taking AAS 
• Decreased production of testosterone. Steroid use is associated with hypogonadism, which is characterized by the shrinking and decreased function of the testes 
• Can cause infertility. Due to its potential to decrease sperm production, steroid use may cause infertility 
• May cause male pattern baldness. The androgenic effects of AAS may cause or worsen male pattern baldness. This effect may vary depending on the specific drug used 

This is a pretty long list so I could have my character reading this as well, but obviously choosing to ignore it and following through with his purchase.

So this post was just me doing a little bit of research on steroids, because to be honest I didn’t really know much about them before.

Well, that’s all for now!

- Rachel

Website update

Hi, blog!

I continued to work on the website as well this week and have been playing around with themes and such to get a feel of how exactly I want it to look. I like the way it looks so far, obviously all the stock photos I have right now will be replaced with similar original photos.

This is what it currently looks like:

The Events page photos will be replaced by just random photos that I’ll take of the cast. All the photos will be replaced with similar photos of the cast. I really like this look for the website as it gives a subtle action vibe that also gives off a sense of drama or suspense. At the top where you can see what pages I have on the site, there’s the home page, a synopsis page, and a screenings page as well as the social media sites in the corner. On the synopsis page, the viewer is able to see a brief overview of what the film is about. On the screenings/events page, the viewer can see when the upcoming screenings for the film are.

Well, that’s all for now!

- Rachel

Postcard update

Hi, blog!

So this week I’ve been working more on my postcard. I’m pretty much almost finished with it. All I need to do is add the social media links to the back and replace the pictures. The picture on the back in black and white is going to be replaced with a very similar photo. For the front, on the left is going to be a side profile of the body builder’s face (my brother) while the right side is going to be a side profile of the other boy’s face (my boyfriend). These photos will be edited to look darker to give the postcard a sense of drama and draw the viewers in.

Here is what the postcard looks like now:

The pictures seen in the top photo are just random ones of my brother and his friends working out that will be replaced by the pictures that I mentioned above. The big white space seen on the back of the postcard will be ravaged with the social media tags of the short film.

Well, that’s all for now!

- Rachel

Finally I know what I'm doing

Hi, blog!

So I finally know exactly what I'm doing for my short film.

My short film is going to be focused on a bodybuilder (played by my brother) who is obsessed with working out and achieving what he believes to be the perfect body. However, this obsession takes a toll on him and it is revealed he has taken some unhealthy measures to achieve this. Sometime throughout the film, we find out the bodybuilder is actually kind of famous and is the idol of another boy (played by my boyfriend). This boy wants to be just like the bodybuilder and will do whatever it takes to be just like his idol. I think the "twist" is going to be when you find out that the boy actually looks up to the bodybuilder from the beginning and they both have this obsession thing going on.

This story sticks to my original idea of an obsessed fan in a bit of a different way but I'm pretty satisfied with it. I already know a ton of the shots that I'm going to use and have jotted them down in my phone. I am going to film next week. This week I am going to focus more on working on my postcard and website.

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

New ideas

Hi, blog!

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I was brainstorming some new ideas for my short film to make it easier for me with my limited amount of potential actors, as well as settings.

It was announced today that we will be social distancing and quarantined for another 30 days, so that's great. I really wish people would just follow protocol and stop with social gatherings 🙄. Sorry for sounding so angry but it's true!

Ok, enough of the ranting. I mentioned in my previous blog post that I thought about having the obsessive fan be a sort of aspiring bodybuilder who is obsessed with working out and getting bigger. Since my brother matches the role of an aspiring bodybuilder and he's just about the only actor I can use besides my parents, I think this might be the route I will have to go down. Plus, I wouldn't be changing too much from my original short film idea, it's really the same thing but in a different manner.

We have workout equipment at my house so I think I could get a lot of shots of my brother working out and stuff even though all the gyms are closed. This idea is just so much easier for me and makes a lot more sense for me to do considering all the obstacles I and the rest of the world have been faced with. I will ponder on this idea some more but I'm almost sure this is what I want to do and the idea that I will commit to. I have to think of shots, the script, and how I am going to go about dialogue for my filmI really hope everything works out. My fingers are crossed.

I hope everyone is staying safe and practicing social distancing!

That's all for now 💘

- Rachel

PS. I think this gif is hilarious & I love Jim Carrey haha

Maybe some small changes??

Hi, blog!

As I mentioned in my last post, things are pretty hectic right now. I'm sure COVID-19 has thrown us all off, especially us in AICE Media 😅. This was literally the worst time for this virus to happen, not that any time would have been good. But of course, this is happening when I need to get a five-minute short film done and turned in. Ughhhh why must this be happening?

I've been very stressed thinking about this project and other things so I've thought a lot about this and will probably have to go through with it as I'm very limited on time.

So, originally my short film was going to be about an obsessive fan who wants to be just like the celebrity they're obsessing over, driving them closer and closer to madness. Considering I needed multiple actors for this idea to be carried out the way I wanted, I've tried to think of a new idea that falls along the same line but does not require so many actors, perhaps a one-man show type of thing.

Ugh, I'm kind of dying right now because I'm kind of wishing I chose documentary instead of a short film. If I knew this was going to happen, I definitely would have done that and done an excerpt on bodybuilding. The only subjects I can really work with right now are my mom, dad, and brother. My brother is pretty much a bodybuilder, but he doesn't compete or do anything like that. He used to be a real skinny kid with almost no body fat to 270 pounds and full of muscle. I think this might've been an interesting documentary topic and probably would have been easier considering how limited I am on actors and everything.

But it's too late for that so I've been trying to think of some changes I can make to my short film to make it easier for me to film and complete.

I thought about possibly having my brother as the main actor and he's an obsessive fan of a bodybuilder and wants to be just like him so he pushes himself to look just like the bodybuilder, and possibly pushed to a breaking point. This is an idea that I've thought about for a little bit but I'm not entirely sure yet if that's what I want to do. But I know I have to think fast. This whole thing really sucks.

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

AICE exams are no más

Hi, blog!

Well all AICE exams have officially been canceled due to COVID-19.

This was a shock but at the same time, it wasn't as I knew there was no way we were going to be able to do the exams, at least in person, with everything going on.

So I'm not exactly sure what is happening in regards to the media exam and portfolio project but I'm sure we still have the portfolio project counted as a grade, at least I'd hope so.

With that being said, this post is really just an update on what's going on right now. I feel like I'm running out of things to write about, unfortunately. Everything is just so hectic right now. I would have never imagined in a million years that any of this would be happening. It's all so crazy.

Well, I hope everyone is washing their hands and staying safe!

That's all for now.

- Rachel

Branding

Hi, blog!

In this post, I am going to talk about branding my short film. As I continue to work on my website and postcard I am focusing on color psychology and key art.

Since my short film is about an obsessive fan, my genre falls in the psychological thriller category. This is one of my favorite genres as I love thrillers that explore the mind or even have the audience question their own minds. With that being said, I am focusing on using darker colors for my marketing content (postcard, website social media, etc.). I will be using lots of blacks, greys, whites, and reds. Red is a color that I associate with the thriller genre a lot and it's a color that I think really captures an audience's attention.

The website builder Wix makes choosing a color scheme super easy as they have a sidebar that allows you to choose from various different color schemes when building your site. This is really helpful and I love how easy Wix is to use. I highly recommend it.

I would use the same red, black, grey, white color scheme when it comes to the postcard. Using these colors lets the audience know that this film will be on the darker side. I've also come up with an idea for the key art. I like the idea of having the obsessed fan back to back with the person she's obsessed with as that kind of gives off the idea that she wants to be just like her, or that she (or he) is leading a double life. I would have the picture in a darker color scheme as well. This is the picture I would put on the postcard and the website.

I will provide more updates on this process later!

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

Distribution

Hi, blog!

So I've decided to make this blog post dedicated to distribution, specifically how I would distribute my piece.

First, I would submit my short to various film festivals. Some of these film festivals would include the Sundance Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and the Tribeca Film Festival. According to the article "The Twelve Things You Should Know Before Submitting to Sundance," "A Sundance short requires the length of the film to be 49 minutes or less, though the average is usually between seven and 15. They can be narrative, animated, documentary or anything art-driven and experimental. Only 60 short films are chosen from a submission pool of around 9,000—all due on September 15."

There was another interesting part of the article that talked about saving money when submitting to a festival. It said, "Regardless of your film’s budget, it’s usually a good idea to save money and there are a few reasons why. Barrera advised the audience to add a festival marketing line item to your post-production budget. In the event that your film does get chosen for Sundance (or any other film festival), it’s going to cost you for deliverables prep, travel, lodging, materials, etc.—so it’s wise to think ahead and be prepared."

"Another way to save during the submissions process is to send Vimeo links. Although DVDs will still be accepted, the programmers highly recommend not wasting your money on them. Online links not only save money but time as well. Vimeo is the most common way filmmakers submit their films. "

As I read more of the article I realized there were a lot of things I didn't know about when it comes to submitting a film to a film festival.

If I were to then win a spot in a festival and have the opportunity to have my short widely distributed, I would distribute it through Netflix or Amazon Prime, or both. These are two of the most popular streaming services so I believe my short film would have the opportunity to reach a large audience if I ere to distribute it through these platforms.

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

Stress!!

Hi, blog!

This coronavirus is really stressing me out in terms of my project. Since basically everyone is quarantined, I have no idea what to do about my project. It's too late to change my idea but I just don't know how I'm going to make it work.

Since I do live with my brother, I could try to make the lead a male instead of a female, even though I originally wanted the lead to be a female. But I just don't know what else to do and I can't exactly rely on anyone as everything is uncertain now.

On top of that, I feel like I'm running out of things to write about on here ugh. I'm just very stressed and I'm trying to keep calm but I don't know if it's working very well.

I will give updates about what's going on.

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

Working on the Website!

Hi, blog!

So, as I said in one of my previous postings, I'm focusing a lot on working on the website and postcard this week.

For my website, I've decided to use Wix.com as it's my favorite website builder to use and is very user-friendly. Wix gives you the option to put in all the information you want on your site and builds a website template for you, which is extremely convenient compared to other website builders such as Godaddy.com. Also, Wix has its own app, which once again means I can edit from my phone!

I'm mostly just playing around with it today and seeing what kind of template I like as I still need to get pictures and other things for content for the site. This whole Coronavirus is stressing me out as they're starting to shut down more and more places and stores in order to keep the virus under control. This means I will more than likely have limited options for filming locations if I do decide to film in any public place. However, in my planning, I had a lot of the shots taking place in the main character's bedroom and house, so hopefully, this virus situation won't impact me too greatly.

When trying to view the website on my phone, it was formatted a little weird so I took a video from my laptop and have included it below:

I will continue playing around with Wix and see what works and what doesn't for this website and hopefully, Corona won't get in the way of my project!

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

Working on Postcard!!

Hi, blog!

With Coronavirus messing up everyone's schedule, I decided now would be a perfect time to work on and complete both my postcard and website.

In this blog post, I'll be focusing more on the postcard.

I've decided to use the website Canva to make my postcard as I find it very easy to use and I've used it in the past for previous projects. I also like that I can edit from my phone.

I looked at some of the previous projects on Mrs. Stoklosa's website and liked the postcards more in the 2017-2018 projects so I took inspiration from some of those.

I've been playing around with Canva and I kind of like this format for my postcard:

Obviously I will replace those pictures once I can get them. I plan on putting the main character's face along with the celebrity's as the picture but split up as seen in the postcard if that makes any sense? I'm also not sure if this is what I want to call my short film but I will probably stick with that name or call it something very similar.

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel

Coronavirus!!

Hi, blog!

Well, this has certainly been a hectic week.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, aka Coronavirus, we are not in school for the next two weeks. While this does give me a lot of time to work on my project, it also presents new setbacks. A lot of people I know don't even want to leave their house, which may cause me problems when trying to gather my actors for filming. I know a lot of people in the class ar freaking out because they have nothing to film now or none of their actors can leave the house.

If worst comes to worst, I can always star in my own movie.

Yeah, no.

I apologize for the short blog post but I just wanted to give an update on what's going on right now.

Stay safe everyone!

- Rachel

Reading Other Screenplays

Hi, blog!

So I've been doing more research in between drawing and writing out my scenes and I read a few screenplays but there's one that I liked in particular.

Behind every great movie is a great screenplay, and that can definitely be said for Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan (2010). In Black Swan, Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina whose passion for the dance rules every facet of her life. When the company's artistic director decides to replace his prima ballerina for their opening production of "Swan Lake," Nina is his first choice. She has competition in newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis) however. While Nina is perfect for the role of the White Swan, Lily personifies the Black Swan. As the rivalry between the two dancers transforms into a twisted friendship, Nina's dark side begins to emerge.

While this film doesn't deal with an obsessed fan, I love the way it captures Nina's obsession with her craft, which is ballet. Nina's obsession with being the best overcomes her life and in the process, she experiences many bizarre things.

I read a bit of the script for Black Swan and just loved it. It is very well written and I think captures the essence of what I want for my film very well.

Here are a few pages of the screenplay from the opening scene that I liked in particular:

Well, that's all for now!

- Rachel