That's A Wrap

      Surprise!!! I am still here and I am back for one final post. As you may have already seen, the film opening is completed and now ready to stream. However, I have one final gift which is my creative critical reflection, detailing what the production process was like and how I have grown since the beginning of the project. I don't want to give too many spoilers away, considering I do my final reflection in the video, but I just want to say what an amazing ride it has been creating Unwritten. In terms of my own, personal future, it has convinced me that a future career in film is what I want to do. The most rewarding parts of the portfolio project were honestly the obstacles since they taught me how to adapt and be prepared for most situations. A special thank you to my partner Julia, who I could not have done this without. Disclaimer, the CCR does not have the music in the background I wanted it to have because every time I would upload the video to YouTube or Google Drive, the music would not play (trust me I tried different ways for six hours) So, you just get to hear my beautiful voice for nine minutes. Alright, enough blabbering, below is the link to the CCR.

Creative Critical Reflection Links:

(they don't have music because technology hates me)

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cZCSSWFxKwU8E6qOmjW9E__jwyPE93WN/view?usp=sharing

- https://youtu.be/nFjJV8faFBQ

Introducing: Unwritten

      Ladies and gentlemen. The time has arrived. After eight weeks of planning, suffering, innovating, and hard work, Unwritten is finally ready to be seen. I like to think of this blog post as our little movie premiere, in which I am currently walking the red carpet and being interviewed. While there were some tough times in this project, overall, it was a very rewarding experience since the hard work can be seen in the film opening itself. It is a great feeling knowing that the film opening for Unwritten was something Julia and I created from scratch. Before this project, I would watch many films but never truly appreciate them. After being on the other side of the screen, I know and notice all the hard work and quirks that go into the process. A movie is more then it’s plot, it’s the sound, the look, the composition. The portfolio project really made me aware of these characteristics and how they are used to create meaning. So grab your popcorn, find a comfortable seat, and click the link below to watch Unwritten.

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pVBPziM_Ry_Xnn2Zqkq0endL8HUM6XVr/view?usp=drivesdk

The End is Near & Gen Z is Here

      The conclusion of this project is very bittersweet. I just wanted to update everyone on where I am at in the moment. I finished the script for my Creative Critical Reflection and I think it accurately shows what this portfolio project and the process to complete it. The good, the bad, and the ugly is all included in the script, but most importantly it reflects on how I have learned from the bad experiences. I'm very proud of all the pop culture references I made to famous types of interviews celebrities do, but I had to make sure to still be informative so I kept the Harry Styles references to a minimum. I plan to film in the afternoon, so I could focus on editing on Saturday, Sunday, and maybe (hopefully not) Monday. I will utilize two angles, one with my phone and one with my camera so I have more to choose from when editing.

    While I was creating my CCR, I realized that while I talked about targeting and representing teenagers, I never really looked at today's teenagers which are Gen Z. Since I am part of Gen Z, I mostly relied on what I knew and trends I have seen around people I have met which turned out being effective. Gen Z values inclusivity which we did by representing people their age and having the lead be a Latina. They also like when films are realistic and truthful, which we did by making Malia's character more vulnerable to humanize her. The film shows how being a teenager and having to make life-changing decisions impacts her relationships with her friends and family. In addition, we had a voiceover which reflects her internal struggle, even if she may look like she is doing ok. Being a coming-of-age film makes Unwritten bound to rely on dialogue, which is a factor Gen Z loves, since it shows more of the protagonist's personality and values. We made sure to give Malia an "undefined ID" by making her realize that she should not stress about this decision so much since it does not define who she is a person, she will always be a writer. Overall, our film's target audience should be Gen Z since the storyline and characters are more likely to be appealing at their age.

Citations:

Francis, Tracy, and Fernanda Hoefel. “'True Gen': Generation Z and Its Implications for Companies.” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company, 4 Feb. 2022, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies.