Friday, April 17, 2020
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Final Reflection Pt.2 (post production)
This project has been a long journey, one that naturally required a lot of planning but this time went much differently. Often times, plans don't work out how they are expected, especially when involving more than one person as everyone is on a different schedule. In that way, expecting having to change plans is the best way to avoid disappointment and creative blocks. However, it's most definitely not often that a mass pandemic is the cause for projects not completely going according to plan. This set of interesting circumstances has taught me how necessary creative risks are, because you never know what might come up. Expecting the unexpected has been a major lesson because of this.
This final reflection post production process will be different and similar in some ways to the one I published pre production process. At that point I had only filmed almost everything required for my piece, and because I wasn't able to film the rest with my main actor, I had to get creative. I filled in the spaces with short shots of news articles and audio clips relevant to the purpose of my project that I didn't originally totally consider including, it was just an idea in the back of my head in the beginning of the planning process, that proved to be useful later on. I made the graphic for the title, and figured out how to make the background transparent and work it to look like a seemingly professional title scene. I made it with the main colors of the transgender flag, choosing the singular pronoun "she" because I like simple one word titles, and it worked to include the three colors that make up the flag without having them repeat. During editing, for sound I changed the volume from being at 100% at the blank screen as it transitioned to the title, and then with the first shot being my makeshift radio I lowered the volume to 30%, making it obvious that the news clip playing in the opening is going from non-diegetic to diegetic, otherwise known as going from not being a part of the scene to being a part of it. I put a lot of care into editing, making sure certain shots were edited tightly enough to make it flow cohesively, picking out audios, overlapping and adjusting the volume to suit the particular scene, and coming up with the graphics for the title, and then choosing a font similar enough to the title but slightly more simple for the opening credits, placing them strategically within the scenes.
The filming process was much more simple, though it was my main actor's first time acting, she was extremely easy to work with and was a natural with how she conveyed emotion in exactly the way I envisioned. It also helped that there was no dialogue within this piece, there was supposed to be but that was something I had to change afterwards since quarantine I could not plan to film that scene that was supposed to include dialogue, and had to cut it out. That ended up working fairly well out of all the other more pressing inconveniences. I made sure to take several different shot types for each action she made within the piece, to make it as dynamic as possible. Some excess shots proved to be useful for what I was lacking from having no chance to film the rest of the piece with the main actor. Overall filming was the much easier portion of this process and ran much more smoothly. If I had to rank it from easiest to most difficult, it would be filming, planning process, and then editing. Planning and editing took up a considerable amount of time, whereas I spent two days in a row filming to break it into chunks.
Overall, this took a lot of time but despite the inconvenience of COVID-19, I am glad this project gave me a creative outlet during these highly confusing times where there is no real structure to my days anymore and they are kind of just blending into one. It gave me an opportunity to talk about a topic that is extremely important to me, and to work with somebody who belongs to that community and get an even deeper understanding than any of the research I put into this project could ever offer; personal experience. I'm not completely satisfied with the turnout of my project, because I had big plans that I was going to throw myself into for this project, and the current circumstances were very limiting to those plans. However, I don't regret the project despite not being totally satisfied with the product, because of the numerous opportunities it offered me that I have just listed.
This final reflection post production process will be different and similar in some ways to the one I published pre production process. At that point I had only filmed almost everything required for my piece, and because I wasn't able to film the rest with my main actor, I had to get creative. I filled in the spaces with short shots of news articles and audio clips relevant to the purpose of my project that I didn't originally totally consider including, it was just an idea in the back of my head in the beginning of the planning process, that proved to be useful later on. I made the graphic for the title, and figured out how to make the background transparent and work it to look like a seemingly professional title scene. I made it with the main colors of the transgender flag, choosing the singular pronoun "she" because I like simple one word titles, and it worked to include the three colors that make up the flag without having them repeat. During editing, for sound I changed the volume from being at 100% at the blank screen as it transitioned to the title, and then with the first shot being my makeshift radio I lowered the volume to 30%, making it obvious that the news clip playing in the opening is going from non-diegetic to diegetic, otherwise known as going from not being a part of the scene to being a part of it. I put a lot of care into editing, making sure certain shots were edited tightly enough to make it flow cohesively, picking out audios, overlapping and adjusting the volume to suit the particular scene, and coming up with the graphics for the title, and then choosing a font similar enough to the title but slightly more simple for the opening credits, placing them strategically within the scenes.
The filming process was much more simple, though it was my main actor's first time acting, she was extremely easy to work with and was a natural with how she conveyed emotion in exactly the way I envisioned. It also helped that there was no dialogue within this piece, there was supposed to be but that was something I had to change afterwards since quarantine I could not plan to film that scene that was supposed to include dialogue, and had to cut it out. That ended up working fairly well out of all the other more pressing inconveniences. I made sure to take several different shot types for each action she made within the piece, to make it as dynamic as possible. Some excess shots proved to be useful for what I was lacking from having no chance to film the rest of the piece with the main actor. Overall filming was the much easier portion of this process and ran much more smoothly. If I had to rank it from easiest to most difficult, it would be filming, planning process, and then editing. Planning and editing took up a considerable amount of time, whereas I spent two days in a row filming to break it into chunks.
Overall, this took a lot of time but despite the inconvenience of COVID-19, I am glad this project gave me a creative outlet during these highly confusing times where there is no real structure to my days anymore and they are kind of just blending into one. It gave me an opportunity to talk about a topic that is extremely important to me, and to work with somebody who belongs to that community and get an even deeper understanding than any of the research I put into this project could ever offer; personal experience. I'm not completely satisfied with the turnout of my project, because I had big plans that I was going to throw myself into for this project, and the current circumstances were very limiting to those plans. However, I don't regret the project despite not being totally satisfied with the product, because of the numerous opportunities it offered me that I have just listed.
Monday, April 13, 2020
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Final Reflection
We're already towards the end of the project! Wow, this year has really flown by. This project especially made it so, though we've had plenty of time I underestimated the amount of planning and rescheduling this project would involve. I'm sure this would be the case in any regular time, but this is no regular time and so it was especially interesting to navigate this project during the beginnings of a pandemic, and now throughout quarantine in the hopes of preventing even more rapid spreading of COVID-19. For me, it has highlighted many things, and highlighted even more importance on the topic of my project.
With this pandemic taking over all other news events, the murders of five transgender or gender-nonconforming people have already happened within only three months of 2020. Dustin Parker, 25, was fatally shot in McAlester, Oklahoma, early on New Year's Day. His employers released a statement shortly after his death, remembering Parker as “a steadfast friend, an amazing husband and father and generous to a fault. He loved fiercely, worked tirelessly and took on life with so much hope and enthusiasm that his presence brightened all of our lives.”Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, also known as Alexa Negrón was fatally shot in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on February 24th. According to the Metro Puerto Rico, members of her community knew her as "humble" and "noble". When the media reported her murder, they misgendered her as "a man in a skirt". Latin trap artist from Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny, wore a shirt with the words "They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt" emblazoned in Spanish, as well as a black skirt during his performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/29/us/alexa-puerto-rico-transgender-killing/index.html). Yampi Méndez Arocho, 19, was killed in Moca, Puerto Rico, on March 5th. Arocho, a transgender man, shared his love for basketball and the NBA, donning Miami Heat apparel on social media. The biography line on his Facebook reads, "Humility Prevails." Monika Diamond, 34, a Black transgender woman, was killed in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 18th. Diamond was active in the Charlotte LGBTQ and nightlife community and was the co-owner of an event promotion company. She was also the co-CEO of the International Mother of the Year Pageantry System - a pageant that honors LGBTQ mothers. Lexi, 33, a transgender woman, was killed in Harlem, New York on March 28th. According to reports, Lexi was fatally stabbed in Harlem River Park. "I really looked up to her because of her tolerance and respect," said Lavonia Brooks, a friend of Lexi. "Lexi had a beautiful heart, she was very gifted." Brooks also noted that Lexi loved poetry, makeup and fashion. (https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-trans-and-gender-non-conforming-community-in-2020)
The fatal attacks on the transgender community that are only continuing to take place, especially against transgender women of color, continually reminds me of the purpose of my project. In the very beginning, I reported the murders of transgender people in 2019, 26 too many with startling research that the majority of these people were Black transgender women under the age of 35, living in the south. The biographies of all of these beautiful souls taken too soon and too brutally, additionally reminds me of my purpose. To humanize them, bring a face to the forefront so that those who view it and don't understand the severity of this issue look at somebody with this identity doing the same things they do when they get ready for the day. To bring light to the issue at hand. Most importantly, to give a happy spin to the life of a Black transgender woman, because they are more than what happens to them at the hands of hate. They are first and foremost, human beings.
Unfortunately, my access to resources and being able to work with the actress for the main character has been severely limited due to quarantine and COVID-19 spreading. I have to work with the only footage I managed to get, which is about a minute of the two minutes maximum due to the lockdown as well as for safety reasons for myself and the actress. Due to non-essential stores closing down, it was very difficult to obtain the necessary props, so I have instead have had to make them. This was not the most ideal, as making a radio that looked realistic proved to be more difficult, so with the footage that the radio takes place in, I have to manipulate it with editing to the best of my ability. As for the rest of the footage, I still have to come up with a plan to fill in the rest, for which I already have some ideas that I'll have to soon try out and dedicate good portion of time out of my day to try out each one. I have planned to get filming done and to start editing by this Wednesday, take Thursday for the rest of the editing and hopefully upload it in a blog posting that day, film and edit the Creative Critical Reflection on Friday and have it uploaded by Saturday.
Though my resources have been limited due to COVID-19 and quarantine, I believe in the cause of my project enough to make sure this is as accurate and great as it can be given the circumstances. I am passionate about this topic, and have worked hard throughout every process of this film opening thus far. I am grateful for you coming along on this journey, and for your patience during these difficult times as I navigate a highly important project during highly important times. I hope this project leaves those grading and viewing it with the lasting impact of the message I am determined to bring across. I will cover all of this much more thoroughly within the CCR posting.
With this pandemic taking over all other news events, the murders of five transgender or gender-nonconforming people have already happened within only three months of 2020. Dustin Parker, 25, was fatally shot in McAlester, Oklahoma, early on New Year's Day. His employers released a statement shortly after his death, remembering Parker as “a steadfast friend, an amazing husband and father and generous to a fault. He loved fiercely, worked tirelessly and took on life with so much hope and enthusiasm that his presence brightened all of our lives.”Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, also known as Alexa Negrón was fatally shot in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on February 24th. According to the Metro Puerto Rico, members of her community knew her as "humble" and "noble". When the media reported her murder, they misgendered her as "a man in a skirt". Latin trap artist from Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny, wore a shirt with the words "They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt" emblazoned in Spanish, as well as a black skirt during his performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/29/us/alexa-puerto-rico-transgender-killing/index.html). Yampi Méndez Arocho, 19, was killed in Moca, Puerto Rico, on March 5th. Arocho, a transgender man, shared his love for basketball and the NBA, donning Miami Heat apparel on social media. The biography line on his Facebook reads, "Humility Prevails." Monika Diamond, 34, a Black transgender woman, was killed in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 18th. Diamond was active in the Charlotte LGBTQ and nightlife community and was the co-owner of an event promotion company. She was also the co-CEO of the International Mother of the Year Pageantry System - a pageant that honors LGBTQ mothers. Lexi, 33, a transgender woman, was killed in Harlem, New York on March 28th. According to reports, Lexi was fatally stabbed in Harlem River Park. "I really looked up to her because of her tolerance and respect," said Lavonia Brooks, a friend of Lexi. "Lexi had a beautiful heart, she was very gifted." Brooks also noted that Lexi loved poetry, makeup and fashion. (https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-trans-and-gender-non-conforming-community-in-2020)
The fatal attacks on the transgender community that are only continuing to take place, especially against transgender women of color, continually reminds me of the purpose of my project. In the very beginning, I reported the murders of transgender people in 2019, 26 too many with startling research that the majority of these people were Black transgender women under the age of 35, living in the south. The biographies of all of these beautiful souls taken too soon and too brutally, additionally reminds me of my purpose. To humanize them, bring a face to the forefront so that those who view it and don't understand the severity of this issue look at somebody with this identity doing the same things they do when they get ready for the day. To bring light to the issue at hand. Most importantly, to give a happy spin to the life of a Black transgender woman, because they are more than what happens to them at the hands of hate. They are first and foremost, human beings.
Unfortunately, my access to resources and being able to work with the actress for the main character has been severely limited due to quarantine and COVID-19 spreading. I have to work with the only footage I managed to get, which is about a minute of the two minutes maximum due to the lockdown as well as for safety reasons for myself and the actress. Due to non-essential stores closing down, it was very difficult to obtain the necessary props, so I have instead have had to make them. This was not the most ideal, as making a radio that looked realistic proved to be more difficult, so with the footage that the radio takes place in, I have to manipulate it with editing to the best of my ability. As for the rest of the footage, I still have to come up with a plan to fill in the rest, for which I already have some ideas that I'll have to soon try out and dedicate good portion of time out of my day to try out each one. I have planned to get filming done and to start editing by this Wednesday, take Thursday for the rest of the editing and hopefully upload it in a blog posting that day, film and edit the Creative Critical Reflection on Friday and have it uploaded by Saturday.
Though my resources have been limited due to COVID-19 and quarantine, I believe in the cause of my project enough to make sure this is as accurate and great as it can be given the circumstances. I am passionate about this topic, and have worked hard throughout every process of this film opening thus far. I am grateful for you coming along on this journey, and for your patience during these difficult times as I navigate a highly important project during highly important times. I hope this project leaves those grading and viewing it with the lasting impact of the message I am determined to bring across. I will cover all of this much more thoroughly within the CCR posting.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Creating the Radio Prop Part 2
Within this post, I have filmed the second step of the construction which is finalizing the actual look of the radio by cutting a circle in the front center, placing wooden tooth picks within it to create the sound system, placing two bottle caps as the dials underneath on each side, and then painting it. This video is in a lower quality due to quicker downloading process.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Creating the Radio Prop Part 1
Within the video attached, is a compilation of time lapses where I complete the first step in the process of making my mini radio prop, where I cut the cardboard into the individual pieces and construct the radio by using a hot glue gun to piece it all together.
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