Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Mid-Week Check

     Instead of uploading the original checklist and highlighting items I've completed, I'm going to post the items I have yet to complete only. After the last 3 days of working, this is what I have left: 


Website:
+Video linked
+Biographies: Yaw, Nicko
+Poster

Poster:
+Uploaded/Digitized
+Writing
+Logos

Excerpt:
+Decide 5 Minutes
+Upload 

     I have a few more days left to finish up my portfolio. I am beyond happy with the progress I've made and how intelligent I've been with managing my time adequately. Expect a post about what this project has taught me about planning later once I'm ready to post my project's components. That's it for now. I'll keep everyone updated. 

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

(C)razy (C)ompleted (R)ichness

     There's one word in this blog title that matters aside from the letters in parentheses and it's completed! After working exclusively on my CCR today in class and dedicating time after school to finishing the product, my CCR is a 10:09 cooking segment on how to create the best media studies portfolio possible. 
     I edited the footage on WeVideo. I am unfamiliar with the program in comparison to the one I usually use, Wondershare Filmora, so I came across two problems I had to surpass. The first one was how to detach audio and video or more specifically, eliminate video from being seen while the audio still plays. This video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t9PJfDaKdI helped me significantly, allowing me to get more creative in the process. I also needed to figure out how to add images to videos, which my instructor taught me to do upon request. Aside from images such as logos overlapping video, I utilized vlog footage, screenrecordings, non-copyrighted elevator on a slide show of pictures of seeds to create some comedic relief, and B-Roll of my family's photo albums in the CCR. 
     I expect to be done with the excerpt soon. My artist is doing the final touches to the drawing tonight and will give it to me tomorrow. I will most likely go to scan the drawing after school so that the poster is something I can complete in class the next day. Other than that, I have to finish writing and uploading the biographies for the subjects. I know that one of my last two posts has to be the CCR, but here's the link for anyone who wants to watch it early: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbvIskmXjxA&t=3s Enjoy! 

Monday, April 8, 2019

A Glitch in the System

     So today I went ahead and tried to complete the social media pages I opened for the documentary, only to find a huge glitch in the system. Apparently the Youtube page I opened with Google was suspended (reason unknown) and I am unable to access it at this time. I requested that they revisit the suspension and an explanation of the page's use. Hopefully they're able to get back to me ASAP (I mentioned my deadline to urge) so that I can finish setting that up. If not, I don't want to risk creating an account that will be suspended and inaccessible to the people grading my project. Alternatively, I'll simply upload the content to my own Youtube channel and link that instead. Although not as fitting as having its own page, since I make it a point that I am the creator and an award winning one at that, it could also be deemed appropriate to have the content be on the director/producer's own page. 
     Aside from this small blip today, I've been able to design the other two pages I have for this docuseries. I started with Twitter since that isn't blocked by school wifi. Here is what I have so far for Twitter: 

     Here are some of the tweets I've sent so far. I have yet to link the website to either pages but I assume that will be the last thing I do once the website is up and running. The bio reads the same for both the Facebook page and the Twitter page: 

A biographical docuseries about real Americans who weren't born here. Available on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Showtime. Visit our website for a first look.

     I haven't made posts on the Facebook page yet, but I'll be doing that throughout this coming week until Sunday. The same goes for Twitter. This is how the Facebook page as of now: 
     I'll be editing my CCR in class tomorrow and by the end of tomorrow hopefully I'll be done with my mom's biography for the website. I asked her if it's okay to take a portrait picture of her for the website and although she's hesitant due to her self esteem, I think I'll be able to convince her that it wont be as bad as she thinks. I'll see you guys soon! 

Yes They Do Officer!

     So you guys remember how I had uploaded a skeleton for the profile requirements a minute ago to show what I was looking for in the biography writing process? Well, my amazing, spectacular girlfriend (full bias) was the first one of my subjects to fill it out. Here is what she said: 


Name: Sarah Romestant
Age: 18
Country of Origin: Venezuela
Current Location: Tallahassee, Fl. United States
Brief description of the following:
Life before coming to US/After: I was born in Venezuela in 2001, to a 17-year-old mother and a 19-year-old father. At the beginning of my childhood, I spent a lot of time with my father’s family while my parents went through college. I would come home after school and spend the afternoon with my great grandmother, and be picked up by my parents when they got home from school or work. When the political climate of my country got too unstable, my parents decided it was time for us to move. When I was 8, I moved to Écully, which was a small town in the southeast of France so that my father could pursue a business degree. We moved into an apartment and got a lot of help from my grandmother with finances. Two and a half years later, after my father obtained his Masters, he got a job offer in Bogota, so we moved to Colombia. After three years of living there, his company transferred him to Miami, so we moved to Florida. My house in Weston was the first house we had ever lived in that was fully owned by us. We spent the better part of four years living in Weston, until my dad got a job offer from Amazon and moved to Seattle. When I finished high school, my mother went to live with him in Seattle, and I stayed in Florida and moved to Tallahassee to go to college.
Intention in coming to US: My parents have always aimed for the best. They were amazing students, and went to the best college in Venezuela; they have a constant fuel to do better. Since I was young, they’ve believed that the United States held the most opportunities for both them and I, and it has always been a goal of theirs to move here and obtain our papers. 
Goals for the US: We moved here to further my dad’s computer science career, and to give me the opportunity to attend an American university, because my parents believe I will find the most career opportunities here. 
Education (both in US/Non-US): I spent the first 13 years of my life in French education. I went to a French school in Venezuela, a public school in France, and a French school in Colombia. When we moved to the US, I had never studied in English, but had learned the language from television. Due to a lack of good international schools near the Miami area, I had to go to a public high school, and accommodate to studying completely in English rather than completely in French. In the fall of 2018, after graduating high school, I started attending Florida State University.
Profession: I am pursuing an Environmental Engineering degree.
Family life (both in US/Non-US): A lot of my family has tried moving here to the US and away from Venezuela, but a good majority simply dispersed around the world. After leaving Venezuela, my family ended up in Panama, Colombia, France, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, and tons of other places. I still have some family left in Venezuela, but we are urging them to leave.
Problems encountered in US: I was fortunate enough to move to a place like South Florida, meaning Latino/Black people were a common thing to encounter, and diverse groups weren’t discriminated against as much as they could be in the rest of the country, which was something I was scared of. However, I did experience a very big cultural shock, and had a very had time adapting to the “American” life. No matter where I had lived before, I was used to the culture and way of living, because my family had been immersed in them all, but this was a completely new environment, and I felt like I didn’t belong. I still feel like I am losing a part of myself, my French and Venezuelan side, because I am just so immersed in trying to get used to living in the US. 
What you like about living in US: I like all the opportunity found in this country, and all the different ways people choose to live their lives. Although it was a huge adaptation, I’m used to moving around every couple of years, and I feel like this is something that had to happen in my life. I enjoy the mixture of all different cultures found in this country, and the many success stories. In my time here, I’ve met the strongest people I know (like Lau), and I’ve grown into someone I’m proud of. I am also very glad that my dad got to pursue his dream career and build his way up in the technological world!

     I was able to condense this information into a single paragraph which I've already uploaded onto the website as her biography. This is how it reads: 

Sarah Romestant is an 18-year-old college student born in Venezuela to young parents who were working on their education, moving to France at the age of 8. Two and a half years later, her family moved to Bogota, Colombia for her father’s work only for him to be transferred to Miami 3 years later. Sarah was new to the US education system, having studied in the French system for 13 years. Due to a lack of good international schools near the Miami area, Sarah had to go to Cypress Bay high school and accommodate to studying completely in English rather than completely in French. She expresses being fortunate enough to have moved to South Florida where minorities, specifically Latin minorities, are more integrated and less discriminated against. However, she cites having experienced severe culture shock and a hard time adapting to the “American” life. She is currently studying environmental engineering at Florida State University. 

     My other subjects have yet to send me their completed profile requirements. Granted, I did ask for a lot of information. I just wanted to guarantee that I'd get a plethora of information to extract from. I am hopefully going to complete my mom's biography today and start editing my CCR. I'll see you guys soon! 

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Swapping Dates for Boxes

     Hello beautiful people! We have finally reached the 1 week deadline. Today was a terrific day to film my CCR and help my friend Maddie out on the development of her own as well as participate in an interview for her documentary excerpt. I am in a very good mood, and I anticipate that I will continue to be in one all week. I am a member of my school's spoken word poetry team and we are advancing to Louder Than A Bomb (Florida) finals next Saturday. I only mention this because it poses a challenge for me time-wise. Because it is our first time reaching finals and we're competing for the chance to compete in the original LTAB in Chicago this summer, we'll be practicing every single day this week after school. Alongside my other classwork, I will most definitely be undergoing a lot of stress. 
     I am slightly worried after making an updated checklist. The deadlines I had originally set helped me greatly (although the later ones were unattainable) and kept me disciplined in my work. However, with one week remaining, I have created a checklist with all of the things I have to do before my deadline next Sunday. Here it is: 

Website:
+Video linked
+Biographies
+Poster

Poster:
+Uploaded/Digitized
+Writing
+Logos

Social Media:
Twitter
+Icon
+Header
+Background (Desktop)
+Tweets
Facebook
+Icon
+Header
+Bio/Info
+Posts
Youtube
+Icon
+Header
+Upload Video

CCR:
+Create
+Upload

Excerpt:
+Decide 5 Minutes

+Upload 

     I'll admit a lot of the stuff on this list is fairly easy, but it IS quite a lot to do and some items, such as the CCR, take time and significant effort. Hopefully I am able to complete all of these things in time so that my project turns out exactly how I want it to. However, if I find myself overwhelmed and no longer sleeping, I may ask my instructor for a one or two day extension in case I am unable to produce everything (with quality) I want to submit. I feel like I've been working too hard to let this week turn my project sour and I will make sure that it doesn't! Much love, Lau #out. 

CCR #Planned

     Hello again! I'm back to talk about my CCR prior to filming today. I decided against doing my CCR with anyone else involved. I am going to do a fake cooking segment where the four questions I have to answer serve as a 3 step guide to making an awesome media studies portfolio. I am integrating my vlog idea into this because of how inclined I am to make my CCR visually interesting and diverse. I will also be displaying many pictures and potentially showing videos (still on the fence about screenshots vs screenrecordings for showing anything online). I made a document with a simple script and organization. Here it is: 


Setting: My room, makeshift kitchen (my kitchen is too small to film in)
Start off with introduction; something along the lines of:
“Hey guys today I will be showing you how to make a delicious aice media studies portfolio project”
[Title]
“There are four steps we have to take care of, using conventions and representing social groups, creating a sense of branding, and engaging the audience while distributing the product. After we’re done we’ll review all of the technologies I used as
FIRST:
How do your products use or challenge conventions and how do they represent social groups or issues?
“To use conventions in this recipe I had to go looking for some ingredients. Those include:”
·         B-roll footage (VLOG OUTSIDE WALMART)
·         Interviews (VLOG OUTSIDE MOM’S HOUSE)
·         Narration/Narrative Style  “Some ingredients I was able to find at home” make cocky joke about being the best storyteller ever)
·         Archived footage (CUT TO ME SHOWING PHOTO ALBUM)
SECOND:
How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?
“The next step in this cake is to create a sense of branding, and to do that we have to do things such as create social media and a website that use similar pictures and have a cohesive color scheme. Let me show you some of the pictures I took while these things were being cooked up”
·         Social media design/website and color scheme (SCREENSHOTS)
“Also had a linking theme”
·         Linking theme; poster, website backgrounds (ADD PICTURE OF POSTER TO FRAME, COLLAGE OF PICTURES “and literally every picture of seeds growing I could find on the internet”)
THIRD:
How do your products engage with the audience and how would they be distributed as real media products?
“At this point the food is coming together well and we’ve started to think about how we’re going to convince people to eat our product”
·         Interactive through social media
·         Inviting via contact section (PICTURE OF)
·         Representation portion with contact information for PR, Sales, Production, and Festivals
·         Streaming services (“and when convinced this is where they’re going to want to go”)
OUTRO:
How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
“Behind every perfect meal resides the tools we used to make it. Some of the ones I use include…”
·        Filmora Wondershare (LOGO, “I used this to edit the bulk of my project”)
·        WeVideo (LOGO, “Used to create a timelapse”)
·        Wix website maker (PICTURE OF TEMPLATE)
·        Canon EOS Rebel T6 and tripod (PULL OUT CAMERA)
·        Canva (LOGO, “Digitize the poster”)

“Well that’s all for today’s cooking segment. I hope you all enjoyed and will check out my finished dish too”

Friday, April 5, 2019

Website? Did THAT!

     Today in class I got ahead on the completion of the website. With the exception of the biographies, the poster on the "Where To Watch" page, and the first full episode linked to the front page, the website is finished! I wrote everything featured on the "About" page and will be sharing it in this post. I also had my friend Maddie review the writing before finalizing so I got a second opinion. 
     The first section titled "The Series" includes a subheader that reads: "This is a series about real Americans whose roots first grew elsewhere." I chose to make this portion straightforward about the details of the piece, including the amount of people, the locations, and what the series is about. The two paragraph reads as follows:

"New Seeds" documents the lives of immigrants living in the United States today. Each episode focuses on a different individual and the life they've lived so far, both inside and outside the US. The series is available to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Showtime. 
The series so far has amplified the voices of 4 people, all with different origins. Our series takes audiences to California, Michigan, Tallahassee, and South Florida where viewers are introduced to people of all ages who have come to the United States to plant new seeds and grow in the direction of the American Dream.

     The next section about the series' mission includes a subheader that reads: "Immigrants aren't aliens or "illegal." They're human too." This section encompasses the purpose of the series, giving readers background information on the conditions that prompted the topic of discussion. One of the main reasons I adore documentary work is that it's rooted in real life and that is what this section is intended to establish. I even did some research for one of the things I mention, which is the statistic about the percentage of immigrants in the US work force. The link to the page can be found in the works cited section at the end of this blog post. The description of the text reads: 

The media has done a disappointing job at portraying immigrants in the US positively. The topic of immigration became a key subject for discussion in the 2016 election and has remained one ever since. It's wrong to continue nurturing the narrative that immigrants are all rapists or taking our jobs. It's time for people to welcome their new neighbors.
Our docuseries aims to change the outlook and attitude people have towards immigrants by documenting their lives. We believe that we should be welcoming immigrants into our communities not because they account for 17% of the civilian labor force or contribute to our society, but because they're human beings with stories who deserve to be seen as such. That is why we are sharing their stories: to show the world that immigrants are people just like those of us considered natural citizens in our countries.

     The last section about myself, the creator, also has a subheader reading: "I create with the purpose of increasing visibility for others and the communities I am a part of." In this section, I provide background information on myself that serves as a basis for my qualifications, such as the fact I am a future USC film student and am a minority with understanding for topics such as those discussed in my series. I state my personal mission and purpose as well as my inspiration for this project. The section reads: 

My name is Lau Rodriguez and I am the young filmmaker who has developed this project into what it is today. I am an incoming USC film student with a dream to create content that propels society forward. As a transgender man of color, I understand the importance of using our privilege and platform to uplift and amplify the voices of those who are often ignored and silenced.
I was originally inspired to produce this docuseries because of my mother. She is an immigrant herself and is featured as the first person focused on in the series. I look up to her with reverence for the hard work she exhibits to take care of herself and I. I'm often pained by the conditions she endures due to her immigrant status and the language barrier she faces. I wanted to honor her and others like her with the purpose of convincing others to do the same. 

     I will hopefully upload the biographies to the website very soon. I'll be continuing the editing of my piece, designing the series' social media, and planning the CCR thoroughly in the next 3 days. Keep yall updated! 

Works Cited:
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states#Geography

Final Components

Here are the final products for my portfolio:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M72EHzKZIeqYTHNnsG7CsX76Hche1bE1/view?usp=sharing http...