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”

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

How to be Social 101

     Today's work has been minimal editing and the birth of the series' social media. I have been swarmed with work in other classes, so I chose to do something easier today to further my progress in the project. 
     I created a Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube page for the documentary as you can see below: 

     I chose these three sites because they're, to put it simply, the most necessary sites for marketing the docuseries needs. Going back to the research I did earlier in my project specifically on other documentaries, Facebook was the common social media site used among every single piece I observed (and trust me, I looked at way more than I documented). Twitter is a site that is currently rooted in social justice and because my docuseries' purpose is to express the humanity of immigrants in the US, I chose to make a Twitter for them as well. A Youtube... I believe that choice is a bit self explanatory for the sake of uploading the first episode (and maybe some promo vids if I'm offered the time). 

     You may have noticed that the pages have yet to be designed fully, which can be explained by my lack of sufficient time to complete them. Designing these pages further creates the brand that I am creating, therefore I would like to dedicate more time to carefully choosing the color scheme, the writing in the posts, the icons, etc. 

     On another note, I was originally considering creating an Instagram as well. However, I decided against this choice because of lack of necessity. Additionally, individual pages for documentaries on Insta don't get as much traffic as the pages for streaming services like Netflix do and those pages primarily promote original content or productions that are extremely popular among the masses like "Riverdale." I'd rather keep marketing via other social media sites not *completely* dominated by streaming service accounts. 

    That is all for today! I'll be linking the social media pages with the website as soon as I finish making this post. I hope you enjoyed your update and I will see you guys again soon. 

CCR Planning Day Uno

     Hello again! I want to dedicate this post to the CCR planning I did today with my friend Maddie. She is also developing a docu-series and her's is about the impact Wilton Manors in Florida has had on LGBTQ+ youth in the area. As a part of that youth, I am delighted to be participating in an interview for the piece as well as helping her create an interview-like CCR. We'll be filming both on Sunday. 
     However, I have decided to deviate from the interview style we had originally conceptualized. I feel like my independent work on this project is encouraging me to create a CCR on my own and as much as I love Maddie, I think I'll be exploring this portion of the project alone too. 
     I was considering what I could do that is individual as well as interesting. I definitely think I'm going to do a vlog-style CCR after I am done helping Maddie in Wilton Manors. I want to visit the filming locations I collected footage at to primarily guide the vlog. 
     A vlog is is a "form of blog for which the medium is video, and is a form of web television," (Wikipedia, "Vlog"). In other words, this CCR is going to be treated like the ultimate blog post where I will be answering the 4 questions required by Cambridge. I think the cool thing about vlogs is that they "often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata" to create an interactive and visually diverse video. I am studying different vlogs from popular individuals like David Dobrik whose vlogs are known for implementing immense amounts of humor in them. I am also watching videos such as this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGQ0l3I7CeI to prepare for filming on Sunday. 
     I will continue planning my CCR exactly how I want it to come out, which means thinking about what other media I'll want to embedd and writing a script. I will most likely have to memorize most of the script since the vlog style is more natural and I would like to convey the authenticity of a vlog by not using a script in front of me. I'll see you guys soon! 

Popping Up On the Web

     Hello everyone! I'm stopping by to blog about what I was able to get done in class. I had a very uplifting meeting with my instructor and she reassured me I am indeed on track for the due date. I took the rest of the period to create the documentary's email and update the website where it was needed. 

     As it can be seen here, I added the email (and my own phone number) to the PR, Sales, and Festivals contact information in the "Representation" section on each page. I used one of my emails for the Producer's information too. Additionally, I added the "newseedsmission@yahoo.com" to the contact info for screening requests. I'm going to use this email to make the social media accounts for the docu-series and explain those choices further in a future post. See you guys soon! 

Do They Fit the Profile, Sir?

     Sick of me yet? I'm back to post the 'questions' I asked my subjects upon them agreeing to participate in my project. These are so that I can get a well rounded idea of these individuals and create the best and most respectful biographies for them possible. I will also be posting a sample of a filled out one in a separate post when I review my bio writing process as well as how the conversations with the subjects went. Here it is: 
Name:

Age:

Country of Origin:

Current Location:

Brief description of the following:

Life before coming to US:

Intention in coming to US:

Goals for the US:

Education (both in US/Non-US):

Profession:

Family life (both in US/Non-US):

Problems encountered in US:

What you like about living in US:

Progress Update *Horn Noises*

     I have been working on my documentary slowly but surely. I've been in Tallahassee for spring break spending time with my girlfriend and I wanted to give her more attention during our last weekend together until May, so please forgive me for not posting the last couple of days! I promise I have been editing diligently and I am still 100% I am on time with the completion of this portfolio. I have not run into any trouble yet (keyword: yet) and I will have the poster drawing by Sunday (the latest) as my artist has informed me. This means that I will prioritize finishing the website and excerpt before so that I can create the digitized poster and focus on editing the CCR next week (as well as making any other adjustments I deem fit). As of now, my friend Maddie, who is also a Media Studies student, and I have ideas for a fun and interesting CCR that we will most likely plan tomorrow in class. I estimate we'll be filming it this weekend, hence why I indicated that I'd be working on that next week before the project is due. I am very happy with how everything is going and am thoroughly excited to see how this turns out by the 14th. I'll be uploading the skeleton of the profile requirements in my next blog post so you can see what I asked my subjects for when I pitched them my idea. Goodnight!