Putting It Together

     Today I focused on finishing the organization/script for when I edit on Wondershare Filmora tomorrow. I expect the bulk of the extended episode to be completed by the end of Friday. Some concerns I have include the piece being way too long, the piece being boring, and not having enough B-roll footage to cover for the narration portions as well as portions of the interview. Below is a sample of the much longer script/plan: 

MVI_1625

M: “Since the first time…. Up until Carlos”

L: Martha refrained from moving to the United States so that her first son, Carlos, could finish his primary studies in Colombia. (Images of Carlos and Martha when they were younger)

M: “That was one of the last things keeping me from the US, after that we started planning..”

L: Martha, despite having the majority of her family in Colombia, was happy finally moving to the United States year 2000 with Carlos and her partner at the time, Pedro. (Images in the United States)

MVI_1626

M: Nosotros llegamos… (min 1:06)

L: Aside from purchasing a house and a car, Martha and her family sought to establish themselves legally as well. Martha took several steps to become an American, some of which led to unfortunate circumstances.

MVI_1632

M: Telling up until question of residency

L: Thankfully for Martha, those 90 days didn’t result in disaster. But the fear she felt would stay with her for a lifetime.

MVI_1634

M: Feelings of terror towards 90 days

L: Martha’s technique avoided a potentially perilous confrontation, eventually leading to a safe acquisition of her residency and citizenship in the decade that followed. Meanwhile, Martha remained unemployed until 2008, relying on capital she received from a company she co-founded in Colombia. In this time, Martha was able to focus on her children’s educations.

MVI_1635

M: going to all events at the schools, speaking about language

     I’ll see you guys again tomorrow. I’m unsure what I’ll be posting about yet, so I guess that will remain a surprise for the both of us till then!

Critics, Reviews, and All That Jazz

     I have chosen to write 3 extended reviews for my series that will be featured in the "Press" page on my website. I used this website https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-film-critics-from-united-states-of-america/reference to choose the critics the reviews would be written by. Originally, I had chosen A. O. Scott, B. Ruby Rich, and David Edelstein because of their qualifications. I settled with Scott because he is the chief film critic for the New York Times and I deemed Rich a perfect fit to critique because she is a "critic of independent, Latin American, documentary and gay films" and works as "a professor of Film & Digital Media and Social Documentation also known as "SocDoc" at UC Santa Cruz." Her background in documentation is vast, considering "she has also taught documentary film and queer studies during spring semesters at UC Berkeley." Moreover, I had used David Edelstein because of his job as a film critic on NPR's Fresh Air until I learned that he was laid off from his job at NPR for making an inappropriate, disgusting rape joke on air. I liked the idea of having someone from NPR, which is considered an informative and reliable media outlet, be a critic of the series, so I chose to base one of the critiques off of Bob Mondello who has worked at NPR since 1984 where he is the arts, film, and theater commentator for All Things Considered. I didn't want to write blind reviews, therefore I sought sample reviews each individual has written to use as models. I am observing Rich's 2001 review of "Back to the Future," Scott's recent review of the movie "Climax," and Mondello's 2019 review of "Hotel Mumbai" as examples of their written reviews. The three reviews can be found as links in the sources listed at the end of this post. 
     Aside from people critiquing the series, I wanted to include certifications from publications of film rating institutions as well. This included featuring the series as a "Critic's Pick" in both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. I also used Rolling Stone's 5-star rating system and Rotten Tomatoes "Fresh" meter to measure the quality of the series. These ratings aren't elaborated on but are displayed above the reviews in the "Press" page as pictured below: 

Sources: 

https://www.thenation.com/article/back-future/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/movies/climax-review.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fa.o.-scott

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/22/705979744/movie-review-hotel-mumbai-looks-at-2008-terrorist-attack-that-shook-the-world

Hire Me Tech Companies!

     I have been hard at work, granted not on what I SHOULD be working on according to my checklist (aka the excerpt itself), but working nonetheless. I have been designing the website so that the last couple of things (the poster, the subject biographies, social media links, and "episode 1") can be uploaded easily to an already developed website. I'm going to walk you guys through what I have done and explain some of the choices I've made. 

This title includes a link to the first episode that is featured on the main page of the website below some reviews and a button that leads to the "Where To Watch" page which includes the streaming platforms the series is available on. I also added the logos for the services on the front page so that people visiting the site immediately know where to look if they're interested. Another important detail to note is the inclusion of the social media bar at the right. This bar scrolls alongside the viewer and is only present on this page. 

On the main page below the introductory title, there is a slide show displaying reviews from 3 film/tv critics that I found on the internet. I will be making a separate post dedicated to the research I did to choose these 3 individuals as well as the longer reviews I am developing to be included on the "Press" page on the website. The quotes are just snippets of extended reviews. Below this slideshow is going to be a video which will be the first full episode of the series. I am opting to include it in this post because it has yet to be uploaded (and made in the first place). Following the video will be a square split into 4 smaller squares that serve as inviting links to the main pages: 

I am fully embracing the theme of seeds and growth that comes with the title of the piece to create a sense of branding, hence why I chose the images for the first two squares. I obviously had to deviate on the third since I am, in other words, not a plant or a seed! The three first squares send you to the "About" page that includes the three sections listed. This is how that page looks so far without any elaboration in the text: 

"The People" square sends you to the "The People" page featured on the main navigation bar which the individuals featured in the first season of the series and their biographies.

This is a small snippet of what that page is going to look like. The other two individuals will be on a different row and their biographies will be below a note that indicates which episode is dedicated to them.



Going back to the main page, below the "link square" will be a note from me that explains the function of the contact box. Here is what it'll look like: 

The note indicates that people are free to 

share their stories with the producers of this series for a chance to be featured in the next season. This is how the contact option looks like: 

The end of each page includes a section called "Representation." This section features the contact information for PR, the Producer, Sales, and Festivals. The contact info offered is an email as well as a phone number. I have yet to create an individual email for the series that will be used for contact info as well as the social media accounts I'll be opening (this includes a Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube channel). Additionally, the section always includes the same social media bar that is present in the main page so the social media is readily accessible on any page. This is what the "Representation" section looks like: 

I have already shown you guys the "About" and "The People" pages, therefore I'll be moving away from the main page and onto the other pages. The "Where to Watch" page, as mentioned before, can be accessed through the button on the main page that says "Hear All Their Stories" or through the menu bar. Take a look: 

 
This page includes information for where the series can be streamed and offers buttons that link directly to the subscription pages for the websites listed. As I mentioned in my post about distribution, I would like people to have the option to watch the series in other settings other than the comfort of their own home. I developed an idea similar to that of "13" that offered select screenings in classrooms, where people can request a copy of the series for a special event they want to host. On another note, this is the perfect place to display the poster for the series, considering there is already an image present for the film this template was designed after. I will eventually upload the poster in that slot when it's been digitized. 

 

The "Review" page is an extension of the quotes seen on the main page. Each critic will have a longer review here, so the text seen currently will be smaller to fit the paragraph(s). I will also be extending the space between the title and the first review because I'd like to add ratings from different institutions/entities such as Rolling Stone and Rotton Tomatoes. I'll most likely show this updated version when I make a post about the final edition of the website. I feel very confident about my progress with the website because having done a lot of work on it gives me more space and time to focus on perfecting the episode. We'll see how it goes! 

Time is a Tricky Thing

     The film editor I typically use, Wondershare Filmora, has heavy software that will put together my final production. I didn't deem it necessary to use such complex programming to create the timelapse effect I wanted to make with the sun going down outside my mom's house. Earlier in the year, our teacher gave us the online editor, "WeVideo," to use for a project we had to complete through there. The program is easy to use and because I wanted to avoid using Wondershare for such a small clip, I chose to utilize WeVideo in the creation of the timelapse. 
     I was a bit confused at the formatting for speed adjustments on the site however, so I had to seek some online help in figuring out how to produce a flawless time lapse. This article; https://wevideo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/213107738-How-do-I-change-the-speed-of-my-video-clip- helped tremendously, explaining the difference between range and value in the settings. 
     The time lapse was created out of 4 continuous videos. The first three lasted approximately 12 minutes each and the last one lasted for 55 seconds. I sped each one up by the maximum value, 10x, and eliminated all of the background audio. This helped condense the 4 videos (total 37 minutes of footage) into 1 clean, 3 minute video. However, this timelapse is evidently too long even at maximum value. I can't possibly narrate for 3 minutes straight and the length is pointless in the piece. Therefore, I downloaded the first draft of the timelapse as it is and uploaded it again to the program. From there, I sped up the video by 10x once again to successfully trim it to 22 seconds. 
     After watching the final draft, I wasn't satisfied with the progression of the timelapse. I felt like there was a disproportionate amount of time dedicated to there still being light out in comparison to the amount of time showing the outside of the house at night. I was compelled to trim the clip further, shortening it to a sweet 14 seconds that will *hopefully* serve as a nice transition between my mom's day routine and her night routine. Here is the final product: 

Testosterone "Shots"

     Reviewing interview footage made me conscious of possibly lacking B-Roll footage, first because I want to translate a lot of the content my mom speaks about into narration that would have to be played over B-roll footage and second because a lot of the footage doesn't have captured B-roll footage that accompanies it in the first place. Therefore, I tried thinking of something I could do with the resources I have here in Tallahassee for the rest of my spring break. I don't have access to my mom or photo albums or Weston locations. However, what I do have is my transitioning medication that can serve as perfect B-roll for when my mom is talking about her fears towards me being trans and on testosterone. Here are some of the shots I took to enhance the documentary (Ignore the audio that will eventually be eliminated):  

Who Met The Chop

     To introduce everyone to the "look" of the interviews, I've decided to share the videos that will 100% guaranteed NOT be in the final production of the documentary.

These two videos specifically cannot be used due to the audible barking of our dogs inside the house in both sets of footage.

This video was in my arsenal until my mom referred to the interviewer (who is me) as "tu," or "you" in English, which compromises the conversation being had between her and the questions. 

     

     As you can see, my mother remains sitting to the left of the frame. My mom is shot through a mid-shot that keeps her constant leg adjustments from view, makes her facial expressions clear, and allows for just the right amount of visible body movement to convey the different emotions she expresses throughout the interview. There is a relatively boring background behind her to avoid having any distractions present while the interviews are playing. The diegetic sounds of birds and nature are not prominent enough to detract from her words, but may pose a problem when I do some audio mixing with music or try to switch smoothly from narration to interview. Overall, I am pleased with how these interviews came out and will continue updating yall on the editing process. 

Let's Hear it For the Boy!

     I have finally come off what my teacher coined an "accomplishment high" that I've promptly been riding since Saturday when I heard back from USC and SCA. I only mention this because of how encouraging their decision has been for me going forward, not only in the admission's process but the creative process as well. I feel more confident entering the editing stages of this project and now that I've looked through the interview footage, I am ready to dive in! 
     As I watched the videos, I took notes of different talking points, important statements, imperative explanations, and feelings/reactions to events included in each individual clip. I think this will make the organization of the piece easier tomorrow when I develop the narration and order of the documentary. I also noted which clips had faults in them and which ones were unusable alltogether. After this, I went ahead and marked which bullet points I found would be most effective in the piece and/or had accompanying B-Roll footage that would visually stimulate the documentary. Finally, I highlighted what videos were going to be the most important to include to create an easier-to-navigate paper. Below are my results: 

     I will be using this review to organize the piece faster and easily. I will also be making a post dedicated to some of the videos that haven't made the cut as a way to introduce everyone to the composition of the interview (her positioning, the audio, etc) and express the challenges faced when we were filming. 

     On another note, something else that occurred while I was reviewing footage was the spontaneous decision to add more B-Roll shots based on some of the things my mom had said. When expressing her concerns for me being transgender, she mentions her fear of medical complications because of the medication I'm taking to transition. I got the idea to take some videos of my "testosterone pack" which includes my testosterone bottle and box, 2 needles, cleaning wipes, and latex gloves. I will dedicate a separate post to some of those shots as well.