Creative Critical Reflection

The Story of Us

Hey Guys!

The film introduction for The Story of Us is out now! I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think! :)

Almost There!

Good morning!

I hope everyone is doing well. I am so close to completing my project! My creative critical reflection is just about done. I just have to add a few finishing touches to the piece in order to finalize my project.

I decided to do a director's commentary in the form of a video. I took a somewhat casual approach to this piece. I did not want to overdue the piece. I think that the content of the creative critical reflection is extremely important and an overdone director's commentary might take away from this important communication and act as a distracter. As a result, I decided to set the video simply in my bedroom. This also establishes a greater connection between myself and the audience.

 Throughout the duration of my director's commentary, I discuss important processes and things to consider while creating a film introduction. I include specific clips and visuals pertaining to the information I am trying to communicate. I keep my responses clear and relatively concise. I am very content with my creative critical reflection.

I will be sharing both of these productions very soon. Stay tuned! :)

Update

Hey guys!

I am almost finished with my overall project! I have filmed my creative critical reflection. All there is left to do is edit my director;s commentary and finalize this blog. I am really excited to share my production with you. I have shown a few of my peers the film and they have enjoyed, so I very excited to see what Cambridge thinks of my production. 

At the beginning of this project, I had absolutely no idea what was going to be the title of my piece. I have decided to call my piece The Story of Us, a film about young love and the obstacles a couple may face as they enter adulthood. I am very proud of my production and can't wait for you guys to see it! Stay tuned.

Thanks!

The Beginning of the End

Hey guys!

Although I have really enjoyed planning and executing my production, I am really looking forward to seeing all of my hard work come together as this project comes to an end. I have six days to complete my overall film introduction and creative critical reflection. I am extremely excited to share my overall production with you guys.

For my creative critical reflection, I plan on producing a director's commentary discussing issues pertaining to my project. Within this commentary, I will be discussing the relevance of my film introduction, intended audience, distribution practices, my skill development as a producer, and technologies used in order to successfully execute this project. 

I will also be answering any questions that you guys may have about my project. I am very proud of my production and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. This is the beginning of the end! Stay tuned for more updates as I continue to add the final touches to my project. 

Thank you! :)

Finishing Touches

Hey guys!

I hope everyone is enjoying their evening. In my last post, I shared a little preview of my film with you guys. I hope you guys enjoyed it. There are just a couple more things that I would like to incorporate throughout m production. Let me know what you guys think!
Throughout the film, I am planning to incorporate features of folly stage sound. I plan on adding child and adult laughter, the sound of wind blowing, and the grass the children are running on in the piece. I think this will be a great addition to the film and display more complexity within the sound of the production.
I would also like to insert a production company graphic at the beginning of my film. I believe this will help make my film look more authentic. I think it is also and interesting piece to add into my project. I am excited to learn how to create it. 
Thanks!

Editing Update

Hey Everyone!

I am glad to say that the editing process for my project is almost complete. I have been putting a lot of work into this piece and I am very excited to share the finished production with you guys soon. 

I am really happy about how my production is coming out so far. The shots that I have chosen to incorporate withing my production fit together very well. The instrumental music plays as a great add on to the footage. The credits shown throughout the piece are also presented in a smooth fashion. They are easily seen throughout the film introduction but do not take away from the actual footage of the piece.

I have put together a little preview of my film. Let me know what you guys think! :)  

Filming Was A Success!

Hey everyone!

I am glad to say that the filming process was a success! Although there were a few moments when the children were losing concentration, I am very happy with the footage I was able to film.

It was an enjoyable day for filming. My production was filmed at the beautiful Vista View park in Davie, Florida. The sun was not beaming, making it better for lighting purposes. Although the beginning of my film starts in a happy and positive tone, the duration of the rest of the film is somewhat melancholy. The gloomy weather helps to illustrate this tone making it a perfect setting for my production.

The children and young adults that play a part in this film had a lot of fun on set! The children enjoyed running through the vast fields, exploring the wonderful lakes and the playing on the lovely playground. After filming, the older actors of my production and I enjoyed a nice picnic in the park as well. It was a great day! 

I am very excited to beginning the editing process. Stay tuned! 

Meet the Stars!

Hey world!


I am very close to beginning the filming process of my production. One of the most difficult tasks for this production specifically was going to be finding the perfect actors and actresses to play the roles of the characters in my film.


Luckily, my younger cousins from New York are coming to visit next week! I am so excited to be able to see them. My younger cousins Thomas and Caroline are the perfect actors to play the children in my production.


I also have some amazing friends who have agreed to help me out with this project. My friends DJ and Riley will be playing the older version of my cousins in this film.
Meet the stars!


Thomas and DJ will be playing the role of Samuel Reynolds, the main male character of my production. Looking great guys!








Caroline and Riley will be playing the role of Caroline Reynolds, the main female character in my film. Aren't they beautiful?

I am extremely happy and am almost ready to start filming! Stay tuned for sneak peeks and new updates starting next week. Thanks guys!

Inspiration

Hey guys!

I hope everybody is enjoying their Saturday morning. :)


I am getting really pumped for this film! I really wanted to share my inspiration for this project with you guys. 
Earlier this school year, in my AICE English Language class, I was given the assignment to write a narrative short story. Throughout this short story, I was asked to use a passionate and affectionate voice within my writing. 
When we started discussing this project, I immediately thought of my short story and knew it would be a perfect basis for the plot of my film. My story, called "The Meeting", gave me a lot of inspiration while planning the plot of my film introduction. I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys! I hope you enjoy. :)

The Meeting 

Eighteen months. It felt like an eternity since I felt his warm, gentle touch. I have never craved a human’s touch as much as I longed for his. It had been eighteen seemingly-endless months since Sam had been deployed on his first tour to Afghanistan.

I remember the day he left impeccably. I remember the way that his soft, delicate lips had kissed mine. I remember the way his eyes stared into mine before we had said our last goodbye, and how in that moment, everything around us stood still. He told me that everything was going to be okay. He told me I didn’t have to worry. I had faith that God would bring Sam back to me when the war was over and life would be normal again.

But, there was still a part of me that knew it could have possibly been the last time that I would get to stare into his beautiful hazel eyes, and feel his delicate touch. A part of me knew that Sam might not return home alive.  And although I was well aware of these circumstances, nothing would prepare me for the meeting I would have with two military officials telling me that he was gone.

Located at the lower end of Arizona's Oak Creek Canyon, surrounded by nothing but colossal red buttes and monoliths, encompassed by the never-ending deserts of the Great Plains, lies the small town of Sedona, Arizona. Population: 8,120 people. This is where I grew up.

As a child, I attended Verde Valley Preparatory School, a private institution with only about 500 students. Everyone knew each other at Verde Valley. Classes were small and people were very friendly. Gossip spread like wildfire through the halls of the Valley. So, when Sam Reynolds first walked into my classroom on the first day of the 3rd grade, everybody couldn’t help but notice the new kid.

Sam wasn’t your typical 9 year-old boy . There was just something about him. At the time, I could not grasp exactly what the something was, that made me so fond of him. Sam and I instantly became best friends. We did anything and everything together. I never knew that he would end up meaning so much.

There was not much to do in this typical western American town. Sam and I spent every moment we possibly could together as kids. We would always be outdoors, going on adventures through the lush evergreen pine forests that surrounded the area. He became like a brother to me. Life seemed so much simpler back then.  

As young teenagers, we would spend our summers camping in Oak Creek Canyon, exploring the vast river valleys, and hiking up to the very top of the canyon to experience the most unbelievable view of the sun setting over Sedona. Everything about this amazed me. The sky, painted with the unblemished combination of the softest shades of orange and pink, seemed to be inconceivable. Everything at that moment was perfect. Sam was perfect. At this very moment, time has stopped. Nothing else in the world mattered; just Sam. This was the moment that I realized something that would change my life forever: I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Sam and I started dating in our freshmen year of high school, and from that point on, we fell madly in love with each other. From the start, I knew Sam was the man I wanted to marry and create a life with. We were your typical high school sweethearts. We didn’t want to waste a single moment. On the day that we graduated from Verde Valley, Sam proposed. We got married just 3 months later. I got pregnant on our honeymoon and were expecting our first baby daughter the following year.

Life was complete. I was complete. I had the man of my dreams and a beautiful baby daughter on the way. Sam had followed his dream of enlisting in the US Army and immediately began training at Fort Huachuca, the local military base about 45 minutes west of Sedona. Everything seemed to be going as planned and life was good. On June 5th, 1999, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. We named our daughter Caroline Julianne Reynolds and Sam and I were the happiest we had ever been together. Our dream of starting a family finally become a reality, and we were beyond grateful. I was living the life every girl dreamed of. Everything was perfect.

September 11th, 2001, was the day that everything changed. Terrorists had attacked the World Trade Center in New York City, killing thousands of innocent lives and causing great physical and emotional damage to the country. President George W. Bush took immediate action and declared war on Afghanistan. On January 14th, 2002, Sam was deployed on his first tour to Afghanistan.

Life was no longer as perfect. I spent countless nights staying up and worrying about Sam. He had always dreamed of being a soldier since we were children and now he had finally gotten his chance.  I knew I should have been happy for him. I knew fighting for our country meant a great deal to him and that as his wife, I should always be supportive of my husband, but a part of me just couldn’t help but worry about whether I would be able to see him again.

Eighteen months had passed. Caroline’s 4th birthday was coming up, and Sam was planning on coming home to surprise her. Just a few more days and I would be able to see the love of my life again. I would be able to feel his warm touch and his soft lips for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Just a few more days and everything would be perfect again.

That’s why when two day later, when I heard a peculiar knock on the front door, I had no idea what to expect. Could it be Sam? Could he have returned a couple days earlier than expected and wanted to surprise me and Caroline? I rushed to the door, hoping to see my husband standing on the other side.

Nothing would prepare me for the moment that I opened my front door to see Sergeant Major Roger Williams and Colonel Andrew Sanders standing at my doorstep. I knew exactly what was happening, but I didn’t want to believe it.

Roger was a Sam’s best friend, and we had been out on many occasions together, but this meeting was different.  “Hello Sarah,” Roger said. It’s amazing how much you can tell about a person when they say something as simple as a “hello”. I’ve heard this same line from Roger a great deal of times, but this time, I could tell that he was on the verge tears.

 I immediately fell to my knees. My heart sank to my stomach. At that very moment, my world shattered into a million pieces.

“His truck was hit by a sudden airstrike while they were commuting between bases. By the time we got to them, it was already too late. He was gone. We did everything we could,” Roger’s voice quivered, but I could barely keep track of what he was saying. I was completely and utterly lost.

“He loved you and Sarah very much,” Roger continued, but I couldn’t think straight at the moment. I couldn’t think at all. All I could think about was the fact that Sam, my best friend, my soul mate, and the father of my child, was no longer living on this earth. How would I tell Caroline that her father would not be coming home for her birthday? How would I live without Sam?

I was nowhere near prepared for the meeting that took place between myself and Roger that afternoon. Now that Sam was gone, everything would be different. For starters, I would have to learn how to live a life without Sam. This would be the most difficult obstacle I have ever had to overcome. I would have to learn how to be both a mother and a father figure to Caroline as a single mother. I would have to learn a new a way of life, a way of life that didn’t involve Sam, and still try to be happy for Caroline. This was the meeting that would change my life forever.

Establishing a Relationship

Hey guys!

I have been making some great plans for this film that I am so excited to share with you!

For my film introduction, I plan on establishing a relationship between two characters. My story begins with two children who grow up in a small town and fall in love. The introduction to my film will be connecting the past and present of this relationship. 

I have written up a few ideas for the plot of the introduction of this film. Let me know what you think!

The story will begin with a background on the main characters and the history of their relationship. Seven year old Samuel Reynolds is a new student at Verde Valley Preparatory School, located in the small town of Sedona , Arizona. Caroline Manchester instantly notices Sam, and from that point, the children begin their friendship. They grow up spending all the time they possibly can together, playing at the local playground, playing house and portraying the roles of husband and wife, and going on adventures through the lush evergreen pine forests that surrounded the area. Sam and Caroline become best friends, and eventually fall in love with each other. The two become high school sweethearts. As soon as the couple graduated high school, the couple married and starts their life together.

The story continues, but this is the part of the story that I plan on conveying through my production. I am so excited to continue to work through this production process with you guys!

Thank you and stay tuned for more. :)

And the Journey Begins.....

Hey everyone!

Over the course of the past week, I have carefully been considering the genre of my film and have decided on the perfect genre in order to reach my goals and objectives for this project. 

Since I plan on building a connection with the characters and audience utilizing emotional appeals, I will be writing and producing a romance film. The use of emotional appeals will attract primarily women, making the romance genre a perfect genre for my production. Women make up 52% of moviegoers so this film will appeal to a larger market as well. According to my research, romance films aim to evoke strong emotions in the audience. This makes it the ideal genre for me and the development of my project.

I am really excited to execute this project but also a little nervous. I am not really the romantic type, so this is new for me. I am looking forward to learning new skills through this process, especially how to connect with an audience in such a personal way. I cannot wait to see what I come up with! I have some great ideas for this project. Stay tuned.........

P.S.
Check out my research below to learn more about the romance genre! 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yCD672MmWCTHKjhWrhXPm3SiM50l6vCDtO2luvsPY3c/edit

My Goals For This Project

Before beginning this project, I wanted to come up with an idea of goals and objectives that I plan on reaching during the duration of this assignment.

I believe that within every great film, there is an even greater purpose. Whether it is for the sole purpose of entertaining an audience or something so much more, a great film always incorporates a very important message that is conveyed through the piece. The audience is not only intrigued by the overall plot of the film, but, they are also enlightened by this message.

Within my production, I want to develop a unique relationship between the characters and audience. I want to develop an abstract connection that has never been created before within a film and I plan on developing this connection using emotional appeals.

When people must deal with issues on an emotional level, such as love, heartbreak or even just issues pertaining to any type of relationship, a unique connection is developed among individuals. It’s difficult to describe this feeling with words, but many have felt this special sentiment and understand the incredible connection that can be present between individuals.

I really want to grasp and express this concept within my production. I want the audience of my film to feel what the characters are feeling. I want the audience of my production to relate to the film, and perhaps use it as a tool to aid them in making important decisions within their personal lives.

I want this production to be so much more than just a film.

Introducing Me