Group Blog: The Return of the Quartet

     Well, hello there! As you might expect at this point, my group members and I have remained the same. I am partnering with Julissa Espinal, Yaneli Zelaya, and Nicole Kimmick. With these last few projects, I can confidently say that we've grown more comfortable around one another and have a strong sense of each other's respective strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, navigating through any shortcomings we may encounter this time around won't be as difficult as they might've been had we chosen to go our separate ways. Just like with our previous tasks, we will equally split up our work and place ourselves in positions that we each particularly excel in so that we are able to produce the highest quality of work that we can. In short, we have already established a system that works for us, so why change it? As the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Having said that, however, this time we are being faced with an unfamiliar challenge, one that originally seemed to be quite difficult for us to solve. That challenge being that one of our groupmates will no longer be in the same class period as us. This, as are many things in the real-world industry, was completely out of our control, which means that we need to be able to quickly adapt to this change so that it doesn't throw a wrench into any of our plans. Naturally, the most logical course of action, which we have agreed to follow, will be to conduct meetings during lunch, after school during on-campus tutoring days, and to have regularly scheduled FaceTime calls throughout the week to ensure that everything runs as smoothly, as it has with our past two projects. I have complete faith that we will work out any issues that we run into together as a team, and be able to overcome them, no matter what they may be. Showing my teammates that I can be there for them and knowing that they can be there for me when I need them is a valuable asset to have as it brings everyone closer together and makes sure that our confidence in one another never falters. 

    Outside of this class, we all have our own lives and plans, so it's nice that we are all able to come together and work towards achieving a common goal that we each care so deeply about. As is to be expected, since this is the fourth quarter, we're going to need to double down on this project and tie up any loose ends as we move along being that we cannot afford to fall behind with testing season being right around the corner. This project has been something my fellow group members and I have been looking forward to since the start of the school year. Now, granted, it will require a lot more work and preparation than other projects we've done in this class throughout the rest of the year, so I believe that we all collectively feel equal parts nervous and excited, "nervouscite ¹" if you will. I'm sure any worries that I have will be quelled as soon as we actually begin researching for this project and acquire more information going forwards. With that being said, I'd like to warn you, and prepare myself, by stating that you should expect a ton of blogs to be coming your way because I want to make sure you don't miss anything when it comes to what I deem will be my favorite project of the year!

I know that I said I'd part with the song lyrics, but, like my groupmates, I don't think I can bear to leave them behind. Of course, as I've said before, I want my groupmates to remember that they can always "Count on me like one, two, three" because "I'll be there" (Bruno Mars 2010).

¹ Nervouscite is a word I created with a fellow classmate way back in the fourth grade that can be used when it comes to describing situations in which it is appropriate to feel both nervous and excited, for instance when working on a major project, such as this one.

Reintroduction Blog 2: The Sequel (But Technically The Threequel If You're Counting My Original Introduction Blog)

     Hi! I can't believe it's been a whole year since I've last spoken to you, so I guess I should say "Happy belated New Year"! I hope you didn't miss me too much! Anywho, the last time I spoke to you was when my group and I had concluded our second project of the year, our music video. I've said it before, and I will say it again, I believe that we did an absolutely fantastic job on that task, integrating the music into our scenes better, having smoother transitions between shots, and also incorporating more visually-engaging elements, such as our on-screen test messages, into our scenes, which I can attribute to both experience and our willingness to experiment with and master new software editing programs. As for things going on in my personal life, I was recently accepted as part of an internship at my local science museum, which is very exciting and will give me the opportunity to explore my other interests outside of school. The only downfall is that I'll need to figure out a way to schedule my time there so that it doesn't interfere with my filming ventures. In more exciting news, I also received new filming gear, including my very own four-in-one, tripod, lighting, microphone, and phone mounting set, and even the latest iPhone 13 Pro Max, for Christmas after my parents noticed that film was something I was passionate about and was considering pursuing as a future career. I was able to test out my new gear at the beach when I first received it and the quality was spectacular, so I'm looking forward to sharing that, along with all of the things I've learned, with you on our final task. Of course, having said that, I am still a firm believer in the fact that it isn't the equipment that makes the film, but rather the people behind the camera, the director, the cinematographers, the actors, and even the critics, everyone plays a role in producing a genuinely impactful work of art. 

    Like I mentioned in an earlier blog, I've been looking forward to seeing the Spider-Man: No Way Home movie since its initial trailer premiered way back in August of last year. When I tell you that that truly nothing can compare to the experience one receives when watching a movie for the first time in theaters alongside countless others who share the same love for the film, the same attachment to the characters, the same respect for the director that you do, I mean it. When the crowd cheered, I did too, when they cried, we all wept together. It really is a comforting feeling to know that strangers can be united over something as simple as a new movie. I hope to create that same effect in an audience someday in the future, I don't think anything would ever be able to compare to knowing that you left a lasting effect on people you don't know, that the script you wrote, the acting you directed, the message you conveyed resonated with so many, and perhaps that is the reason I opted to take this course. With regards to the film itself, I found that its use of special effects paired very well with its various camera angles and sound effects, keeping me on the edge of my seat for the entire movie; however, one instance stuck with me specifically. In one of the movie's scenes, Peter Parker is shown being alerted by his "Spidey-Sense ™", as a slowed zoom dolly shot transpires and the sound is muffled, forcing the audience to focus on the fearful and unnerved feeling that he is experiencing, painting out the idea that something was clearly wrong, an effective technique for building suspense, that I would like to learn from and even maybe include in our latest project. 

    Aside from watching the latest in the Spider-Man cinematic installments, I also watched Don't Look Up with my family on our couch, as is to be assumed since it was dropped on Netflix, and I will say that I found it to be quite interesting. I loved the fact that the entertaining, satirical comedy doubled as a social commentary on corruption, greed, and climate change, all of which show how our demise will inevitably fall on us for making poor, selfish choices. I would also like to say that the casting and film directors' diverse and star-studded casting choices were quite clever in the sense that they were not only able to encourage a wider audience to tune in and increase profits for Netflix, but that they were also able to help raise societal awareness all the same, which is quite ironic as awareness of a global issue the very thing being suppressed in the film itself. I've always been a fan of films that can place a captivating spin on serious topics and still be able to convey a powerful message to its audience, which you may remember from a comment I've made previously regarding my fascination with Jordan Peele's works. Therefore, if possible, that is something I would really love to incorporate into our final task. 

I know that this final project will serve as a culmination of all that I have learned through each of our previous projects and I couldn't feel more ready. So, as inspired by my recent film viewing, I feel that saying "It's on again, it's on again" is a great way to set the tone for my next endeavor (Alicia Keys 2014).