Creative Critical Reflection Blog: Looking Back

    Hi again! As you may recall, I published our final product in my last blog, which means it is now time for some much need ruminative reflection. Regarding our finished product, I felt that we were able to challenge common conventions found across a variety of soft drink commercials, whilst also representing generally faced issues. 

    Beginning with the conventions themselves, we refrained from using high-angle shots because we did not want to create any kind of tension in our audience. We also strayed away from incorporating tilting because there was no need for any dramatization, nor did we need to showcase any sort of vertical scenery as our commercial was horizontally oriented. Furthermore, we also did not include over-the-shoulder shots, instead using medium shot framing as to not waste time switching between different subjects' viewpoints by focusing on both of their expressions simultaneously. Moreover, since we focused heavily on inter-subject dialogue to make our actresses' performances more dynamic and realistic, we avoided the inevitably awkward silence that we would have had if had we chosen to make a song the forefront of our sound compilation, using voiceover to emphasize certain points in our commercial. These all allowed for us to have a fresh and original take on our soft drink commercial. Shifting our focus to the issues our commercial represented, I would not necessarily say that we brought attention to any major social issues, but rather smaller-scale problems, perhaps what one may refer to as daily inconveniences. Seeing that our product was a beverage, its main purpose is to quench the thirst of consumers, which means that our target audience can be comprised of any and all kinds of people, ranging from children to older adults, athletes and executives, essentially anyone who wants a way to satisfy their sweet tooth (with about seventeen grams of sugar to be exact) and cool down. Hence why we are able to solve the problem and answer the question, "What should I drink(?)" for people who are in need of a refreshing boost of sweet, ice-cold, beverage. 

    Moving on to how our product engages with our audience, we ensured to subtly include colors that stimulated a sense of thirst or the feeling of heat in our viewers, which as mentioned in my earlier blogs, was achieved through the imposition of heat-like filters, giving our shots a reddish tint, as well as through the colors of the clothing that our actresses wore. We also had our actresses actively engage in dialogue to create a more relatable and conversational tone, which captivates the attention of our audience.

    As for how we would go about distributing it as a real media text, we would likely do so through a televised advertisement or YouTube commercial, thus allowing us to have a wider outreach. If we were to consider how our product would be dispersed from a real-world standpoint, there would be a number of different factors to take into account. First, one must assess the baseline pricing for a thirty-second advertisement like our own. Typically, advertisements of said length, when aired on national television cost $115,000, at least in 2020, according to Kelly Main, a staff writer whose main focus lies in marketing. Of course, this is not always the case being that a number of other variables also come into play. With that being said, one would also need to consider the location in which their commercial would air. For instance, our commercial relied heavily on the conveyance of the fact that it was extremely hot outside. Therefore, it would be more likely for someone from Florida to purchase the drink after watching our commercial, being that they can personally relate to the excruciating heat we ensured to highlight, as opposed to someone from Maine, where temperatures are not as extreme. Additionally, one would also need to evaluate the best time of year to air their commercial. Since our advertisement intends to emphasize the heat outside by using elements like the diegetic sound of cicadas to set a summerlike atmosphere, a time when there is an increased demand for cool and refreshing drinks, it would be quite counterproductive to have it released during the cold winter and fall months because sales would not be as high. Lower sales would make for a smaller profit, meaning that we would be making unnecessary expenses instead of maximizing returns by waiting for the right season. 

    Regarding the actual schematics of creating a real-world commercial, production costs can be upwards of $150,000 as claimed by Beverly Boy Productions, a video production company. However, when you factor in fluctuating CPMs, which are the cost-per-thousand impressions, one will find that the summer months are the optimal time for commercial production being that CPM costs are driven downwards due to the lack of competition between companies. Sortable, a website intended to help publishers simplify the strenuous process of publicizing their work, states that this comes as a result of the lowered advertisement budgets across the board as different brands begin planning and preparing for the packed upcoming third and fourth quarters, which contain a number of different widely celebrated holidays in the United States of America, including Independence Day, Labor Day (and its preceding weekend), Halloween, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Chanukah, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. With that being said, money could be saved on production costs if simple and effective, convention challenging techniques like the ones we used, which I previously mentioned above, are applied. As with any endeavor, commercials are a gamble, being a sort of risk and reward situation, where sometimes the profits do not outweigh the investment, which is why it is important to take in the bigger picture when trying to determine when and where to air our commercial, lest it be lost in the immense stream of mass media that consumers intake on a daily basis. 

    Upon considering how I was able to mature and develop my production skills throughout the project, I would like to note that when I first began the project, I had a very vague idea of the official production process, being that I had never applied it myself in a hands-on manner. That then meant that I was very unfamiliar with editing programs outside of iMovie (which I had used for previous projects), so I needed to dedicate more time towards acquainting myself with said applications. Additionally, I had never had to make any difficult or particularly tedious shots before this project, like the one that was required for our initial panning from the sun because of the fact that we did not consider the Sun's positioning around noon into our production calculations. This then allowed me to learn how to be more creative and take more open-minded approaches to obtain the perfect shot, making me a better cinematographer on the whole. 

    Now, in order for this project to have been made into reality, I needed to use a variety of technological aids, which mainly included editing software and websites where I could obtain visual aids and enhancers in the form of GIFs (Graphics Interchange Formats), or audio samples from platforms like YouTube. Going into the specifics, I used Remove Bg to get rid of the white background behind our font, which we got off of the My Fonts website, and I was able to convert audio from YouTube videos by using the iPhone screen recording feature and then putting it through an MP3 converter I came across online. To put everything together, on top of iMovie, we also used ClipChamp, a free video editing website. As for adding in our final touches, which included the addition of filters, I used Prequel, a free-to-download application from the App Store. Regarding the hardware we used, our commercial was shot entirely on two iPhone 11 Pro Maxes. Now, considering our limited budget (we are high school students after all), I think we made the most of the resources available at our disposal, and have now become familiarized with the various programs we can easily access, which means that we are prepared and equally as excited for our upcoming project.

    All in all, I think this quote by Kiki Layne who played Tish Rivers in the 2018 movie, "If Beale Street Could Talk" sums up my attitude towards our next assignment: "I've never been more ready for anything in my whole life."

Commercial Blog: That's a Wrap!

     Hello again! I'm proud to announce that we finally completed our commercial after about a month of hard work and dedication. This project was one that I found to be quite the insightful experience, giving me the opportunity to dip my toes into the world of filmmaking by beginning with a form of media that is so common that it even goes as far as affecting us in our day to day lives, providing us with an escape from the mundane humdrum of the workweek. This endeavor allowed me to see just how much of an impact film and advertisements have on me and the type of life that I lead. The fact that advertisements have become so integrated into our daily lives to the point that we have begun to pay less attention to the artistry and psychological thinking that goes into creating something that we deem to be as trivial as a small ant lying on a leaf, makes for quite the saddening realization. And to think that people do not truly understand the intricacies behind producing such a short piece of work makes me ever the more grateful for having taken this class, as it not only allows me to delve deeper into my interest in film through an immersive teaching method, but also teaches me practical life skills, such as learning the importance of choosing your words carefully to concisely and clearly get a point across, and learning how to evaluate the motivations behind the way in which certain things may be phrased. With this project I was able to identify the various conventions used in the world of advertisements, being able to pick out the numerous similarities shared between commercials, and finally understanding the way in which advertisements are able to lure us into purchasing a particular product or service by using just the right sound or achieving the perfect lighting, all of which I found to be such compelling aspects to consider. It really makes you realize how much work goes into creating something as short as thirty seconds that holds such an influence over the lives and choices of people worldwide. Believe it or not (quite honestly I was shocked myself), after we had finished working on our commercial, I actually found myself paying more attention to advertisements as they appeared on television and in YouTube videos, trying to dissect the various shots and scenes they used with what I had learned through my own experience. Regarding our project and my final thoughts on it, I can acknowledge that our commercial may have had a few flaws, but those are all a part of the learning experience, giving us the chance to recognize our mistakes and make meaningful improvements to future film projects that we will one day undertake. I thought the experience was quite enjoyable and was not disappointed by the group members that I had chosen, which makes me look forward to our next enterprise even more! These blogs have been and will continue to provide us with an accessible platform where we can easily share our final products to whoever wishes to watch them, perhaps even allowing others to find some inspiration of their own and drive them to create something wonderful. With that being said, I have attached our commercial below and really do hope that you enjoy it! 

(Apologies in advance, after sending the video between devices to upload it onto my blog, it may have lost some of its original quality.) 

To close things off, I believe that this line delivered by Corey Feldman from the Goonies just about summarizes the feelings of triumph, pride, and gratification I have about our final product: "It's gold, guys. We did it(!)" (The Goonies 1985), especially considering how happy I already was since today is my birthday!

Editing Blog: And Now, the End is Near

    Zdrasti (that means hello in Bulgarian)! Today was officially our last day of editing, and it was literally crunch time for me (I ate some "healthy" snacks while I tied up some loose ends of the project at home). The first order of business was finalizing our song choice. To be entirely honest, I met with my friend right after our previous class and we got to discussing what some of our favorite songs were growing up. By complete coincidence, they managed to mention the name of the song I had stuck in my head (whose name, of course, escaped me at the time) that would be a perfect fit for the project because of its mix of western-like and surf rock undertones, its upbeat tune, and overall popularity- "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas. Now, I'm not sure if you've ever seen Monty Python but that was the holy grail moment for me. After I located an instrumental version of the song, my group and I came to the general consensus that we should have the audio play when the Arizona Iced Tea can is first introduced up, until when the camera pans to a very confused Actress 2, and when both subjects go in to take a sip of the iced tea. That way, we could add another layer to our dietetic sound composition. Since the song has such a catchy melody, it will be likely to stick with the audience for the rest of the day, meaning that every time they catch themselves humming its tune, their mind will inadvertently wander back to our commercial and, consequently, our product. In fact, to test that theory, my group and I actually showed the clip to one of our fellow peers, and later on, we caught her humming the song and saying how we had gotten it "stuck in her head." Therefore, through the pure exploitation of our audience's involuntary memory association, we were certain to produce a successful commercial.

    After we had finished working out our sound situation, we began to focus our efforts on trying to create the effect of heat, one that would induce a sense of thirst in our viewers from their mere perception of subtle cues. Of course, we had already taken one step towards achieving this goal by panning from the sun, which created a lens flare due to its utterly blinding brightness. I was then able to help my team take it one step further by turning up the saturation, brightness, contrast, highlights, and overall temperature of our footage, as well as lowering the shadows present in the frame by a few notches using the editing app, Prequel, to create our desired effect in post-production. 

    Upon doing so, we then wanted to find a way to leave a lasting impression on our audience with a final shot of the Arizona Iced Tea can, a memorable line, and the company's logo right at the end. To do this, I employed the aid of an online editing tool, Clip Champ, to blur a certain part of our commercial. We chose to blur the ending of our final shot, Scene 8, directly after our two actresses take a sip of their iced teas. Superimposed on this blurred portion of the commercial are a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) and the following phrase "The answer to all your problems (.)", which remain on screen until the eventual fade-out of our commercial. When it came to the GIF, I could not come to a reasonable conclusion other than that the fact that it must have been a mixture of sheer luck and coincidence, that its animation was in perfect sync with the diegetic, unedited noise of our two actresses' cans clinking together with the bleachers as they were set down, to create a euphonious sound. As for the catchline, my group and I thought it was appropriate because Arizona (Iced Tea) had been the answer to every question, or problem, that had "stumped" our two subjects throughout the commercial. When choosing to include this phrase, I drew inspiration from other commercials that often make a witty reference to a running gag found within them. Moreover, I felt as though it would be best to match the text color of said phrase to one of the colors from the original Arizona Iced Tea logo, as it would create a sense of uniformity. The only issue I had was deciding which of the three colors to use; however, this matter was quickly resolved once I saw that the pink color stood out the most against the blurred background. In fact in the upcoming image, I have pictured just that. 

    I've included an example of Clip Champ's interface below, which also doubles as a production still for the editing of one of our scenes. 

    We were not able to completely stick to the original plans that we outlined in our storyboard, but the changes we made we certainly for the better, allowing for easier and more effective execution. That is not to say that our commercial did not have its share of faults. There were of course things out of our control, namely the position of the clouds in the background, ambient sounds, natural lighting (although we did wait to reshoot scenes until after the sun was no longer obscured by clouds), and wind direction, especially when having to pause and redo shots to correct minor mistakes. That, in turn, made it difficult to align the clips perfectly without errors. Hence why the cut between Scenes 5 and 6 did not blend very well together. Then again I could argue that it was an intended jump cut to the show the passage of time between Actress 1 reaching her hand out to grab the Arizona Iced Tea can and returning it back to the frame, but I will own up to my mistakes and concede that argument. Despite this imperfection, I believe that we made the best of the situation because it was only one minor flaw that did not affect the message and advertisement of the product itself, so it was one we needed to accept and move on from. 

    All things considered, since we were able to consolidate our film into a total length of twenty-nine seconds, during which we never strayed to include irrelevant information that would waste valuable screen time, I believe that we created the best final product that we could, given our available tools and our relative unfamiliarity with this kind of project.

    I think that after all the hard work my group and I put into this film project the only thing I could even fathom doing to close off this blog is to give a feral hiss and growl the words "My precious" like Gollum did in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) to show just how possessive I am of our project!

Editing Blog: The Final Stretch

    Hey there! Today my group and I moved on to the editing phase of our filming project. Before we began, we decided that we would mainly be focusing on acquiring both our dietetic and non-diegetic sounds and adjusting our clips to ensure that they were consistent throughout each scene. We also dabbled a bit in smoothing out transitions; however, that was not our primary focus at the time. Regarding the diegetic sound, we remained in agreement that we should use the chirping of cicadas during the panning that takes place in Scene 1, but we are still unsure of how to tie all of our sound elements together. I suggested that we have the cicada sound play during the panning as planned, but then have it gradually fade out as the dialogue and background music commences. On the topic of music, we decided that it would be best to work with instrumental versions of songs that we felt were either popular during the summer months or reminiscent of the summertime, so that the lyrics did not divert attention away from our product. During this step of our editing process, I focused mainly on finding popular, but relevant songs, and settled on the following as my top three choices for the video:

- "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals: This would relate to the commercial because it emphasizes how hot it is outside. Moreover, because it is a recognizable summer hit, even with its vocals removed, the audience may subconsciously connect the song to their own pleasant memories; thus, making promotion easier through positive association. 

- "Gravity" by Brent Faiyaz and featuring Tyler, The Creator: The beat is slow and, as such, can represent a relaxing summer's day, one where the audience may feel at ease knowing they can drink a nice, cold Arizona Iced tea to cool down. On the other hand, it could also be used to underscore the length of a hot summer's day, being that the beat is long and drawn out. That, in turn, could potentially make the viewers crave an ice-cold beverage to quench their thirst.

- "Location" by Khalid: This song was quite popular a few years ago and I found it interesting that the title correlated so well with the ongoing skit playing out in our commercial, where a conversation concerning where our two subjects would like to go occurs. Moreover, the song has a simple melody, which means that it would be able to provide musical substance to our commercial without subtracting attention from the main product we wish to advertise. 

    After settling on a couple of songs each, I used two websites to begin working on converting YouTube video files to MP3 and then having them stripped clean of vocals. After that, I shifted my focus to combining our scenes in order and removing unnecessary parts that might cause us to go over our allotted film time. To do so, I essentially looked for areas where I believed that either the lack of action consumed too much time, or places where I found that the deduction of some seconds may eliminate choppiness within a scene. During that time, I also cropped the videos to all have similar dimensions and framed them according to what our storyboard laid out. Unfortunately, we were not able to stay true to the entire definition of a medium shot by filming our subjects from the waist up because we needed to guarantee that our main prop, our true subject rather, was still visible within the frame. However, all things considered, I still feel as though it met enough of the criteria in order to be considered a medium shot because it gave an equal presence to both the subjects and their surroundings. 

All of my editing work was conducted iMovie as pictured below:

    Overall, I would say that today we had a very productive session, sorting out a lot of the minor details so that we can focus on refining our commercial as a whole next class. Since I am having guests over for dinner, I feel like I should quote Anthony Hopkins and say the following, although I mean nothing of it as a double entendre as he intended: "I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner...Bye" (The Silence of the Lambs 1991).

Filming Blog: Take 2- Out of the Frame

     I'm back at it again, and I'd like to start off by saying how grateful I am to have such cooperative and flexible teammates! Without them, we would have surely missed our filming deadline and fallen behind schedule. You may have noticed that my blog is titled "Out of the Frame," and you may be wondering why I'd need to point out this fact after already having established that I am my group's camerawoman in my last post. Well, that's because the phrase now applied both figuratively and literally as I was not present for any of the filming conducted by my group mates today. Earlier in the day, I was called out of class right before our filming period due to my suspected exposure to COVID-19 by a fellow student. However, after a quick trip to a testing site, I thankfully tested negative, so I will be able to return to class and help with editing as soon as tomorrow! However, the main takeaway from the entire situation is that neither I, nor my group members, allowed my physical absence to stop me from contributing to our film's production process. Due to the fact that we had previously accounted for what to do in such a scenario (as mentioned in my Planning Blog), and the fact that one of our members had already experienced the same situation that I was currently in, we were able to quickly resolve the issue with some good, old-fashion communication. 

    I kept in close contact with my teammates via text messaging, where they shared the shots they had taken and kept me updated on their progress. Originally, my team planned to conduct filming in the baseball field being that we thought it would be fitting to use the red dirt as a way to portray that our backdrop was set in the Copper State (called that because of its abundance of copper, sadly not because it is ridden with red sediments). Unfortunately, they were unable to find a way to enter the field other than jumping over the fence, which would not only risk them becoming injured, but would also increase the likelihood that our props may become damaged, or even be potentially destroyed. Hence, they decided it would be best to station themselves in the softball field because it was more accessible and they would still be able to incorporate the same, Arizona trademarked, red dirt, as in the baseball field. Thus, making for a fairly reasonable trade-off and a smart decision on their part. 

    Once they had set up and begun filming in the merciless Florida heat, they started to send me clips of the scene that they were actively recording. That, in turn, gave me the opportunity to offer up any advice regarding specific angles or methods that could be critiqued with the purpose of having our Arizona backdrop look more realistic; thereby allowing for the creation of the setting we were aiming to achieve. Moreover, I also helped my group decide which shots were best after a critical evaluation of two key aspects: the presence of certain shadows and the placement of the Arizona Iced Tea can in the frame. Regarding the shadows, we wanted to ensure that we excluded our actress's head's shadow from being in the shot, as their arm was the only thing that was meant to be in the frame. This was done in an effort to maintain the continuity of our shots between scenes. As for the placement of the Arizona Iced Tea can itself, since it is the main focus of our commercial, the subject if you will, we wanted to guarantee that it was front and center as opposed to being off to the side. That, in turn, may have then caused the audience to become distracted by the sounds, both diegetic and nondiegetic, and the set in which our prop is placed, instead of the product we are trying to sell. Furthermore, I was also able to begin trimming down some of the shots to ensure that our final film project would fit within the given time constraints of twenty-seven to thirty seconds, removing any awkward pauses to allow for the scenes to flow together more smoothly. 

Below I have attached two images, one of which is a production still that shows my group using creative thinking to work around camera angling and set issues, and the other of which is a screenshot of one of the conversations I had with my team members (The blue chat bubbles are mine) to make a decision concerning where our backdrop Arizona props would go (they are also pictured in the above image to the right of the Arizona Iced Tea can). 

(The grammar in the text messages is not perfect due to it being a mostly informal medium of communication, so corrections for clarification are as follows:

• "diff": Shorthand for the word "different"
• "cam": Shorthand for the word "camera"
• "gor": Accidental misspelling of the word "for" 
• "rn": Shorthand for the phrase "right now"
• "gotchuu": Teen slang for saying "Ok, understood"

Other things such as the capitalization of I and words at the start of the sentence, as well as the lack of hyphens between certain words, are also improper; however because they do not affect the meaning or readability of the messages, I did not feel the need to correct them.)

When it comes to life, nothing ever goes as planned, and often unforeseeable challenges, such as the one my group and I faced today, may arise; however, that does not mean that one should simply back down, but instead, they should learn to expect the unexpected and work with what they are given to overcome any problem. 

After having seen "Triple Frontier," a rated R film for which I did obtain parental permission to watch on a streaming platform (whose name I'm not sure I'm allowed to mention for copyright purposes) this weekend, one particular quote by Óscar Isaac that I believe can apply to life in general really stuck with me, so I would like to end off with it as some food for thought: "It’s always a little harder than you think it’s gonna be" (Triple Frontier 2019). 

(The clip above was taken from a trailer of the film.)

Filming Blog: Take 1- A Change of Plans

    Hi! Today we worked on filming part of our commercial, particularly the scenes we needed to shoot on the track bleachers. We chose to film on the bleachers first instead of filming the scene in which we use an Arizona backdrop because we wanted to ensure that a sense of consistency was maintained and that the placement of the arm within said scene would be similar to the arm placement in our bleacher scenes. Essentially, this method was what we deemed to be the most efficient in order to complete as much filming as possible and have time left over to correct minor details through refilming when we return to class again. Before heading outside, we delegated jobs, and I was chosen to film the commercial itself, as well as ensure that the set was prepared for filming. Moreover, with the help of one of my fellow teammates, I quickly set up our props by positioning everything correctly and spraying the Arizona Iced Tea cans with water to make them look like they are undergoing condensation, to ensure that everything was in place. Upon reaching the bleachers themselves, we quickly realized that the positioning of the sun was making it difficult for the faces of our actresses to be seen, meaning that we needed to find a new location to film in. Moreover, the track bleachers were riddled with dirt and duct tape, which would lower the quality of our shots. Hence, we decided that it would be best to refilm our shot in the baseball field bleachers, as not only would our actresses be facing towards the sun as opposed to away from it, allowing for there to be sufficient lighting, but the bleachers also looked cleaner than the those by the track. Additionally, the baseball field bleachers also looked faded from the sun, which really drove our point about it being unbearably bright and hot outside, home. 

    In regards to the actual filming we conducted, I had to adopt different, sometimes uncomfortable positions (i.e. bending my back over the hard, metal bleachers to get a single continuous pan shot that took multiples tries) to ensure that we could get the perfect shot. Out of nineteen takes, we were able to complete the filming of seven of our eight scenes. Despite what one may assume from our apparent productivity, we did face a number of different setbacks, which included, but were not limited to, the fact that it got cloudy, the fact that we got held up changing because of last-minute clothing decisions, and the fact that several different loud noises, such as the sounding of a car alarm and the school bell ringing, caused us to delay some of our shots, all of which resulted in the loss of valuable time. However, as previously mentioned, we were able to film all the scenes which contained both of our actresses. I am extremely grateful for the fact that we were able to accomplish so much today because one of our actresses came into contact with an individual infected with COVID-19, which would have suspended our filming unless we got someone else from our group to stand in for her. However, because we were able to get all of our necessary shots that she was a part of out of the way, this was no longer a concern. Furthermore, I am also thankful for the fact that, unlike the past week, we did not get a single drop of rain, and that wind became one of our only major weather concerns, which we will need to deal with during our next filming session. Overall, despite some minor changes made because of the limited time we had and the need to compromise, we stayed fairly true to our storyboard and only went three seconds over our time limit, which is, of course, excluding the editing that will be required to get certain non-diegetic sounds included, allow for smoother transitions, introduce captivating special effects, and shorten the length of our clips. 

Attached below is a production still taken when filming one of our scenes. 

After such a busy and successful day, I feel like it is fitting to quote Porky Pig and say "That's all folks(!)" (Looney Tunes 2004).

Storyboard Blog

    Hello there! Today we started and completed our storyboard. After much deliberation and (civil) argumentation over the proposal of our ideas, we decided that our commercial will follow the format found below:

Scene 1: 

In Scene 1, the camera will pan downwards from the sun, located at the highest point in the sky, creating an establishing shot, and being used to show just how unbearably hot it is outside during the afternoon. This camera movement will take roughly three seconds to execute. During this time, a diegetic sound of cicadas chirping will be playing, which will allow us to not only set the scene, but also the time of year before the actual dialogue even begins, being that cicadas only come out during the early summer months. That, in turn, will allow for time, which would have been used to create an exposition, to be saved, whilst also immersing the audience into the commercial itself and catching their attention from the very beginning. 

Scene 2:

In Scene 2, panning will cease and the camera will settle on our two actresses who are seated on the track field bleacher at eye level using a medium shot framing, where only their waist and up is visible. As mentioned in my previous post, "Research Blog: Commercial Conventions," this camera movement and angling will be in line with the customary techniques used when focusing on two seated actors in soft drink commercials. Moreover, the frame will be quite small with its length being half the actresses' arm lengths when they extend them to the side. At this point in time, our actresses will have a conversation, which is once again an example of diegetic sound, and the sound of cicadas chirping will gradually fade out until it can no longer be heard. That is to allow for the main focus of the scene to be the conversation going on between our two actresses. The dialogue in which they engage will be roughly as follows: 

Actress 1: "Hmm...what do you want to do this summer?"

Actress 2: "What about going to that one state with the big, red rocks?"

Actress 1: "Oh, I know that place!"

This entire exchange will be executed in five seconds and conclude with actress one sticking their hand out of the frame.

Scene 3:

In Scene 3, Actress 1’s hand and part of her arm will be shown when a cutaway occurs to an Arizona Iced Tea can with an Arizona landscape backdrop. This effect will be achieved through the use of cardboard backings to support printed cutouts of Arizona landforms along with the red dirt of the baseball field, which will be used as the ground. It will essentially be a play on stereotypes. In the shot, we will focus on the Arizona Iced Tea can undergoing condensation to show just how cold and refreshing it is. That will take two seconds. Afterward, two more seconds will elapse in the time that it takes for Actress 1 to grab and move the can out of the frame. The frame itself will remain at eye level and be a medium shot with the same dimensions. This whole scene will take four seconds to execute. 

Scene 4:

In Scene 4, Actress 1’s hand returns to the frame and they begin to drink from the can, during which a close-up shot occurs. The camera then quickly pans over to Actress 2 who looks confused but eventually shrugs it off. This scene will take five seconds to execute. 

Scene 5:

In Scene 5, the conversation will pick up between the two actresses once again as Actress 2 will ask something along the lines of “Okay, but how do we keep cool and refreshed(?),” to which Actress 1 will respond with something similar to: “Oh, I got you(!),” as they reach their hand out of the frame once more. This will take a total of 4 seconds to execute. 

Scene 6:

In Scene 6, Actress 1’s hand will reappear into the frame holding a different flavor of Arizona Iced Tea, likely watermelon to tie into the summer theme once again. The can will be clearly shown within the frame with its logo angling towards the camera. Then, Actress 1 will hand the second can over to Actress 2. They will both clink their cans together in a cheers motion and take a sip. By the end of this scene, a total of 3 seconds will have elapsed.

Scene 7:

In Scene 7, the camera will move in a zoom-out motion, blurring out the rest of the background. It will then zoom in to focus on an Arizona Iced Tea can nearby in the bleachers, tilting to adopt a low angle. Once the scene concludes, a total of 4 seconds will have gone by. 

Scene 8:

In Scene 8, we see both actresses sitting near the can, swinging their legs, and drinking their Arizona Iced Teas, in the blurred background. This, whilst the original Arizona Iced Tea can is shown undergoing condensation and being in focus at the center of the frame, with the aforementioned low angle being used to make the can seem grand. In the same frame, the Arizona Iced Tea logo will be at the very top, and directly below it, one will see the words "The answer to all your problems," which relates to the commercial because "Arizona" was able to answer a question regarding a general location, as well as a way to quench your thirst. Moreover, to the left of the can in bold, turquoise lettering of the number 99 followed by the cent symbol will be shown. That is to show the reader how inexpensive the product is, enticing them to buy such an amazing item for a great price. This will take 2 seconds.

Commercial:

In total we estimate our commercial to take roughly thirty seconds, allowing it to fall within the required twenty-seven to thirty-second range. 

Storyboard:

An image of the actual storyboard is found below for your viewing pleasure:

Clarifications:

• In our storyboard pictured above, the clothing the actors are wearing does not reflect the color of their actual attire, but is rather being used for the sole purpose of differentiation as a placeholder of sorts. 
• For the actual commercial, we plan on having our actors wear red, yellow, or orange attire, colors proven to elicit a feeling of thirst and heat. The arrows found within some of our scenes' frames are meant to show the movement of either the camera, as indicated by the color blue, or actors, as shown by the color pink, within the frame. 
• The lighting will be very bright to enunciate the fact that it is extremely hot outside. This can be done through the use of adding our cellphone flashlights as an additional light source to the sun outside. As for the color design, we have decided to superimpose warm filters over our commercial during editing to achieve this effect of heat. 
• Make-up and any jewelry worn will be kept simplistic, as to not distract the viewer from the main product we are "selling." 
• In Scene 2, box 3, and in Scene 4, box 6, one of the two subjects in the storyboard has white eyebrows. This was done with the intent of accentuating the expressions of intrigue and confusion on their face. 
• In Scene 4, box 6, a blue square is drawn around Actress 2's face to show that a close-up occurs. Two blue arrows also extend from the right of Actress 1's face to show that the camera pans from them to Actress 2. 
• As for the props, there will be a total of three Arizona Iced Tea cans used, two of which will be the original kind and the other of which will be watermelon-flavored. 
• Ambient noise, other than the aforementioned cicada sounds may also be included, but further discussion on what will be added is needed. The same goes for the music we will use; it will likely be a popular song to fall in line with soft drink commercial conventions, which is why I made no mention of it above.
• The times found in our storyboard are subject to change once editing comes into play; however, we plan to follow the guidelines we have established as closely as possible.

Closing Remarks:

I've been rewatching some of Jim Carrey's films recently and the following quote stuck with me as a great way to close off: "In case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night! (The Truman Show 1998)". 

Research Blog: Commercial Conventions

     Hello! My group and I have all decided to do an Arizona Iced Tea commercial. Prior to doing anything in regards to filming, we must first determine what some common conventions are regarding soft drink commercials. To do so, we can evaluate the following categories:

Camera Angles, Movement, and Shots (CAMS):

When conducting research for commercial ideas, my group and I found that were very minimal examples of Arizona Iced Tea commercials, so we grouped them under the general heading of soft drinks, alongside sodas. When examining the camera angles used, we found that a combination of eye level and high angle shots were applied to make the viewer feel as though they are experiencing the refreshing taste of the drink firsthand, making it more relatable, and to show how even the final drop of the drink is to be savored because it is just that good, respectively. 

As for the camera movements, tilting was used quite a bit to gauge the reactions of those who were observing the subjects who had drank the soda. Panning was used to switch from one location to the next, giving the audience the sense that this particular drink could be enjoyed anywhere and at any time. Zooming out was also used to get the audience to focus on one particular scene or location. 

When it comes to the shots themselves, over-the-shoulder shots were the ones we found to be the most common, being used to allow the audience to see the different relationships established between people over a single drink. Aerial shots are also used, but do not take up very much screentime as the focus of the commercial is the drink itself and not the location that the commercial is filmed in. Furthermore, if and when aerial shots were used, they often come into play after the actors had drunk the advertised beverage and had undergone some form of transformation, typically one that makes them more energized and sparks spontaneous dancing. Close-ups are also very prominent in this form of product advertisement, focusing on both the satisfied expressions of the actors, as well as on the drink itself, often showing some form of cool mist and condensation forming on the can or bottle. Medium close-ups, and medium shots, were also noticeable when the actors were seated or in a car, which was done with the intent of giving the audience an insight into how the subjects feel and what exactly they are doing. 

Sound:

After watching a number of different commercials, one thing we found that they all had in common was their use of a mix of diegetic and nondiegetic sounds. Most commercials used both new and old popular, sometimes electronic, copyrighted songs, which appeals to both a younger audience who is caught up with the latest music trends and will want to be on top of the current drink fads, as well as an older audience who are glad to hear a familiar tune every once in a while and can associate a feeling of nostalgia to the beverage being showcased. In other cases, we saw that some commercials also had ambient background noise that fits the set, occasionally being overlapped with, or fading into the very same songs mentioned above. Finally, we also saw that voiceovers, which were not restricted to a particular gender or sex, often took place over the same music mentioned above. Additionally, most of the voiceover (or at least the most essential parts) is accompanied by text on the screen that repeats the words being said. The music in each of the three instances we had seen started off slow and eventually picked up once the subject drunk the soft drink, showing the shift in mood that is transferred over to the viewer who has had the opportunity to connect to the subjects on screen. As for the dialogue, if included, it was kept short and to a minimum to prevent it from taking away from the visual effects being employed to captivate the viewer. 

Editing:

Various editing techniques were used, but the most common ones were jump cuts, which not only maximized commercial time but cutting out unnecessary parts where the product was not the main focus but also kept the audience engaged through the removal of unnecessary filler, and shot-reverse shots, which were able to show the split-second, individual and intimate connections formed over sharing a beverage, highlighting the universal feeling of unity and satisfaction felt from drinking an ice-cold refreshment. 

Mis-Én-Scene (CLAMPS):

The first element of mis-èn-scene is costume design. Typically in most soft drink commercials, people wear casual, sometimes athletic, light-colored clothing to illustrate the fact that the drinks will be well within the audience's comfort zone and something that they can enjoy on a daily basis, as opposed to something with select availability. 

The second element of mis-èn-scene is lighting and color design. Key lighting was often used to highlight the product itself and its detailed packaging. As for color design, colors that elicit a sense of thirst in the audience, such as red and yellow, are typically found in soft drink commercials, alongside colors associated with complete revitalization, like blue and green.

The third element of mis-èn-scene is acting. As previously mentioned, dialogue is not typically something that subjects will engage in. As for non-verbal forms of acting, smiling is common, as well as partaking in some sort of fun activity, like attending a party, but only after drinking the beverage. Prior to doing so, the subjects will often look bored, tired, hot, thirsty, and disengaged in whatever activity they were originally participating in. 

The fourth element of mis-èn-scene is makeup. In soft drink commercials, the main product is a beverage, meaning that the main areas of focus on a person's body would be their hands and mouth. As for the rest of their face, it is likely that some makeup is applied to hide any blemishes that may otherwise distract some viewers from the product being advertised. 

The fifth element of mis-èn-scene is props. Obviously, the most essential prop to any commercial is the commodity itself, so in beverage commercials, it would be the soft drink being presented. Other props would need to relate to the location of the set as to make sense with the surrounding area. 

The sixth and final element of mis-èn-scene is, of course, the set. The set is not confined to one particular location, switching between two to three per commercial; however, soft drink commercials are commonly filmed in convenience stores and restaurants because a good meal always pairs well with a great drink.

Takeaways:

Overall, the main takeaways from this information are as follows:

• Eye-level and high angled shots are very effective for marketing a soft drink product, with the help of tilting, panning, and zooming out. 
• Aerial shots, over-the-shoulder shots, and close-ups, both the standard and medium kind, are all great ways to either set the location or give the audience an idea of how a subject feels.
• Beverage commercials, in general, either have modern or more outdated, but still respected, music, that is present throughout the entirety of the commercial, occasionally overlapping or fading in from ambient sound. In addition, the use of voiceovers is also common.
• When editing, jump cuts and shot-reverse shots were the two most recurring transitional shots in drink commercials.
• With mis-èn-scene, light colors are used for both design and costumes, to create a feeling of coolness. Moreover, acting is quite limited, being mainly reserved to non-verbal actions due to the lack of dialogue in most commercials. It is essentially used to provide a contrast between how a subject feels before drinking the beverage and how they feel after having taken a sip. 

And as Tom Hanks so succinctly stated, "And that's all I have to say about that" (Forrest Gump 1994). 

Planning Blog

     Greetings! My team and I have officially reached the planning stage in our commercial filmmaking process. To understand each component and its purpose, I have divided up our plan into five different categories below.

Props:

One of the first things we needed to figure out was what our props were going to be so that we could convey our message as clearly as possible, whilst also remaining in a cost-effective and manageable range. Therefore, we decided we would need to have the following props: off-brand iced tea and one or two cans of Arizona Iced Tea. In addition, because we are not completely concrete on what direction we want our commercial to go in, a vending machine and cheerleader pom-poms can be added to our list of potential props. The most important thing to note about our props is that they are easy to acquire and readily available at our disposal, which means that we can save both time and money in filming our project, making for a very efficient process overall. 

Costumes:

With many commercials regarding soft drinks, it is clear that there is a recurring theme where some form of transformation occurs, which I highlighted in my previous post. Therefore, we think it would be best to have our actors begin by wearing colors like red and yellow, and perhaps have them switch clothes to lighter, cooler shades like light blue and light purple. On that note, we could also have our actors begin by wearing shorts to associate their state prior to drinking the tea with unbearable heat, and then have them wear long pants, such as jeans, and maybe even an outer jacket to show the shift to a crisper, colder feeling. Additionally, I think that having our actors' clothes look more wrinkly in the beginning and then changing into ironed, neater clothing, could further highlight this change. In the case that our planned set location changes, we would like for our actors to wear close-toed shoes to ensure that injuries are minimized and that we will have no issues regarding mobility whilst traveling between sets. Ideally, our actors should keep their hair out of their face with either a ponytail, bun, or brains to ensure that their faces are not obscured in any way so that our audience can clearly see the subjects' faces as they express any sort of emotion. 

Filming Schedule:

The following dates will outline our tasks and the days on which we plan to complete them.

On Friday, September 24, 2021, my group will begin storyboarding for our thirty-second commercial and will be done by Tuesday, September 28, 2021.

On Thursday, September 30, 2021, my group will begin filming and recording the shots we need to create our commercial if we have not begun to do so already.

On Wednesday, October 6, 2021, my group will begin editing, tweaking, and sprucing up our commercial to ensure that we submit our best work, and be completed by Friday, October 8, 2021.

Location List:

As we are still contemplating the contents of our commercial, our primary location will either be the baseball field bleachers or the vending machines behind our media center's stairs. If we choose to go with our first potential location, our actors would need to complain about the heat and look for something to cool them down. We would then have someone off-screen stick their hand into the frame and offer them an off-brand iced tea drink, which our actors would try, but ultimately dislike. After saying something along the line's of them still being thirsty, the same off-screen actor would return to hand them Arizona Iced Teas, which would change both the actors' attitudes, as well as their clothing to give off a more upbeat and energized feeling. That, in turn, will emphasize the refreshing property of the Arizona Iced Tea. Now, if we choose to go with our latter prospective location, we would have also had to have our commercial begin in either our school's senior patio or the path leading from the track field. In that case, we would begin by having our actors show just how hot they were, wiping the sweat from their brows and fanning themselves in an attempt to beat the heat. We would also introduce another off-brand iced tea drink, which is quickly shunned away. Of course, our actors would then look for a replacement in the form of an Arizona Iced Tea from our school's vending machine, which would ultimately quench their thirst and result in a transformation of their clothing to match the kind of Arizona Iced Tea they had grabbed. That will then show that there is an Arizona Iced Tea for everyone.

Backup Plan:

Considering that our commercial relies heavily on enunciating the feelings of heat and humidity to make our audience thirsty and leave them craving an Arizona Iced Tea by the end, the weather plays a major role in the success of our commercial. Since the weather in South Florida is so unpredictable (not living up to its name of being the "Sunshine State" whatsoever) we need to account for sudden changes in weather. To do so, we would need to check the weather forecasts as often as possible and account for any possible setbacks in advance by filming during study hall or a period when we are all available. Otherwise, we may need to receive permission to remain on campus a little later after school once the weather has cleared up to film any necessary shots. If that is not possible, we can use the time we have on weekends to make up for any lost class time. Moreover, in the case that any of our teammates are absent, or are quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure, we can simply brief another member of our team, and provide them with all the information they need to take over the unfilled position as our temporary camerawoman or one of our actresses. 

Concluding Remarks:

Moving forwards, our skills and gathered knowledge of film techniques will all be put to test as they are finally put to use through the creation of our commercial. I'm feeling quite enthusiastic to begin, but that's enough for today. So, as Jim Carrey would say, "Take care now, bye-bye then" (Ace Ventura 1994). 

Group Blog

       Hi again! I’ve returned to give you a little more background information on my group and what we hope to work towards because I’ve already told you just about everything you need to know about me. Since we're about to begin working on planning our product’s advertisement by conducting research, pitching a treatment, creating a script that corresponds with a detailed storyboard, and eventually shooting our commercial to produce a fully edited and exceptional final product, it was only fitting that we choose our groups today. I am currently partnering with three other candidates by the names of Julissa Espinal, Yaneli Zelaya, and Nicole Kimmick. Being that I am friends with only one of my three groupmates, I am certain that this will be a great experience where I will be given the opportunity to grow into a more open-minded individual after seeing things from varying perspectives. Going into any sort of group project, I’m always nervous that unforeseen conflicts between personality differences may arise, but after having briefly spoken to them I have a good feeling that everything will turn out fine. Unlike me, two of my group mates are juniors, whilst my friend and I are both sophomores; however, that does not change the fact that we are all absolutely psyched to dive headfirst into such an interesting project and flex our creative muscles! 

    We plan on evenly dividing the work and giving everyone the chance to pitch in and work in a position that is comfortable for them, where they believe they will have the ability to excel. Of course, if any of us needs extra help, we will all work together to resolve problems and provide assistance when necessary. That, in turn, will allow our final product to contain something unique that each and every one of us has contributed. I feel like in the end, this will be one of my most memorable high school experiences, one where I can say that I put in the work, alongside my teammates, and have become all the better for it. Having said that, I would also like to mention the fact that I initially held off on taking this particular course last year because I was not sure how things would go with the pandemic and such. However, I'm extremely grateful that we have been able to return to school and interact with an abundance of new people, forming long-lasting connections, something that was quite difficult to do through computer screens last school year. One thing I would also like to note is that I am already liking the fact that this class takes things one step further than other classes do, being that it is at the collegiate level, giving us strict deadlines to meet, similar to what we would see if asked to create a piece of visual media in the real world. Through the use of our imagination, tangible props, and collaboration, everything is sure to be a success. Additionally, with the help of technology, we will be able to overcome any setbacks we may face with just the touch of a button, which I find to be very convenient and efficient. I look forward to tackling new challenges and learning more about the behind-the-scenes operations that make up the world of film.

    As for right now, I am excited to begin our commercial's pre-production process next class and get to know my partners better as we all put our heads together to come up with a great idea and eventually execute it down line. And as Arnold Schwarzenegger once said: "I'll be back" (The Terminator 1984). 

Introductory Blog

    Hello there! My name is Jordyn Minnis. I am currently a sophomore at Fort Lauderdale High School. I am of mixed ethnicities with my birth father being from the Bahamas and my mother immigrating to the United States from Bulgaria in 1985, so I've made it my mission to make a name for myself in a country where I am a first-generation immigrant to prove that race does not define you and that anyone can achieve anything they set their minds to. For my entire life, I have been a straight-A student and I plan on continuing to work hard every day and take advantage of any leadership openings I receive to remain as such. I enjoy helping my community and am currently considering pursuing a career in the Air Force with my end goal being to reach the position of a counterintelligence analyst, which is why I enrolled in my school's NJROTC Drill Team. That is not to say that I am totally fixated on following that particular career path being that biophysics, astrobiology, and neuroscience psychology all interest me, but it is certainly one of the many things I have considered working towards. With that being said, however, I did choose to enroll in AICE Media Studies at the AS Level because I think it is a great opportunity for me to dabble in an entirely new subject area that is completely unfamiliar to anything I have ever done before, one that may even subvert my expectations and that could potentially open the doors to virtually endless possibilities. 

    For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in the world of filmmaking, being a diehard fan of all seven Jurassic Park movies (including the 2019 short film) from the age of four, and with my interests varying from Marvel's action-packed superhero films to gripping science fiction from the mind of Christopher Nolan, and his fantastic soundtracks by the legendary composer, Hans Zimmer. Moreover, I never cease to be delighted by James Cameron's brilliant eye for detail, as seen with his films' stunning visual effects, and whose Avatar sequel I've been waiting on for twelve years and counting. Recently, I've found myself drawn to the processes that work together behind the scenes to create such visually captivating and emotionally engaging products, which I can attribute to my recent enthrallment with Jordan Peele and the thought-provoking messages regarding discrimination, prejudice, and police brutality seen in his films. I find that it takes a very special person, and an even more capable team, to convey such profound messages on the big screen, the most remarkable creative outlet of them all, and allow them to be both entertaining and eye-opening at the same time. Hence why I see this class as a chance to explore my fascination with film, allowing me to evaluate my capabilities and perhaps even convince me to pursue filmmaking as a career later on in my life. 

    As of right now, however, I do have other interests that lie outside of film. For instance, I enjoy watching and playing football and basketball when given the chance, going rollerblading or ice skating, learning about different cultures, exercising, and expressing myself through writing, which I believe will be interesting to see manifested visually through film, but most of all I enjoy spending time with my family, whether that be over a nice home-cooked dinner or a family game night as my uncle's when we get the chance. I think that what really counts in life cannot be tied to materialistic wants, but rather through the connectedness of people and the effect we leave on others, both of which I believe can be achieved through bringing ideas to life in the world of filmmaking. Thank you for taking the time to view my blog and learn a bit about me; I hope I can make the rest of my portfolio worth your while! And, as Jeff Goldblum so eloquently stated, "When you gotta go, you gotta go" (Jurassic Park 1993).

Above is a picture of me and some of my family members last year on Christmas Day at my uncle's house. Pictured from left to right are: My grandmother, Baba (Baba meaning grandmother in Bulgarian) Vanya, my Uncle David, who is holding Ace (he's a biter), and me!