Brainstorming

 

 ⋆˙⟡ Potential Ideas ✶⋆.˚

                         ─ ⊹ ⊱ ☆ ⊰ ⊹ ─                      

─ ⊹ ⊱ ☆ ⊰ ⊹ ─                       

    Hello bloggers! Once again we will be talking about the final project!

Today, I will be talking about potential ideas for our film opener: 

A Cheater's Paradise

    The first idea for our project would be to do this comedic and dramatic opener with our star as a CHRONIC cheater (suggested and played by Rafael)! It would open with the scene of a random classmate asking Rafael how he always aces his exams and how he studies. This would be followed by a humorous quip from him about how he NEVER studies and how he just knows all the knowledge IMMEDIATELY from osmosis! Then the scene suddenly cuts to a montage of Rafael cheating on his exams, interrupting him in the middle of his rant. Afterward, we cut back to Rafael still talking about how he is this academic weapon and how ALL of his essays are award winners and Shakspeare level and we cut to another montage of him fervently using AI to write all of his essays and do his homework. Switching back to the present, while he is talking, Rafael is suddenly called up by the teacher with a VERY serious face and the project ends with the teacher saying "We need to talk." A pro of this idea would be it is a very easy thing to do as we can just film at school and ask a teacher to help us by playing the role of the teacher in the film. I think a con of this idea would be it does not have many roles for all of us so some of us would have mainly background or offscreen roles.

─ ⊹ ⊱ ☆ ⊰ ⊹ ─

The Other Side

    This second idea (suggested by Yiqi and myself) involves online chatrooms with the main character (Yiqi) getting kidnapped at the end of the opener after meeting up with this random guy she met online. The story will start with Yiqi meeting this guy online and will cut to a montage of them texting and video calling for some time but the guy NEVER shows his face except for ONE photo because he claims he has a "broken" webcam. After a few weeks of talking, the guy will suggest meeting up in person, but they will fail to meet up at some diner at noon because Yiqi will bring her friend with her (me). I will try dissuading Yiqi from doing this again as this guy seems extremely shady always dodging showing his actual face! Then Yiqi confronts the guy about being a no-show, and he convinces her to try meeting up again but this time at this restaurant at night because he is "shy." She disregards my advice, and they meet up behind a cafe at night with that being the last footage being seen of her since then. The pro of doing this idea is that it does not require many props or ANY external help, and it is the most professional idea out of them all. However, a con would be that some of the scenes will require meeting up outside of school to film, and the seriousness of the scenes will require good acting. 

─ ⊹ ⊱ ☆ ⊰ ⊹ ─

COOKED!

    Lastly, Thomson suggested doing some kind of cooking or baking show/competition. Two of us will be the contestants competing against each other to win the FINAL prize of $10,000 in Temu gift cards! The judge will be a little kid (Yiqi's younger sister Ivy) as they are known for being especially harsh and brutally honest in their judgment. One of us will be the host of the show commenting on what is going on with the contestants, their backstories, and just making the show engaging and interesting in general. It will SUDDENLY cut to the judge tasting each contestant's food and end right before they give their verdict. The pro of this idea is that LITTLE acting is required, and we just need to act naturally! A con would be the setting would have to be one of our kitchens at home as we lack the industrial kitchens you usually see in cooking shows.

    I hope you guys have a lovely day, and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for my next post!

Former Student Work

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ My Review of Past Student Projects ‧₊˚✩彡 

    ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚                         

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚                   

 Hey guys we are back here with another blog! I am so glad you are here!

Today, I will be reviewing past AICE Media projects to learn how and what to do for my own:

Roll Call

Description: The opening of this film opener was very professional, and it made me actually feel like I was watching an expertly made film because of the shots it employed in order to build suspense. Along with the adept use of camera shots and angles, the acting from the students within this project is JUST on another level. I could feel the emotions and characters they were trying to portray just come out and take over the narrative! The characterization was also brilliantly done as everyone had a UNIQUE role and personality within the world of the film, and I felt like the story plot was intriguing and quite well-thought-out in achieving its purpose of piquing the audience's attention. However, some weaknesses of the project included some amateur mistakes of bad camera quality, shaky video, and poor audio quality in some parts of the film. Overall, it is an AMAZING project with easily fixable weaknesses of getting better equipment (camera, microphone, and tripod) in order to improve and make it feel like a TRUE Hollywood opener.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

New Everything

Description: At first, I did NOT get the plot of the story as the ONLY hint we have is the song playing while the main character has his headphones in. However, after listening to the lyrics of the song, I began to understand what they were trying to achieve. The main strength of this opener is that it is really creative in the way it tells its story. I think using the song as the MAIN medium for storytelling is quite unique while the rest of the details take a backseat in order to let the song take center stage. Moreover, the usage of sound effects is extremely clear and purposeful, helping the viewer discern what is going on along with the visuals! A weakness of this film opener would be its BLAND usage of camera shots, angles, and transitions. I feel like it was such a missed opportunity as this change would have made the story much more compelling to the average viewer. So an improvement I suggest to make this opener feel more Hollywood is to work on making the video feel MORE dynamic through a better usage of different shots, angles, and transitions!

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Dreamland

Description: Dreamland is a magically beautiful masterpiece in its usage of color grading and special effects! This astounding use of creativity to create such a mystical atmosphere is TRULY what makes this opener an intriguing story that HOOKS the viewer in and leaves them wanting more! Another strength would be the way it juxtaposes the stark differences between dreams and reality through visual effects and lighting, allowing the audience to feel fully immersed in the story. A criticism I have of it is that in the latter half, the editing feels choppy and uninspired. I suggest making the editing and shots MORE dynamic and fluid in order to further enhance the dreamy yet disconnected effect that the director was trying to achieve. All in all, I think this idea was glamorously executed and matches up to Hollywood standards even without my suggestions!

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Dear Lover

Description: The BEST part about this film opener is the way that the storytelling is NOT linear. All the jumps and cuts within the story culminate together and help paint a bigger picture of a story of teenage rebellion and self-reflection. In addition, the costuming in order to differentiate the main character's teenage self from her adult self is an ingenious idea. You can clearly see they are the same characters, but still vastly DIFFERENT in a sense as the main character's adult self has had YEARS to grow into herself and mature while the teenage version is distinctly a child who has just turned 18. ONE weakness of the film opener was the props because they looked very unprofessional and amateur. It did NOT sell the whole "sending mysterious letters to my lover" vibe as they were just using ORDINARY lined paper you could find in any notebook. Instead, they should have used paper from a journal that would create a quaint yet intimate atmosphere and sent the letter in an envelope to further enhance that mood and make it feel more like a Hollywood production. In conclusion, the WHOLE composition and story of the opener were great. It just needs a FEW tweaks here and there to take the production level up a notch!

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Dare to Thrill

Description: Honestly, this one is my FAVORITE one so far as all the shots and transitions are so dynamic and go along with the music excellently! The editing also fits terrifically with the storyline they are trying to achieve, immediately immersing the viewer in such an interesting situation as the premise is like NONE I have ever seen before! Additionally, ALL the actors did a great job with portraying their characters as I felt like I was THERE with them, tagging along with them for the thrill of it. This project is NEARLY perfect. However, there were some scenes where they were kind of awkward which is quite palpable, so ONE thing they can improve on is working on the chemistry between characters in some scenes such as the shocking scene at the end of the opener. Otherwise, I have no other criticisms as this film is ON the level of Hollywood!

    I CANNOT thank you guys enough for reading and see you on the next one!

Group Members

 ⋆˙⟡ My Group Members ✶⋆.˚

                        

    Welcome back, everyone! I hope you guys ALL enjoyed my last blog and hopefully this one TOO!  
          

Today, I will be introducing my group members for our final project: 

The Group

Yiqi


Thomson


Rafael


Me

          

─ ⊹ ⊱ ☆ ⊰ ⊹ ─

Why Them

    I chose these people because they are MY friends, and I have known them for a while. I trust in our abilities to complete the final project excellently! Unlike strangers who may be unreliable, I know all my friends very well, and all of them are prudent hard workers who NEVER slack off and always bring something to the table.

    Yiqi and I have been close friends for three years now, and she just gets me in many ways that other people do NOT compare to. We share lots of interests together and love talking to each other about them! I have known Thomson since ninth grade (about two years ago) and he has been a great friend ever since! He and I share similar goals and plans for the future which makes him the perfect confidant for whenever I need to brainstorm or just rant about what I want to do. He GETS my passion and dreams that others just do NOT have an interest in. Lastly, Rafael who is the most recent one out of the three of them (that does not make him any less important to ME) always leaves me with a smile as I always enjoy our conversations with each other! He shares my snarky humor and brings his OWN spice to the table, turning my 1 to a 10 as the pot heats up! I have known him for a year now, and I would not have it any other way!

    Furthermore, we ALL have experience working with each other on past projects. Compatability is JUST as important, especially for a group project like this that requires us to film together. This will allow us to complete our project to the fullest of our abilities as we will NOT struggle with communicating, working, or brainstorming with each other. PLUS everyone brings something unique to the table!

    Yiqi is a great storyteller and has experience with writing AND scripting stories. Story boarding and planning out what to do for our film opener will be a breeze with her help. Thomson is an experienced actor and will be able to perform to the standards that Cambridge upholds all of us to! His performances in past video projects have NOT left people wanting (especially acting as some kind of villain since he specifically specializes in those roles). Rafael has an amazing mind and communication skills. He will make brainstorming an idea super easy. In addition, he will keep us on task and up to date with EVERYTHING going on around us, and I just know ideas will flow like a waterfall when he is there with us as he is a born director. Lastly, I see myself as a decent editor as I used to edit for a previous media class and for FUN. I know it will be a challenge, but it will be an EXCITING one at THAT! I am always up for one, and I also love learning new techniques to use in order to potentially enhance our project for the future!

    Can YOU believe we are already working on the final? I know I can't! See you next time on Lin's Lavish Lounge (LLL) <3