Final Lesson Reflection

1) Positive Statement - I was ecstatic that my activity worked out so well and my people enjoyed it so much. I was glad that every group was invested in the activity even though the second part of the activity was more difficult, breaking down the script. I was very pleased that I went for 45 minutes on the answer content alone when only 30 minutes was required.

2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?  Pb.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?   P

3) What worked for you in your senior project?
In my senior presentation I though constantly tying in my sources, experiences with mentorship and interviews really helped me expand on my answers and help answer my essential question. What helped in my senior project topic of independent film in general was approaching the topic from different angles. For example I researched what separated indies from studios, how filmmakers can shoot with limited resources and money, making indies look expensive and distribution of independent films. I think approaching my topic from as many angles as possible helped me accumulate quality content.

4) (What didn't work?) If you had a time machine what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
Well, after I use my time machine to become an original member of the AC/DC, tour with them and kill Hitler I would go back to my senior presentation. I would tell myself to rearrange my slides so my activity came before my best answer and remind myself to refer back to my EQ every once in a while incorporate it into my information.

5. How has this senior project been to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
Are we still using the time machine here? Because I obviously haven't seen my future. However, if I were to make an educated guess about my future the largest impact my senior project would have is the connection building that came along with it. I have made connections with Mr. Kam (my mentor) that may prove to be of use in the future if I need someone to help me with my film or to get it edited professionally. I've also made a connection with Luis Aldana whom I'm going to ask if I can intern with him this summer in his production company. The research involved with senior project I feel has also given me an edge over other filmmakers. I feel like I know more than some independent filmmakers themselves do. The research as given me insight as to how to make a successful film from start to finish and how to find an audience to watch it. I hope to put my knowledge to use in the future not necessary pursuing filmmaking as a full-time career but hopefully in my career in marketing and advertising with film on the side.

Blog 22: Mentorship

Literal: My mentors name is Tom Kam. He runs a independent Film editing business that he started from home in Fontana called Cinemagix. His cell phone number is (951) 265-2463. His email is tom@cinemagix.com.

Interpretive: The most interesting thing that I've gained from observing Mr. Kam work would be his level of comfort with effects. When we were filming his Doritos commercial Mr. Kam could already visualize what he could do in post-production and editing to get the look and effects that he wanted. I personally like doing as much as I can in front of the camera so seeing him work like that really opened up my eyes to a different style of directing. The experience really helped me understand the capabilities with effects under a low budget and how a director can look forward into a production through post-production.

Applied: Working with Mr. Kam has helped me understand what an independent filmmaker can truly be capable of even with limited resources. Mr. Kam often works on small productions but because of his savvy with a camera and organization in a production he can really make a film look professional under the constraint of almost no budget. He's shown mw just how important it is organize a production in pre-production with a script, a show break down and talking to the crew to keep them on the same page.

Blog 21: Exit Interview

1. My essential question is "How can a director best maximize the potential for a low budget independent film?" My best answer to the EQ is "A director must find a balance between good acting and quality production value."

2. I arrived at this answer after I was watching multiple films on Netflix and watching the films that my mentor was brought to edit. I often found that in the subpar independent films directors would focus more on either working with their actors or creating production value. The indie films that really stood out for the better, however, really found a balance between the two. Through   my research I found that well known directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Gareth Edwards made an emphasis on these points so I realized I was onto something.

3. A problem I found it was difficult to find regular articles that talked about balancing acting and production value. What I did find were multiple interviews with directors who talked about the balance and articles that mentioned separating time to work with actors and creating production value individually.

4. One of the sources that I found helped answer my essential question was an interview with director Gareth Edwards that was done by the BBC after the release of his independent film entitled 'Monsters'. Another source that I felt was really helpful was the book "Rebel Without a Crew" written Robert Rodriguez. The book is a journal of when he was directing his first feature film 'El Mariachi'. The book contains useful advice and tips that he learned from making his film from start to finish.

April Extra Blog

This months movie review will be of In a World written and directed by Lake Bell. The film is rated R for some language and suggestive themes although nothing is really shown. The film is about a female vocal coach (played by Lake Bell) who grows up in the shadow of her father who is a voice-over actor and competes for the biggest role in the voice-over industry The film makes a strong statement that anything men can do women can do just as well which makes this film a very timely piece.Beside the film having a strong underlying message it is also very funny and corky.  The film also has a subplot of a hilariously dysfunctional family and how that plays out in the kids lives even as adults. The acting in the film is good for what it sis and manages to bring on some B/C list actors on which makes the film surprisingly fun. The film is very well shot and pushes to give the feeling of a "normal" Los Angeles lifestyle. The writing for this film is really what makes it. Bell does an excellent job with giving each character their strong moments while still making them funny and likable. I would recommend this film to people who are searching for a good indie that isn't very well know though it wouldn't always be my first choice. I found it very enjoyable to watch and caught myself laughing a couple of time so I give this film a 8.3/10

Independent Component 2

A) I, Jake Reyes, affirm that I have completed my independent component hours which represents 45 hours of work.

B) My mentor Tom Kam helped me a lot with this project with advice and lending me his cameras. He has also helped me get this project almost finished in volunteering to finish the color correcting which I am very thankful to him for. I also am thankful to iPoly drama for letting me interview them and Fullerton College for letting me film parts of the festival. The book Rebel Without a Crew written by Robert Rodriguez helped me learn how to shoot a film largely on your own. I also found the article Your B-Roll is Your A-Roll from the filmmaker sight masteringfilm.com very helpful. Lastly How to Guide Your Documentary Interviewee by Todd Grossman helped me extract the answers that I was going for out of my interviewees.

C) Did it.

D) I have fully filmed documentary on a high school drama experience at a theater competition. I didn't realize how strenuous the editing process really was until I started this project. I had edited projects before, but usually they were 2-8 minutes with 2-10 minutes of film and weren't nearly as complex. This film has multiple layers and literally has hours of footage to sort through and then be condensed into a roughly half hour film. Once again I am thankful that I have a mentor who is an editing aficionado to help and guide me. The film Should be done within a couple of weeks and hopefully before the end of May. I have a new script entitled Two For the Road in the works that I feel confident I can film parts of this summer.

In my last Independent Component I focused strictly on the stage of pre-production. This time around I was able to work with Pre-Production and Post-Production. In a documentary you must have 3 key things in order to be interesting and evoke a story and those are interviews, B-Roll and on screen action.

The interviews take up roughly 2/5 of the film and during the interviews I encouraged the interviewees to be themselves to get conferrable and Brooke really did. My questions mainly had to do with the festival itself and the experience of being a high school drama student.

 The second component of making a documentary is the B-Roll which is basically visually relieve form just looking at an interviewee's face through out the entire film. B-Roll took up about 2/5 of the film. So I had to scope out different locations through out the Fullerton College campus that were visually appealing. You need a lot of variation in the B-Roll and it needs to make sense to what the interviewee is saying and I think I did a decent job of that in my film.

 The third piece needed in a documentary is on screen action. This things that happen on camera that are related to the story and push the documentary forward. The first scene here shows the improv team warming up for their scene and the second scene shows Suessical performing their musical at Fullerton. Technically I wasn't supposed to film the actors performing during the musical but I felt it was needed for the film so I did a bit of guerrilla style shooting.

Applied
This component really helped me with my second answer, for my essential question "How can a director best maximize the potential for a low budget independent film?",which focuses on working with actors and production value. Because the acting was more interviews I had to figure out how to speak to the actors and direct them so they didn't feel like I was pushing them but I still got the answers I wanted. The idea of B-Roll also really did help me with the idea of production value and making a film aesthetically pleasing. The experience also did help with my third answer which is make due with the resources you have available. When filming a documentary a lot of things are unscripted and you need to go with the flow in a way and be ready for anything that can be useful in your film. This is mainly where on screen action comes into play.

March Extra Blog

This month I've been working on a new script that I'm really excited about. It's a working title but it's different than any other script that I've done because I usually do something light or comedic but this script is more dark and dramatic and it's an attempt to get out of my comfort zone. The script is about two brothers that have been orphaned and the oldest brother will soon age out of the boys home that they are in. In an attempt to protect his younger brother Daniel, Brook takes his brother and runs away in order to keep what little family he has left alive. I'm going to have my mentor look at the script and see f he likes it and make a couple revisions. We will then try to storyboard and hopefully I can start casting soon.

Blog 18

1. How can you make the audience feel invested and sympathies with your character?
2. How can you make a low budget film look expensive?
3. Do you have any tips for shooting guerrilla style for some scenes?
4. How do you select your crew?
5. How can a young filmmaker become aquatinted with film equipment? (best camera to use, recording equipment, lighting etc.)
6. Why do you think independent films were so successful this last year with titles like Whiplash, Birdman and Boyhood all being contenders for best picture?
7. What is the best way to schedule a shoot?
8. How can you build a following for your film?
9. What is it like collaborate with writing or shooting?
10. What is the purpose of an AD?
11. What are the advantages of going to film school over just going straight into experience.
12. What are some of the tricks to pacing different types of scenes?
13. How can you light a moving actor?
14. What effects are best to do in front of the camera and which are better to do in post?
15. Is kickstarter a viable option or should it be stood away from? Why?
16. When should you have your music in mind for a film?
17. How can best adapt a story or book that is already out there?
18. Is starting a project more difficult or keeping the project going to the next step? Why?
19. How hard set should you be on your script before you change it based on the situation?
20. How do you keep actors that aren’t getting paid motivated?

Blog 17

1. Organize your production during the preproduction stage can save the film time and money. 

2. Break down the script - Breakibg down the script means figuring out who is in which shot/ scene, what props are needed, wardrobe and location. 

Hire good crew - hiring an organized set producer can save you a lot of time and resources. The same can be said about a first and second assistant director. 

Shooting schedule - a shooting schedule is a list of shots that will be taken in order. To be smart you want to shot all your scenes at one place in order to save the most amount of time even if they're not in chronological order

3.Connoly, Ryan. Film Riot - How to Plan a Movie Shoot! - Script Breakdowns, Schedules and Budgets -Film Fiot. YouTube. 17 Sep. 2010. Web. 16 Jan 2015

Interview 3 with Nate Peyton

4. Time is money in the world of film so you want to be able to organize the film during preproduction in order to have the film run smoothly while shooting.

Extra Blog Febuary

This months movie review will be on the film Chef, written and directed by John Favreau. The film is rated R for language but really isn't that bad, the f word was probably used 2 more times than the legal limit of a PG-13 and the film can be conveniently found on Netflix. It's anindie comedy about an acclaimed chef who loses credibility after a food critic gives a crushing review. Chef Carl Casper (played by John Favrea) tries to get back on his feet by starting a food truck and cooking what he loves. The reason I love this film is because it has so much depth. There are so many aspects that are tied together to make this story including family struggles, social media, the human condition and of course food. Favraue does an incredible job in writing the main character to show a personal conflict yet be lovable at the same time. The acting in the film was good but it wasn't great considering the line up that this film had for an independent and I really thing the characters should've been elaborated on during the writing process in order to extract the best performance. The film itself however is well shot an keeps the viewer interested. I would have to say that I would want more of the film even if it was a mouth 10-20 minutes. Just because I believe the road trip section of the film could've been elaborated on and really could've made this film excellent. The writing was good but wasn't great because some parts came off as corny but I suppose that's okay considering the film was intended to be a comedy. I would recommend this film to friends if they had free time but wouldn't highly recommend it. It's a fun watch and for that I give the film a 8.0/10. 

Blog 14

1. How can a director best maximize the potential for a low budget, independent film?

2. Dedicate time to work with your actors especially if they're inexperienced. 

3. Make due withe the resources you have available to you.

4. You may not be able to do everything that you have in your original script so you when you budget comes in you may need to make revisions. 

In low budget films things are constantly going wrong on set so if something breaks or is not there for you when needed be prepared to improvise and have a plan B. 

Production value is improtant to a film so independent film makers are constantly looking for ways to come up with tricks to make they're film look more expensive than it is. 

5. Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez

6. Guerrilla Style by Daniel Loria

7. You man do be able to include everything you originally planned for your film so need to be able to make due with what is possible and still mange to make your film look expensive. 

Independent component 2

For my independent component I will start filming my documentary as of next week all the way through Fullerton Festival. I've set up a shooting schedule for the next month and will both directing and producing my film. I've asked Andrew to help me as both assistant director and cinematographer. 

I've also told Andrew I will helping him in his films in return which of corse are also Independent film. 

I'm confident that those two will make the 30 hours but if I have time I would like to start the soccer film that I wrote a script for before the year ends so I plan to start filming that in April and it should take the full month to film. 

Independent Component

For my independent component I've really been focusing on preproduction. In a lot of articles and books that I've read I was constantly told that preproduction is actually the longest of the three stages of making a film. These include preproduction, production and postproduction. It turns out that my sources were correct. Preproduction is a lot of preparation, creative thinking,  working with your connections and writing. I've been fortunate to have come up with three scripts. The scripts run about 30 pages each meaning that the scripts could run anywhere from 30 minutes to roughly an hour on screen. I was able to break down each script already and made revisions for what I thought was possible and took out what I realized would be completely impossible. The titles of the films I wrote a "With Power: A Soccer Story", "Fullerton Festival Documentary" (this title is subject to change if I fid something along the process of filming that I like) and "Radio Personality.

The first script that I wrote is "With Power" and it is actually loosely based off my experience playing for Southlands soccer this year. It follows three guys who transfer into a private school who is lacking in talent and turn the team around to become truly competitive. The change in leaderships leads to tensions within the team. The team finds a a way to get on the same page and become true contenders for a league championship. I think the special thing about this script is that I wanted to make a clear point that everyone on the team has a story so I added a lot of stories within this large story of the players themselves and what they're facing at school, at home and on the field. I've always wanted to write a sports film so I was really excited when writing the script for this film. I've already begun casting for the film and talking to people at Southlands to see if I can use the students and possibly their facilities. I've gotten some great feedback. A lot of the people that I approached are interested and want to help me with my film. I'll begin shooting in March.

The second script I wrote was "Fullerton Festival Documentary". It's just that. A documentary about the Fullerton Drama Festival that iPoly drama goes to every tear. I loved going to the festival last year so when I decided that I love to do a documentary and was having a hard time deciding what I should do it on, I just thought about things that peaked my interest and could be interesting to others. The main challenge of writing this script was figuring out the angle I would approach this documentary from and I decided it would be the journey of the iPoly students from the preparation all the way through the event. The documentary will also give some insight into the festival itself. I've already prepared all my interview questions and set up my shooting schedule and the entire drama elective has agreed to be a part of my film. I've been working with Fullerton college to see if I can speak to a coordinator of the Fullerton Festival and I may be able to interview a couple before the festival itself which would be great. There's a lot of research that actually went into the preproduction stage including the background of the festival, what each person in the elective would be doing at the festival and where I could and could not film at the college itself. I start filming next week

My last script that I worked on is "Radio Personality". It's basically about a radio personality who was big and popular in the 90's but is kind of washed up and doesn't have the same energy that he used to have on the air. The only reason that the station owner hasn't fired him is because their friends and they started the station together. One night when our radio personality is leaving he's approached by a girl that claims to be his daughter. The radio personality brushes it off  like he's heard it a million times. The girl ends up interning at the station with him and she brings back the life that he used to have in his job. He later finds that she was right and actually was his daughter. I really enjoyed writing this script because it was purely creative. I had nothing to go off of but whatever I imagined. Due to the the resources that I would need in order to make this film including money to buy the rights to songs I realized I wont be able to make this film at my time at iPoly. I hope I can make it a student film during my time in college and perhaps submit it to film festivals because I do feel that the story is very strong.

Extra Blog January

This month I was fortunate enough to watch an independent film in theaters an that is currently up for multiple Academy Awards. Whiplash is an independent drama written and directed by Damien Chazzele based on his short film Whiplash. The film is about an aspiring jazz drummer who is performing at one of the best music schools in the country. After being observed by one of the music teachers at the school our drummer is moved up to the most advanced and prestigious class. The teacher ended up being both emotionally and physically abusive. The drummer is pushed to his limit and finds himself consumed by his drumming. The acting in the film is truly spectacular. JK Simmons was perfectly able to execute the intense role of the music teacher and still be able to flip the switch to show an eerie calm only to blow up again on camera in a beautiful display of talent. I was rather impressed by Milles Teller's performance in the movie. I had seen him in movies prior including 21 & Over and Project X where I wasn't terribly impressed with his performance and he came off as incredibly goofy. In Whiplash Teller gives his character depth through determination and raw physicality. Damien Chazzele wrote the screenplay to be extremely character driven and follow a characters struggle without saying it but rather showing it. I would like to praise Chazzele for his directing of Teller on this part for providing subtext to each intense scene that we see Teller go through as his character. The film is not only beautifully shot and directed but is well sound edited. Whiplash was incredibly powerful because the music driving it so the sound editing is just as important as the acting and cinematography. I  give this film a 9.2/10.

What are you most proud of in your senior presentation and why

I proud that I was able to reach the amount of time that was necessary because I was most worried that I wouldn't make time because I wouldn't have enough content to talk about.

What assessment would you give yourself for your lesson 2 presentation?

 AP+

Explain why you would give yourself this grade.

I believe that I reached time in each part of my presentation but I know I could've done a lot better than I did. I was so worried about the time and not having enough content that I found myself rambling and when I realized that I did have enough content for the time I was very far into the presentation.

What worked for your lesson 2?

I believe that I tried to make my presentation relatable which is difficult to do considering that a lot of people in the class probably haven't made their own independent films. So I tried to use examples they would understand and examples from film that they had seen.

What didn't work?

If I could do the presentation again I would assure myself that I did have enough content to fill time and not to worry or else I would be so nervous that I'd forget some of the points I would want to elaborate on.

What do you think your answer 2 is going to be?

I think that my answer two is going to be how directors must be resourceful and use what is available to them when their original script may have been too ambitious

Blog 12

1. I am doing my mentorship with Mr. Tom Kam, because we often go out to film locations vary for mentorship. We always meet at his house in Fontana before going off to film.

2. My contact is Mr. Tom Kam.

3. I have completed 16 total hours.

4. Most of the hours were collected in a shoot that we did for a Doritos commercial where we went out to the forest and did our take on a martial arts film in 30 seconds. It was a two day shoot and yes it does take that much time to get the perfect shots. I would be classified as the PA (production assistant) on the shoot, which means I would fetch stuff that the director needed, take care of the actors and check for continuity.

Blog 11

1. Over break I was organizing all of the everything that I would need for The Fullerton Festival Documentary I will be filming. This includes a rough script, questions I will ask, who I need to talk to, researching the festival, a rough shooting schedule and figuring a cohesive story to tie the documentary together.

I also started a new script that I'm very excited about and though I'm not entirely sure that I can film it this year, because the film would be heavily reliant on music and music is hard to obtain the rights to and even when you do it's ridiculously expensive. Though the script will be finished this year.

2. The most important thing I learned from working on my project over break is how much work really goes into pre-production, especially for a documentary because a lot of things only happen on camera once.

3. Hypothetically I would really love to Griffin Hammond who did a short documentary about Sriracha. He's not famous and encourages people to ask about his documentary so maybe I can have a phone call with him. I would probably ask him about the proper amount of B-roll, story, interviews and nat sound breaks. If I cant get Mr. Hammond I will ask my mentor if he knows anyone who has worked with documentaries.