Alyssa's Blogosphere

  Matted Final Film:  https://youtu.be/RhrVCvzdWGM

  Unrelated to my CCR, I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about the filmmaking process and, as a result, my film in and of itself. While my favorite part of the process was definitely editing it digitally, there were still moments where I was only motivated by the need to be done. I do think the quality of my film potentially suffered as a result of this- decisions, though thought out, maybe could have been handled with more tact and care, had I felt as passionate as I did about it in the beginning.  Honestly, it really helps me respect filmmakers on a new level. The amount that they have to manage, and the effort that some put in is something I admire especially as an artist- because filmmaking is an art, just one new to me, and one that I think, if given the chance, I could give a better shot at in the future. I take this entire experience as one of learning: I definitely have room to grow in plenty of areas, and making this film was very eye-opening in that regard. ...

  To make my film feel like a more authentic movie opening, I had to add additional text in my film- while this sounds simple and easy, there was still thought that had to be put into where the text sat, what it looked like, and how it was going to look onscreen. This is because I wanted the text to match my title screen at the end of the film in color, font, and the manner in which it appeared. The visibility problems came up when the text had to match the title while still being readable and noticeable onscreen among other greens and similar hues- I wanted the consistency without making it difficult to read, or straining to the eyes, so I had to move the text around to different spaces onscreen- which, in the end, I feel helped with the more authentic feel anyways.

  As I work on my CCR, I'm realizing the largest benefit of blogging: letting me know exactly what to say. I've already been reflecting in these blog posts, so while I work, I know where my thought process is already going based off of what I've written in the past. The CCR is, thankfully, coming along well because of this, and it should be done very soon- I've chosen to do make it in a powerpoint format. Blogging itself was a challenge of its own to get done- It took me longer than I intended. But it did help having a place to gather my thoughts and the motivation it took to complete my project as well as providing help in finishing the writing for my CCR. Blogging has been a helpful experience, I think. I've learned a lot about myself and my work ethic, as well as the fact that having a consistent time to get things done is important to have to be able to get my work completed for me personally. Having a plan for wha tot write is extremely helpful.

  I've finally finished editing my film! My second large round of editing went to sound layering and working out how the title scene was going to play out/sound. It also was spent figuring out what sounds to keep from the natural recording and what sounds to use via a foley or public use. When I layered the sound, I wanted to keep in mind a somewhat natural difference between volumes that would be easy on the ears- as someone who watches a lot of movies, a heavy difference in sound can be jarring or physically discomforting for me, and while I wanted the vibe as a result of the sounds to be tense, I didn't want the sound balance to take away from the film instead of pulling the audience in: I hate having to constantly raise and lower my volume when watching a movie to get it just right every other scene. For the title, I decided to keep it simple, and let the sound do the work: a grating, eerie violin plays as the sounds of the forest fade away to a black screen. I had to chang...

  Originally, there were a few aspects of my film I mentioned that I was set on having in my film. Though initially I did not think they would be subject to change, in the end, I decided to change them. Here are some of those things: Flashlight: Originally, I intended on have a shake activated flashlight, because I personally really enjoy the concept of having to use one in a horror-based setting. Then, I realized my survivalist father would have a flashlight I wouldn't have to pay for on hand, which was immediately more convenient. Then, when we arrived to the cabin, we actually found a massive flashlight with a flashing option that worked really well for the aesthetics of my film. Monster: Originally, the monster in my film wasn't even going to be shown- just heavily hinted at. I don't own anything furry or reflective to use, however, and editing eyes would have beene extremely difficult considering a limited program. While I planned on working past this, one of my helper...