Dec 18: YOU CAN'T STOP IT IT'S TOO LATE

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

The chosen pitches were announced today. Sadly, mine was not one of the chosen scripts- probably because I didn't keep it realistic enough and didn't sell the plot convincingly enough.

I was put into a group with Hannah, Dom, and Tony. Tony was our director, and together as a group we looked over his script. 

Also together as a group, we unanimously agreed that we had to tone down his script as- looking at it realistically- it was extremely hard for us four students to accommodate for his settings and characters. Taking into account realism, we decided that a rewriting or at least a few revisions were in order. 

• Changing the main antagonist from a Middle Eastern terrorist bomber named Muhammad Khalif to something more racially sensitive.
• Cutting down on the number of stock characters that require details we can't provide (i.e., multiple stock FBI agents with weapons and full gear)
• Changing or even fully removing settings that we can't provide for, i.e., an arms factory in Massachusetts. 
• And changing from a newscast (which we felt we wouldn't have time to provide for and create in a professional, legitimate-looking manner with quality greenscreening and backdrops) to a radio. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

Today I had to be communicative with my group, and all of us had to be open minded, especially our director. Although we made a lot of changes, he stayed open minded to our ideas and agreed that we could as a group work together to make the film work. 

Dec 13: it's happening

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

Today's class's focal point: everybody's pitches.

I think I over prepared, being the only one who did not go up with nothing but a script. Technical difficulties got in the way of the presentation, which I feel really took away from the whole thing. 

I also think, after watching a few of my peers' presentations that I did not talk enough about themes and my plot, focusing more on details like setting and character. 

That was a mistake. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

Had to be reflective today, as while listening to people's pitches I realized the mistakes I made in preparing my own pitch, and added changes consequently. This requires looking back and comparing my potential performance to theirs, seeing how well they sold the story as opposed to how well they would sell the film. 

Dec 11: oh god

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

With the script done at 11 pages, I finally started the storyboard. I know that this is very late, but the script had to undertake rewritings and revisions many times. 

It can be read here. 

The storyboard was lots of fun, and I took some time to make each panel clear in stage directions and even expressive of what emotions actors have. 

Fascinating.

We were also briefed briefly on how to pitch our films. I asked if we could make a presentation. I did a little research into how to pitch, too, but a lot of my results said that seeming over prepared was overkill, underprepared unprofessional. I think I will stick to making a presentation as some details are hard for me to explain with the spoken word, most particularly how the portals are supposed to work. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

Today I was an inquirer, not only asking questions but also investigating pitching further. 

Dec 9: A list of people who have been shot

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

Today, the class did individual practices of two film exercises. The task was to create a shot list and overhead diagrams for a section of an episode of The Twilight Zone. This is particularly helpful as a lot of students, myself included, were confused by some of the requirements in the Crit. A rubric. I had had previous experience in making a storyboard before, and I know how to write a script, but I'm only vaguely familiar with what a shot list does (beyond the use of noting good or bad takes during a shoot) and I have no idea what a overhead diagram is. 

I chose the episode that I did our previous analysis exercise on, "The Masks". I used the opening sequence of the episode. 

Before I actually got to do the exercise, though, we were given a helpful packet of information regarding various camera angles, the different scales of shots, different types of camera movement, and overhead diagrams. Once I was finished reading the packet, I started on the shot list as I had more of an idea as to what to do. Conveniently, I found that a shot list requires information about each shot, most notably angles, scales and movement, just as explored in the packet. 

Despite this information already provided, I still found it quite difficult to complete and although I only recorded five shots, it took up the remainder of class. Recording every action and actor movement, every single bit of information- even the duration of the shot- was a practice so thorough I was simply not used to it. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

As a thinker, today I had to read and understand the packet and use the information that I learned from it in practice. The subject matter was, as I said, something I was not fully accustomed to, but it's a necessary exercise in preparation for the Criteria A assignment. 

Dec 4: Crit. A: Game start

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

We were briefed on our Criteria A assignment and with Ms. Wong, unpacked the criteria. Essentially, the task is to create a full pre-production portfolio, inclusive of a script, a storyboard, a shot list and a series of overhead diagrams. 

When we were introduced to the theme of The Twilight Zone, and the more specific idea of portals, I got an idea for what I wanted to do pretty much straight away. However, when I began writing the script (and pulling up a bit of research what the plot would center around) I found that there was quite some difficulty in trying to 'keep it real'. This was because the way I pictured the film in my mind would realistically be very hard for a no-budget student production to carry out, regarding both setting and character props. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

I had to be pretty reflective during this class because I had to reconsider my work by reflecting on it throughout the process, while I was writing. This is better than reflecting on potential mistakes after the script has been completed, as being able to weed out problems i.e., setting and props as well as actor safety as my script uses portals simply by falling down a lot and actors could get hurt; Safety is a concern that needs to be taken care of, if my pitch gets chosen. 

The Twilight Zone: Notes (Nov. 29)

WHAT IS IT?
popular 1950s tv show by rod serling

each episode is a mixture of self contained fantasy, science fiction, suspense or horror
often concludes with a macabre or unexpected twist
introduced many americans to serious scifi and abstract ideas through tv

Review: The Twilight Zone episode "The Masks" (Dec. 3)

SUMMARY

During Mardi Gras, a dying old man (Foster?) has his family come over for his last hours. Instead of what the family expected (discussion about his will and how much goes to them), Foster insists on making his family wear masks, specially chosen for each of the family members by Foster as his final "request" before he gives them the entirety of his ownings. After hours of what the family feels to be unbearable in their masks, midnight strikes and they take off their masks (as Foster dies) and realize that their faces are the images of their respective masks. 

THEMES

Obviously, there's a huge overarching theme of greed here- the entire reason that the family is there and the plot is existent is because the family wants to have Foster's will in the first place, waiting for him to die. They are promised this, but with the masks acting as a final act of revenge on Foster's part against his greedy family, he manages to toy with their moralities by the end, even from beyond the grave. 

Regarding my own notes about themes for Twilight Zone, I think it really falls into "good versus evil" here, although there's no defined "good" because in a way, Foster is "evil" as well.

SYMBOLISM OF THE MASK

Foster uses it to reveal the family's true selves. A pivotal point at the end that is the real shock twist and the macabre-ness of it all, even before the masks are taken off.

RELEVANT HISTORICAL/SOCIAL/CULTURAL FACTORS THIS MAY BE COMMENTING ON

It's a personal belief of mine that The Masks was commenting on social factors- the way people in general would act. It was a very clear and obvious moral that people are not always what they are on the inside- the masks only work as an opening to show the hyperbole of their personalities, referred to as "caricatures".

However, after doing some research into what exactly happened in 1964, I've been lead to believe that there's a possible link to to the "War on Poverty Campaign" declared by President Lyndon Johnson, explaining the ridiculous greed displayed by Foster's kids and grandchildren.