AICE Media Studies Blog

 Here is my Critical Reflection:   My products touched on a handful of social issues in an attempt to bring light to them in a fun but no less serious way. One of the bigger issued touched on is the common trope of killing black side characters in horror movies. This trope is often how film makers include black people in their films to show “diversity” yet use them to show stakes and get them out of the big pictures by killing them early in the movie. In my own film, while the main black character does die, the action doesn’t have the common issues that come with it. The death s in my film don’t put more focus on white characters , just serve to build the main character Chico. Which, even then, doesn’t take away from their contributions to the film. Another issue tackled in my film is how dogs, specifically chihuahuas, are viewed and treated by some peo ple. The film shows two perspectives, one of the owner that uses the dog solely for intern et popularity and the othe...

The Website: Home | My Site (revengeofchico.wixsite.com) The Postcard: The Full Film: YouTube Link:  (196) Chico's Revenge, Full Film 2023 - YouTube

 The film has been coming along nicely, with editing nearly complete. I've nearly finished my portion of editing, which I plan to completely finish over Spring Break. When finished with my current editing, I will work to aid Ariel in her remaining work and begin on the film's postcard and website. One of the biggest problems we faced with editing was background music. With no plans beforehand, I had to help come up with music on the spot. However, I found the process to be pretty fun. Especially finding common horror film sound motifs. With these, I found a theme to give Chico whenever he is on screen. This common trope of giving the killer a sound motif in horror movies is one of my favorite parts of them, so it was very cool to be able to use that method here as well. Although I previous worry I had has recently come to pass. We may not have enough footage for our film. I think the film may suffer from feeling too short with our last-minute changes. However, last minute added...

 Editing is all there is left to do in this project as everything has been filmed. I have begun editing the clips I filmed yesterday and forming the beginning of the film. While Ariel is the main editor of our group, I don't want to leave all the work for her. I started with sorting and transferring clips from my phone to my laptop so I could edit them properly. My phone does have a very basic editing software, but It's not enough to combine clips or add the effects I want to use. So, through WhatsApp, I transfer the videos to my laptop and search for a free editing software. I would use the one I recommended to Ariel, but it's not compatible with my current laptop. I asked for recommendations from my classmates, but most of them use editing software that isn't compatible with my laptop. I did take one suggestion from my classmate, but personally I found the software hard to navigate. I would end up using it if I couldn't find another option. Luckily, I remembered t...

 Today marks the final official day of filming as I film Chico's backstory. The session went surprisingly well as my dog was very cooperative, however I struggled to account for my location. Specifically, the trouble of filming in an apartment with noisy neighbors. This was an issue I was forced to face shortly into the session as I noticed while reviewing shots there would be extra diegetic noise that was distracting. Another concern I had was this background noise distracting Chico, which happened a few times but less than I expected. Using treats to distract him from the noise was a great method to get things back on track. While Chico was taken care of, the noise didn't relent. It wasn't enough noise to reasonably be able to tell my neighbors to quiet down, but enough to pick up on the camera's microphone. In response to this, I learned to scatter my filming between the noise and take breaks when it was too loud to film. This made filming much slower than it should ...

 As has become the usual routine for this project, the improved schedule has already been altered as Chico's health and unexpected financial and family issues prevented me from filming on 3/12. I plan to film on 3/13, Monday, to make up the loss and get right to editing. The health issue preventing Chico from filming today, a brief bout of constipation, will not prevent filming tomorrow as medicine has already been purchased and given. However, this gives a good opportunity to outline the safety measures taken throughout the project and going forward in the project. At the beginning of the project, I discussed safety measures such as flashlights and contact information with Ariel. As we filmed in the woods, it's important to be safe from bugs, getting lost, and any wildlife we may encounter. I recommended using bug spray and wearing longer clothes and gym shoes to our actors to combat bugs and protect them from stray sticks and bushes that could easily scratch up those who are ...

 I may have mentioned the changes in the script and storyboard due to the story shifts, but I should also mention shifts made in the schedule. It's important to keep the schedule in mind for all projects, but especially ones with schedule changes such as this one. With all but one filming session complete, editing underway, and finalizations being prepared it is a good time to identify specific dates. I like to make a schedule blog personally for myself as it helps keep me on track for the future and gives me an idea of where my partner is in their process. To start, 3/11, today, will be made exclusively for scheduling and filming preparations. Giving a whole day for this puts less stress on everyone involved, especially Ariel and me. Having time to prepare for filming also helps understand what I will be filming so when the cameras role I know what to expect and how to direct. One of the ways I plan to prepare for filming is by giving my dog Chico a bath and brushing. Chico isn...

 Using the footage filmed so far, Ariel and I have begun to edit, mainly focusing on adding affects. Although Ariel is doing the most editing between us, I still assist in choosing what clips to use, make sure we have a good variety of shots, recommend editing software and tools, and general advice. The decision of which shots to keep was easier than I anticipated. I had assumed it would be difficult to choose between two great takes, but most of them had a clear outlier of the best shot. There were also easy ways to eliminate takes by spotting awkward angles, too much shaking, or actors peeking into the shot before their scene. This process was also helped by the quick thinking of my past self. During the filming sessions I would delete some takes that ended quickly due to early mistakes or shots with noticeable mistakes. This wasn't a fool proof strategy as some of the sound or shots could be used for transitions or to play in other shots, but it certainly helped the future proce...

 The most recent filming session between myself, Ariel, and Elena was a bit different than our usual sessions, but ultimately for the better. As has become the typical, one of our actors couldn't make it to film with us. However, this may have been for the best as we didn't have a fully thought-out plan for all of our actors that day. In light of our changes to the script, I helped Ariel come up with a brief shot list the night before filming. I also helped flesh out our new story a little more, helped with the shots Ariel came up with. With this new shot list, when I arrived on the set with Ariel and Elena, I helped explain the new plan for today's filming. Ariel took focus on the shots we needed and kept us on track while I did most of the filming and directing of actors. I filmed on Ariel's phone, as it had the best quality camera among us, and led the group to each spot along the woodsy nature trail that would best suit each shot. While filming, I found I had to get...

 Unfortunately, yet very fortunately, the current plans for the story of Chico's Revenge have gone through some major changes. This all began with a conversation I had with my mom about our film progress. While not well versed in film, my mom is great in common sense and helped me see that the current method wasn't working. For too many weekends, getting everyone together to film was becoming more and more impossible. As I complained about the time we were wasting, my mom suggested I get new actors. I explained to her it would set us back to far, she told me it was my project, so I needed to figure it out. With this motivation I began to think of how we could still film enough footage but with less availability of our actors. During this deep thought, my view wandered over to my dog Chico, napping on his bed. With one look at Chico, I knew what I could do to potentially save our progress. Instead of filming mostly with our actors, I could film mostly with my dog, who would alwa...

 Yesterday I formally met the rest of the acting team, Elena and Kay, when we met up to film. Ariel was also supposed to join us but got held up with a transportation complication. I managed without Ariel well, taking over camera work using my personal phone and referencing the storyboard and screenplay several times. Elena and Kay were comfortable in front of the camera and quick to catch on to the attitude of each scene. Elena and Kay also knew each other before filming, aiding in the compatibility of actors working together. Elena is playing the part of Sam and Kay is playing Noah. Elena perfected the goofy demeanor of Sam, making the idea of her getting them all lost in the woods surprisingly believable. Elena was the star of most scenes filmed today as Sam survived longer than Noah. Elena remained focused on task and suggested improvements throughout the filming session, such as recommending a new area to film when the one we were in was too muddy. Elena also came prepared wit...

    Today began the first true day of filming. Ariel and myself decided to start with all the scenes including Chico to get them out of the way first and allow some additional scouting of Easterlin Park. Filming with Chico turned out easier than expected, but still involved some unexpected hiccups. We began filming with having Chico standing over a body, which was simulated with a jacket over a large log and piles of sticks. There was little to no trouble keeping Chico in the area off leash, but due to the excitement of a new location and new person, he was reluctant to sit still. However, when I got out his training treats he was happy to go along with it. I directed Chico by leading him to the log, gently lifting his front paws onto the jacket, and giving the stay command. After this, I would stand next to Ariel and hold a treat just above the camera. It took a few tries for him to calm down and understand the instructions, but there were no other obstacles in that shot. In ...

     Where some projects start smoothly, most start with a few trips and hold ups. This project was no exception, beginning with scheduling conflicts. Where our first filming date was set for February 4th and 5th, due to some confusion with times and standard, yet unforeseen, scheduling conflicts we eventually pushed our first filming date back to our first backup date, February 20th. I had anticipated pushbacks, but never so many and so significant. However, despite the extremely tight schedule that's been made, I'm still confident in our recovery skills. To combat these setbacks, the editing schedule will start a week sooner, beginning with the footage gained from February 20th. Then, filming dates will be set to the last weekend of February and first weekend of March, both of which will have longer hours to make up lost time. It's also likely there will be less takes during filming to save time and get through as many scenes as possible. With these faster scenes, there...

    One of my responsibilities not listed in the official schedule is training our demon dog, Chico the chihuahua. I began training Chico as soon as the idea of using him in the film came to my mind. Going into our training, Chico was unexperienced as he had never been trained before, outside of potty training. He is naturally respectful and calm, so there was never any pressing need for me to train him in the past. However, this comes with the consequence of taking extra time to teach him the concept of training before beginning with sitting, staying, and coming when called. When starting our training, I used pumpkin biscuits and began with sitting, which for the most part included me pushing his rear to the ground to gently force him into the sitting position. Unfortunately, the biscuits were too big for him to eat quickly, so I was only able to give him one or two a day. The biscuits became a bigger issue when Chico began disliking them, due to the frequency of having them,...

 This is our full storyboard for Chico's Revenge. Page 1- This page is the first 6 shots of the conversation that the boys have before they enter the woods. Here we see friendships and characters established.  Page 2- These shots lead up to the boys arriving at the woods, with Evan's character as the "responsible" one being made known.  Page 3- A sudden cut to the woods in the afternoon is shown, brining a sense of humor to the situation, as Evan clearly did not want to go. Their relationship with the woods is established here.  Page 4- The first "scary" event happens here, with Noah having his ankle snapped at by a goose. Humor is brought in through Noah's reaction and Sam's claim of spiritual warnings.  Page 5- This page is where things start to pick up. Noah's dead body is found and the boys start to realize that going to the woods was maybe a bad idea.  Page 6- More humor is potrayed here (through Sam again), by him not thinking ahead, as he ...

Props :   Our three actors will begin holding snacks from a convenience store, including chips and soda. We plan to buy these supplies at the convenience store when we arrive. We will also later use a simple backpack, borrowed from Ariel, a flashlight, borrowed from Naliah , a game controller that can be borrowed from Naliah or one of our actors, and a fake knife which will be bought online. Fake blood will also be used to dress the costumes.   Costumes :   Evan, Sam, and Noah will wear average clothes for their portrayed high school age, likely including jeans and T -shirts. Chico the Chihuahua will be suited in a simple collar and dog tag, which he already owns, and dressed in some fake blood.    Location :   We will have three main filming locations: the convenience store nearby the park , the isolated road , and inner woods in Easterlin Park . No permission is needed to film at the convenience store or Easterlin Park, however we will have to fi...