"Mind Over Mat" Filming Opening & CCRs

Here are the finished products!

Film Opening:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hfT9lAC-rNHWrQrk9D4eMvazTo86K4Zc/view?usp=sharing

CCR #1:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vjh2XqRswvFdR8IQhwHi9b4e9fRQSeil/view?usp=sharing

CCR #2:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ttX6UVZ-e95JmG-hSeVvzT4MXG7kCC3O/view?usp=sharing

Final Reflection! ;)

     After 8 long weeks of creating my film opening "Mind Over Mat", I have finally finished editing the production, as well as my two CCRs. And I'm not gonna lie, the last few weeks were pretty rough. From recording last minute foley sounds, to finalizing the creative critical reflection, I was cramming every day to get everything done on time. I had edited the bedroom scene and the two whole CCRs during the final week of the project. This was partly my fault because I forgot about the days missed due to my competition schedule for taekwondo, plus my other school work. As a result, I would have tried to manage my time better if I were to produce this project again. On top of that, I need to learn how to clean out my phone! My storage was completely full while I was trying to record everything. I had to delete so many random videos to be able to still have enough space to save all of my recordings for the project. It got so bad that I even had to delete YouTube. YouTube!

    Something I think I should've spent more time doing was planning out the storyboard. Although I used most of the shots in my storyboard, some scenes where completely scrapped or changed. For example, although I did film the establishing shots and close-ups of the taekwondo equipment, they were not included into the final film opening. The reason being is because it didn't really match with the music and the timing wouldn't have matched to my liking. Another thing that was changed was the flashback scene to successful competitions when Allie is looking at her medals in her bedroom. There just wasn't enough time to include all of that so I completely scratched it from the video. However, the plus side to this is that I noticed I got more ideas as I was filming. For instance, I decided to have Allie search up how long a broken ankle takes to heal, giving the audience more empathy and emotion for Allie. I also added my dad into the film and the whole "throwing the stuffed animal at the door" thing. I loved that I added these new scenes on the spot because they really just make the whole opening look more interesting, and it showed Allie's personality more.

    Furthermore, I did actually enjoy the process throughout the creation of the project despite the minor conflicts. (Still can't believe that I twisted my pinkie toe the day before shooting the taekwondo scenes lol). Despite that, I learned some new editing techniques, such as cutting videos into short spurts and combining them. This technique was used during the scene where Allie breaks her ankle. It added more motion and speed to the scene, making it look more realistic. I also learned how to integrate certain themes throughout my film opening. For instance, I am very proud of the way I incorporated the black and gold pattern into the credits and the title, representing a black belt with gold embroidered letters. It acts almost as a secret little easter egg for the viewers who actually do taekwondo or another martial art, and are familiar with the color scheme of the black belt.

     

     All in all, this film opening truly resonates with me on a personal level, and I am satisfied with how I represented taekwondo as well as the feeling of mental set backs. I do love what I have created and I hope others watching will enjoy it as much as I do.

Here are some highlights!

(The moment after I finished editing the whole project)

(Our second group meeting in class!)

(Lamby's cereal box collab from CCR #1)

"Taping my Ankle" CCR #2 -Production Process-

I have finished my last and final step of the project, CCR #2! This creative critical reflection is about me taping my ankle while I answer the last two questions of the CCRs.

Here's some BTS pics:

   (Materials to tape: scissors & tape)

Since I was recording this all alone, I used my dad's camera holder

(aka the black stick in these bts pictures)

As you can see from the photos, I used three different angles to film this video. This is because I wanted the CCR to have more motion, instead of just being static and boring with just one camera angle.

    Doing this alone was quite challenging because I only had my phone camera, so I could only record one angle of me taping my foot at a time. If I had another phone, I could easily film two angles at once. However, to not waste any tape, the second angle I recorded, I actually took off my tape and just reversed the video. Reversing the video made it look like I was actually applying the tape. This clever idea made it easier and less time consuming to film.

Here's the original clip vs. the reversed clip:

                                                       

 (Aftermath of the tape when I took it off)

Script:

Tape my Ankle with me, while I answer some questions about my upcoming production, "Mind over Mat".

Ok first question! *Opens roll*

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Throughout my filming process, I learned how to become a better actor as well as a better editor. Although it was my first time acting, I managed to portray Allie the way I had envisioned her to be. Additionally, I realized that it was very time consuming to decide which types of shots and scenes I wanted to include into the film opening. That being said I believe the storyboard was one of the most challenging processes for me. However overtime, when I knew more about my story, it was easier to come up with the scenes. Directing my friend, Alexis, my cinematographer, was also more difficult than I expected. I already had pictures in my head of what shots would like, however, it was quite challenging to explain certain shots with words. As a result, the filming process took slightly longer than what was planned. While editing, I learned how to time music with the credit sequence, as well as the strikes, blocks, and punches, making the final product look nicely assembled.

Just like how I need to nicely assemble this taping job.

Alright moving on to the next question.

How did you integrate software, hardware, and online technologies in this project?

To record my whole project, Alexis, my videographer used my phone to film. I chose to use my phone because I could comfortably transfer all the footage to my computer, without needing use a USB or any other complicated technology. Using an iPhone was also easier to move, as it is smaller than a professional camera. This allowed me to do creative shots such as the POV shot into my failed flash kick attempt. To edit my project, I used Clipchamp. This editing software was accessible to me through Office365 since I am a student, and it provided an abundance of tools to help me assemble my film opening effectively. To create my production logo and my title, I used Canva. This online program helped me design and personalize my logo and title to my liking, as it contains many features for different fonts, colors, gradients, and objects. I had also created a mood board for Allie through Canva as well. And of course, I used Blogger.com to organize, research, and plan out my project over these past few weeks.

Ok! And we're all taped up! See you guys on the mats!

Lamby's CCR #1 -Production Proccess-

    I have filmed and edited my first CCR. To recap, I made my stuffed animal from my film opening interview me. Let me show you how I did it.

     To make Lamby, my stuffed animal move, I placed him on a chair and hid in the back, using my arms to move him around. I did want him to just be stiff because then he wouldn't have any personality. Moving Lamby around like a puppet made him seem more alive and it engages the audience as well. I wore a black long sleeve so my arms were more hidden and it creates a more realistic illusion for the viewers.

     Since I am representing an interview, I wanted the setting to look slightly professional. That is why I used fancy chairs and set up a clean wall for the background. I also incorporated some decor such as the pot and the candle sticks next to the chair. I feel like without those elements, the setting would just look too bare.

Here's some BTS of my set up:

(I used a camera stand to prop my phone up)

Here's some raw footage:

    For Lamby's voice, I did not keep the original audio. This was because I sounded too muffled, as I was talking behind a chair 5 feet away from the camera. On top of that, you could also hear my sister's pet bird chirping in the background. So I just voiced over all of the clips of Lamby talking. In contrast, in the clips where I am seen speaking, I kept the original audio because you could already hear my voice clearly.

     During the outro interview, Lamby jokes that the next time the audience will see him, he will be on a cereal box. Implying that he will become famous from his appearance in the film opening, when shown at film festivals and on YouTube. That being said, I created a cute little cereal box with his face on it on Canva. This pops up in the interview right after Lamby teases his cereal box collab.

Here's how I created this small detail on Canva:

Final Product:

Final Script:

LAMBY: 

Hey guys! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Lamby, aka one of Amanda's favorite childhood friends. And today I am going to be interviewing her about her latest project, "Mind Over Mat". Also, if you didn't already know, I am actually an actor in this filming opening, and play as a stuffed animal that gets thrown at a door. Huh that sounds a little weird out of context. But anyway, here the first question.

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

ME:

   I believe my product has challenged the conventions of a teenage girl. The typical teenage girl usually does sports like gymnastics, dance, or figure skating. Allie, unlike other girls, does a more masculine driven sport, taekwondo. On the contrary, the film embraces quite a few general martial arts movie conventions, such as highly detailed action shots and bright color schemes. It also includes some coming-of-age conventions like voiceovers and a setting of a teenager's bedroom. Allie does fall into the category of being a teenager in general. For instance, she wears comfy clothing such as hoodies, shorts, and slides, when she is not training. Allie also uses her laptop in bed, as many teenagers do. This film opening represents the athletic social group, specifically of martial arts. Allie is seen to be practicing in a dojang with a real taekwondo uniform and black belt. She accurately represents taekwondo and her status of being a black belt, by showing her impressive movements and techniques. My product highly emphasizes the issues of mental blocks and injury, mainly with athletes. When Allie goes to do her flash kick, she hesitates at the last second, leaving her with a broken ankle. Essentially, the audience can see that Allie needs to become more mentally resilient, while also needing to heal her foot in the process.

LAMBY:

*sips coffee mug*

Hmm very well said Amanda. But I need to tell my other friends where they can watch this production.

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

ME:

My product engages the audience by developing the character through mise-en-scene, including the setting and the costuming. Allie is first seen wearing a taekwondo dobok, inside a dojang. This illustrates that she is an experienced martial artist to the audience. The bright colors of the dojang and the other students practicing in the background  create a realistic and active environment. The first scenes also include energetic music that ties in with the action movements that Allie performs and the diegetic sounds coming from the story. This alignment with the auditory elements and the visuals captivate the audience due to their ability to work together and match. This film opening can be distributed through YouTube, as it is easily accessible by the whole world, and is directly displayed to consumers. Entering my production in film festivals are also other ways to get my product out there, and possibly be noticed by a distribution company. Some festivals I could potentially enter are the Central Florida film fest, Florida Asian Pacific film fest, or the South Asian International film fest (AIFF). These are all held in the state of Florida, so I could easily be able to attend and get my film opening more recognition.

LAMBY:

So people are going to see me on the big screen? Wow, I knew I was gonna be famous one day. Alright! That's all for now, next time you'll see me, I'll be on your cereal box. This is Lamby, your host, signing off.

Ideas for my CCR's

CCR #1:

     For my first two questions, I want to make a production where Allie's stuffed animal "Lamby" is interviewing me about my film opening. I want this CCR to be funny to watch and make the test scorers have a nice laugh while grading it. This was a fun idea suggested to me in my second group meeting from two of my classmates, Maia and Luke. To make Lamby come to life, I am going to be the voice actor for him, using a very high pitched, funny voice. My inspiration for this is going to be Elmo's voice. I will also be using him as a puppet by propping up my camera high, and using my arm to control his body movements. I can also use props such as a coffee mug to have Lamby drink out of, creating a cute parallel to normal interviews. I will film this video at my house, most likely at a table to give off an interview type of setting.

CCR #2:

     For my last two questions, I am thinking of making a production where I am being interviewed while I tape my foot. I got this idea because it brings in Allie's character and my own personal experience into the interview. I want to display the questions on the athletic tape, as I unwrap it from the roll. After I answer the question, I will add the tape to my foot. I will be filming this at my house, in my room. I want it to be the same setting of Allie's bedroom. By the end of the video, I will have my foot taped up and ready to go to taekwondo practice. That being said, I will wear my taekwondo dobok throughout the video. I wanted to do this because I have broken my ankle before and have had to tape it exactly like this, which connects my own personal life to Allie's life.

Additional add ins:

     I am also planning to incorporate some behind the scenes footage throughout these two CCR's, as it engages the viewers to what I am saying and creates nice visuals for them. Footage such as BTS of filming, the editing process, and creating my logo, will all be included and overlayed into the videos. In addition, the sources to my information will all be cited at the very end of the CCRs.

(Note: The two CCRs should add up to 10 minutes long combined)

CCR - Researching/Script for Question #4

Question #4:

How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware and online - in this project?

   To record my whole project, Alexis, my videographer used my phone to film. I chose to use my phone because I could comfortably transfer all the footage to my computer, without needing use a USB or any other complicated technology. Using an iPhone was also easier to move, as it is smaller than a professional camera. This allowed me to do creative shots such as the POV shot into my failed flash kick attempt. To edit my project, I used Clipchamp. This editing software was accessible to me through Office365 since I am a student, and it provided an abundance of tools to help me assemble my film opening effectively. To create my production logo and my title, I used Canva. This online program helped me design and personalize my logo and title to my liking, as it contains many features for different fonts, colors, gradients, and objects. I had also created a mood board for Allie through Canva as well. And of course, I used Blogger.com to organize, research, and plan out my project over these past few weeks.

Sources:

Microsoft. (n.d.). What is Clipchamp? Microsoft Support. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/what-is-clipchamp-750e8940-cd76-4abf-9767-b34d3d3285d7

Canva. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canva

V Renée. (2017, August 1). The pros and cons of making a film with your smartphone. No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/2017/08/pros-and-cons-making-film-your-smartphone

CCR - Researching/Script for Question #3

Question #3:

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

     Throughout my filming process, I learned how to become a better actor as well as a better editor. Although it was my first time acting, I managed to portray Allie the way I had envisioned her to be. Additionally, I realized that it was very time consuming to decide which types of shots and scenes I wanted to include into the film opening. That being said I believe the storyboard was one of the most challenging processes for me. However overtime, when I knew more about my story, it was easier to come up with the scenes. Directing my friend, Alexis, my cinematographer, was also more difficult than I expected. I already had pictures in my head of what shots would like, however, it was quite challenging to explain certain shots with words. As a result, the filming process took slightly longer than what was planned. While editing, I learned how to time music with the credit sequence, as well as the strikes, blocks, and punches, making the final product look nicely assembled.

Sources:

The Los Angeles Film School. (2017, May 15). 5 skills every filmmaker needs. https://www.lafilm.edu/blog/5-skills-every-filmmaker-needs/

Hulett, S. (2016, March 16). Storyboard deadlines … storyboard timelines. Animation Guild. https://animationguild.org/storyboard-deadlines-storyboard-timelines/

CCR - Researching/Script for Question #2

Question #2:

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

    My product engages the audience by developing the character through mise-en-scene, including the setting and the costuming. Allie is first seen wearing a taekwondo dobok, inside a dojang. This illustrates that she is an experienced martial artist to the audience. The bright colors of the dojang and the other students practicing in the background  create a realistic and active environment. The first scenes also include energetic music that ties in with the action movements that Allie performs and the diegetic sounds coming from the story. This alignment with the auditory elements and the visuals captivate the audience due to their ability to work together and match. This film opening can be distributed through YouTube, as it is easily accessible by the whole world, and is directly displayed to consumers. Entering my production in film festivals are also other ways to get my product out there, and possibly be noticed by a distribution company. Some festivals I could potentially enter are the Central Florida film fest, Florida Asian Pacific film fest, or the South Asian International film fest (AIFF). These are all held in the state of Florida, so I could easily be able to attend and get my film opening more recognition.

Sources:

The Los Angeles Film School. (2025, May 27). From screen to stream: A guide to indie film distribution. The L.A. Film School. https://www.lafilm.edu/blog/indie-film-distribution/

Metcalfe, B. (2025, October 18). Why sports movies continue to captivate audiences across generations. Stage and Cinema. https://stageandcinema.com/2025/10/18/sports-movies-captivate-generations/

FilmFreeway. (n.d.). FilmFreeway. https://filmfreeway.com/

The Editing process -Beginning Action Sequence-

    To start off my film opening, I wanted something that would grab my viewer's attention. To allow this to happen, I made a fast sequenced opening of Allie practicing her poomsae techniques. She does the front line of Taegeuk 8 (aka Taegeuk Pal Jang), one of the poomsae forms, and then freestyles her own elements after.

    During these scene, I wanted each and every individual punch, strike, and block, to have purpose and meaning. It was a great way to represent how each movement in taekwondo has its own significance and purpose. In order to do this, I used many fast cuts, close-ups, long shots, medium shots, and many different angles, to capture the resemblance of rapid movement.

    Adding to that, I also tried my best to time the beats of the music with Allie's strikes, blocks, and kicks. Doing this made the video look more cohesive and it makes the music and video look more intentionally placed and thought out.

Here's a quick snippet:

(video is slightly glitchy because it's not fully exported from Clipchamp yet) (Bear with me lol)

*(Side note: I will be adding in the foley sounds later in my editing process)*

CCR - Researching/Script for Question #1

    It's time to start planning for my Creative Critical Reflection. We have already gone over and took some notes on all the important information that needs to be presented in the CCR during class.

Here are some things I jotted down:

    In addition, I already have an idea of what I am going to make for my reflection. During the second group meeting yesterday, I was given amazing suggestions by Maia and also Luke that really helped me get inspiration for my CCR. I believe I talked about this in my Group Meeting #2 post, but as a refresher, Maia had suggested I should make my stuffed animal "Lamby", interview me for my reflection. I thought this was hilarious and a great idea. Luke had then suggested that I could use Lamby as a puppet, using a high pitched voice for when he talks. I am definitely going to incorporate this into my CCR because not only is it funny, but it is also using a prop/character from part of my film opening. I just love how connects my CCR with my actual production opening together so smoothly.

       Continuing on, there are four questions based on our film opening we will need to answer in this reflection. However, today I am just focusing on question number one:

Question #1:

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

   I believe my product has challenged the conventions of a teenage girl. The typical teenage girl usually does sports like gymnastics, dance, or figure skating. Allie, unlike other girls, does a more masculine driven sport, taekwondo. On the contrary, the film embraces quite a few general martial arts movie conventions, such as highly detailed action shots and bright color schemes. It also includes some coming-of-age conventions like voiceovers and a setting of a teenager's bedroom. Allie does fall into the category of being a teenager in general. For instance, she wears comfy clothing such as hoodies, shorts, and slides, when she is not training. Allie also uses her laptop in bed, as many teenagers do. This film opening represents the athletic social group, specifically of martial arts. Allie is seen to be practicing in a dojang with a real taekwondo uniform and black belt. She accurately represents taekwondo and her status of being a black belt, by showing her impressive movements and techniques. My product highly emphasizes the issues of mental blocks and injury, mainly with athletes. When Allie goes to do her flash kick, she hesitates at the last second, leaving her with a broken ankle. Essentially, the audience can see that Allie needs to become more mentally resilient, while also needing to heal her foot in the process.

   

 

Sources:

Manson, D. (2021, August 17). Representation in martial arts media. Martial Journal. https://www.martialjournal.com/representation-in-martial-arts-media/

Codes + Conventions: Martial Arts [Prezi presentation]. (n.d.). Prezi. https://prezi.com/6uuulatmd37g/codes-conventions-martial-arts/

Codes and Conventions of Coming-of-Age Films [Prezi presentation]. (n.d.). Prezi. https://prezi.com/svyzdw4qndq4/codes-and-conventions-of-coming-of-age-films/

Albishi, W., Alajlan, F., Alshehri, S., & AbuDujain, N. M. (2025). Athlete’s mental health and quality of life after sports injuries. JBJS Reviews, 13(9), e25.00123. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12445178/

Shooting Process -Computer Scene-

     For this specific scene, I wanted to include different angles and shots so that the audience would be able to see Allie through various perspectives. I first filmed a long shot of the whole bunk bed. This showed how her room was set up and it represented her type of style through symbolic objects, such as the USA dobok top hanging from her bed, her adidas slides below her, and her stuffed animals above her.

    The USA uniform symbolizes her passion and dedication to taekwondo. The slides represent her athleticism. The stuffed animals exemplify that despite participating in a tough sport, she is still a kid with a big heart.

    The other shots I filmed act as a way to get the audience to see Allie's sad emotions when she realizes how long her ankle will recover. I use a series of close-ups and medium side shots to illustrate this.

Here are some examples:

    After filming these, I recorded my blank computer screen from my POV as Allie. Then, I screen recorded myself typing, "how long does it take for a broken ankle to heal" on Google. So when I edit this in my project, I will overlay the screen recording to align with my computer screen.

    The reason I didn't just take a video of me actually typing from the computer in one take, is because the picture quality of the screen would've look pixelated. I think it is clearer to use a screen recording because it is more clear and can be seen better by the viewers.

Here's what it looks like separated:

The Editing process -Credits-

     Now that I have all my footage recorded, it is finally time to start editing my film opening. That being the case, to begin my editing journey, I started off importing all my video footage and audio, including my production logo, into Clipchamp. This way I can easily access each clip during my editing process. Clipchamp will be the main editing software I will be using throughout this project.

     Next, I displayed my production logo as my beginning scene and used a transition and a cool sound effect to add more dimension and to make it look more professional.

Here's how it turned out: 

    After that, I started to experiment with different types of fonts to use for my credits. Choosing which font style I want is a very crucial decision because it decides what type of aesthetic the whole production will be. I need to make sure the font matches the actual film opening.

    I decided to use the Staatliches font. It is very simple yet affective, as it gives off a white and bold looking appearance. I chose this font because I wanted it to resemble the sports aspect of the film. Similarly, I connect bold, uppercase letters with the sports aesthetic.

    For the background of the credit sequence, I wasn't sure if I was going to add any sort of video to it because it may be too distracting for the viewer. As a result, for now I will just leave it as is, black. As for the music aspect, I decided to time the beats with the appearances of the credits. This makes the scene look more cohesive and connects the visuals and sound together.

Here's what the credits look like so far:

     UPDATE!!! I just figured out the perfect color to change my font to. Gold! Gold is the perfect color to match the black background because it has the same color scheme as a taekwondo black belt. The belt is obviously black and the letters are embroidered with gold thread.  And not only that, the lettering in English uses all capital letters, similar to the font for my credits. Overall, this small change creates a huge impact on the meaning and message of the story.

Here's what my whole first scene looks like now:

    ALSO VERY IMPORTANT, I have finally chosen a title for this production. I will be naming it, "Mind Over Mat". I love this title because it is a play on word of the phrase "Mind Over Matter". The title truly represents the message of willpower through mental resilience in the film. It suggests that the power of the mind will impact and will help overcome physical obstacles. Moreover, I will be including this title into my credit sequence.

Group Meeting #2

    Today in class we had another group meeting, however it was with a different group. I like how we changed up our groups because it allowed us to get more insight from even more perspectives. This meeting was genuinely very helpful, as I got a better idea on how to do my CCR thanks to my group members. Here's how it went:

Me:

    While I was talking about how I filmed the scene where I injure my ankle and reversed it, the group said it was a clever idea. However, they suggests I should speed it up and cut to the falling scene right away to make it look more realistic. I also showed them my POV shot of me doing a round-off. Luke said it was very creative and he suggested that I should try to use small increments of it just so it doesn't look too fake. Maia had suggested that my CCR should incorporate my stuffed animal, Lamby. I hadn't thought of this before and I thought it was a great idea. Luke had also recommended that I should prop my phone up high and almost use Lamby as a hand puppet. He also suggested I should use a high pitch voice for Lamby, which I will definitely do. I loved all of the ideas they gave me, not only because they incorporated my childhood stuffed animal from my story, but also allowing the CCR to be funny and giving my viewers a good laugh.

Maia: Blog Post: https://lifeofagirlwithablog.blogspot.com/

Her story

Title: Maia: unfiltered

A girl gets bullied because she is very childish. She likes baking, crocheting, playing piano, taekwondo. The film opening is her voicing over her character and explaining/introducing her character.

Fun fact: She decorated her room with star garlands and decorated her phone with gems to emphasis the personality of her character.

CCR

She is thinking of doing a vogue 21 questions type of interview. Crocheting, baking, and any other hobbies while answering questions.

Noah: Blog Post: https://noahawadalla.blogspot.com/

His story

Title: Straight A's (he wanted it to be seen as sarcastic)

About a rich kid named Oliver whose parents think he is a good person and is smart in school. However, he is actually a bully and does bad things such as smoking. The film opening shows two different sides of him. It will follow his character acting differently around his parents, while being a whole other person at school. The film opening while include scenes of him in his fancy bedroom and on the way to school, with his mom. He wants to use two types of music to show two different sides of his character throughout the story. 

He wanted to have a scene of him smoking, but he did not actually want to smoke. Maia suggested that he could use a fog machine to get smoke. Then I recommended him about fake cigarettes at Spirit Halloween or to use the smoke from incense. After that, Luke had mentioned that the scene could show him with a cigarette in his hand but with smoke in the background, so the audience can imply smoking.

CCR

He had an idea of one side of him is interviewing him and the other side of him is answering his questions. We suggested that he should use different costumes to distinguish the characters even more.

Jade: Blog Post: https://eattraveljade.blogspot.com/

Her story

About a girl named Avery, in a mental asylum whose best friend dies. Everyone thinks the girl is crazy. The girl tries to convince the police that she has nothing to do with her friend's death.

Fun facts: They used a dog cage to represent a dog cage. They used wallpaper for the prisoner walls, which looked very realistic. I saw some of the clips and the set looks very authentic and cool. Also, the police was played by one of the girl's dads.

CCR 

We gave her ideas about possibly being interviewed by a police officer, maybe being a witness of the case of Avery.

Brennan: Blog Post: https://darkest-insight.blogspot.com/

His story

A thriller/suspense about Asher and Austin, two opposites. The film opening consists of Asher passionately working on a project, however Austin steals it and becomes a disturbance to Asher. Taking revenge for what Austin had done, Asher had murdered him.

 Brennan showed us a video recording of his tracking shot. Overall his filming was great quality. However, Luke did suggest him to use a stabilizer because his footage was slightly shaky. Other than that, the rest of his footage looked very professional. He is part of CBTV after all, and used some fancy cameras when filming.

Fun Fact: Brennan said it was quite a challenge to act because he is usually behind the camera, as he is in CBTV.

CCR

He had an idea wear he was being interviewed by his character, in a prisoner jumpsuit. I agree that this was a great idea. Maia had also recommended him to somehow creatively use the project he was creating during the film opening as the CCR.

Luke: Blog Post: https://boldbiscuitblog.blogspot.com/

His story

Title: To Will (inspired by the letter)

It is about two friends, Will, the antisocial bed rotter, and Derek, a social butterfly and caring individual. The first scene starts in Will in his bedroom as he gets call from his friend Derek. Derek calls Will to ask if he wants to hang out. Will rejects Derek's offer, the next scene cuts to Derek standing outside of Will's door, looking defeated by Will's response. The last scene illustrates Derek drop off a letter to Will's doorstep. Our group liked the way he ended his film opening because it leaves the audience questioning what was written in that letter.

CCR

We had suggested that Luke should use Derek's letter for each question of the CCR. We thought this was a creative way to drag the film into the CCR itself, as for many of our other group member's CCRs.

   Ultimately, this meeting was super collaborative, supportive, and helpful for not only me, but for all of the group members. I really enjoyed listening to what others had to say about my project, as well as giving others feedback on theirs. It is so cool to see how everyone's portfolio project is so different yet equally impressive and well planned out.

Anyway, here's a little group picture from our meeting in class:

Group Picture!

The Shooting process -Dojang scene-

    Due to the fact that most of my film was shot at the dojang, I needed to film right after the last class of the day. This worked out perfectly though because my class is always the last one to finish. So after practice, me and my friend Alexis, who was helping me film, got to work. We first captured the still shots to get the easy parts out of the way. We recorded close-ups of all the belts hung on the walls, the quotes, the equipment, and of the American and Korean flag.

    After that, we started with the hardest part... aka filming me. I consider myself to be a decent actor. But it is SO easy for me to break character and start burst out laughing. And it doesn't help that my friend Alexis was the one recording me too. She would make me laugh every five seconds. However, we got the job done and recorded all of the shots we needed.

   For the scene where I hurt my ankle while coming out of the round-off, I came up with a clever way to shoot this without actually hurting my ankle. I started with a close-up my ankle in a twisted position, then I jumped up so my feet were out of frame. And when you put this video in reverse, it looks like I landed right on the side of my ankle.

Original Video

Edited Video (Reversed)

Here's some BTS footage!!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pfRr8C8FTU2kna4_W2UBWr-utZA7SBai?usp=sharing

The Shooting process -Bedroom scene-

     The time has finally come start the filming process. I decided to film the last few scenes in Allie's bedroom first, primarily because I think it will be the easiest to shoot, and also because the set is literally my own bedroom so I don't have to drive anywhere. I used my phone as my camera and my light up mirror for some better lighting. As much as I wish I could've have a better quality camera for this project, you can't always get what you wish for. Anyway, I still believe my project will turn out great either way.

            Lighting/Camera

    (light up mirror)

    (phone camera)                   (lamp)

     

     I have never acted in my life and I know nothing about it, so it was definitely a challenge for to play the main character. However, I intentionally made Allie have a similar personality to me, so at least I didn't have to change too much about myself to play her.

     As I have displayed before, Allie had a taped up foot from her ankle injury. Ironically, two days before filming, I had twisted, bruised, and almost broke my pinkie toe during taekwondo training. This injury set me back in filming because I wanted to rest my toe for a while. And the injured toe just happened to be on the same right ankle that was supposed to be a fake injury. Turns out I didn't have to do much acting because I already hurt myself lol. To save some of my athletic tape when taping my ankle, I knew that I would only record the right side of it, so I left most of the left side of my ankle bare. 

Here's what it looked like:

Surprise!

On the spot, I decided to include a very special guest into this scene. I needed someone to act as Allie's parent. So I believe it was only right for me to cast my actual parent to play my fake parent in my production. Drum roll please....... my one and only dad!!! (also known as Dr. Le)

    My dad was not only a huge help for his acting, but also for his behind the scenes work. During the scene where Allie throws her stuffed animal to close the door, the plushie wasn't actually heavy enough to close the whole door. So I had my dad actually stand behind the door from outside of the room, and close the door at the same time I threw "Lamby", to make it seem more realistic. I'm not gonna lie, we had to reshoot this scene so many times because it was so hard to match my throw to my dad closing the door. In total, we had shot 9 takes to finally get one take to look somewhat realistic. Although it was a pain to film, I think my dad secretly enjoyed being apart of my project.

Here's a video of all our attempts:

Easter Eggs!

    Hidden throughout the bedroom, I placed little details for viewers to spot, such as Allie's USA dobok, her adidas slides, and I even cameoed my personal tkd training bag.

(Also look how clean the set looks versus the messy side of my bedroom that was not being used as a background lol)

Production Company Logo Creation

    My Company Logo is a crucial part of this project. I mean it's the first thing the audience sees of course. This logo will set the tone for the whole entire film opening. That being said, it is important that I come up with a fitting design that matches the aesthetic of my production, as well as adding in my own personal style into it. I am creating the logo through Canva.

Starting Point:

    I want to incorporate my initials for the company name, but I want to create a more unique way to write it without just putting "A.L." in some boring font.

Here are some of my brainstorms:

     

    I like like the last style the best. Now I just need to add some animation and perhaps a background to it. I also love how the first "E" in entertainment can also be connected to the "L" to create Le, which is my last name. It is somewhat of a cool way to incorporate that into the design.

Final Result:

(If the video isn't loading.. here's a picture of it)

Final Costume plans -Costume Creation-

      For my dobok, I have two different options that give off different aesthetics. I have a dobok with a "USA" logo on the back, and I have a dobok that is just blank on the back. One represents the country and how Allie may compete for the USA national team. But the other dobok is more general to the sport and doesn't really go in too deep into who Allie competes for. Nevertheless, I think the "USA" dobok will add more depth to the character. Plus, the logo will also look better visual on camera, especially during the scenes where the camera is facing towards my back. I believe it will really make Allie stand out and it will make the colors in the background pop.

Blank Dobok

USA Dobok

(They both look the same on the front)

      Similarly, I have two different options for which belt style I want to use. My first option is the black belt I wear to train. It has my name in English embroidered onto it, with many stickers/stripes from past belt testings. This belt is thicker, as it is a double tie belt. My second option is the black belt I wear for competitions. It has my name in Korean embroider onto it and it has no stickers/stripes. This belt is thinner, as it is a single tie belt. Although my training belt is thicker and more worn out, representing hard work and accomplishment, my competition belt will work better for filming for several reasons. First of all, my training belt has "AMANDA LE" embroidered onto it. Keep in mind that Allie is the main character, so it wouldn't make sense. Yes, my competition belt also has my name on it, but it is in Korean and I have an audience who I am assuming will mostly not know how to read Korean. This will make my character look more believable. Also, the overall look of the competition belt looks cleaner and is more simplistic without any stickers/stripes. Sometimes less is more.

Training Belt

Competition Belt