Production Blog

 

Hey everyone, welcome back to the blog! Today, I'm excited to share more about the final touches we've been adding to our film. After Conner worked his magic with the editing and color grading, it was time to focus on sound design. We wanted every sound to enhance the viewer's experience and evoke the right emotions. I curated a soundscape that elevated each scene. From the subtle rustling of leaves in the background to the crisp sound of boxing gloves hitting the bag, every detail was carefully crafted to immerse the audience in Renato's world. One particular challenge we faced was finding the perfect balance between dialogue and background noise. We wanted Renato's voice to be crystal clear, yet still feel grounded in the environment. I experimented with different audio levels and filters until we struck the perfect harmony. Another aspect we paid close attention to was the soundtrack The melodic notes intertwined seamlessly with the visuals, enhancing the emotional depth of Renato's journey. As we pieced everything together, we couldn't help but marvel at how each element contributed to the overall narrative. Every frame, sound, and color served a purpose, guiding the audience through Renato's transformation. With the finishing touches in place, our film was finally complete. It had been a labor of love, filled with challenges and triumphs. But seeing it all come together was incredibly rewarding. We couldn't wait to share our creation with the world. Thanks for joining me on this journey.

Production Blog

 

Welcome back! Today, I'm excited to dive into the process of editing and color grading our film. Color grading, in particular, was a crucial step in shaping the emotional journey of our story. Conner as our tech guy has adobe and is the main editor. He approached this process with a clear vision of using color to reflect the emotional arc. He showed me as he started with a blue hue in the initial scenes, symbolizing melancholy and struggle, echoing the despair. As the story progressed, especially through the training sequences, we gradually shifted to brighter, vibrant tones to signify hope and confidence. Integrating the boxing scenes we filmed was a difficult. We wanted them to seamlessly blend into the narrative without disrupting the flow. One technique we used was an L cut during the interview scenes, overlapping the audio to smoothly transition into the boxing scenes and maintain continuity. This not only helped the film flow better but also trimmed a few seconds off the runtime. Since the boxing scenes were filmed in different lighting conditions, color grading was crucial for consistency. Conner spent a lot of time meticulously adjusting the grading to ensure smooth transitions between shots. It was a lengthy process, but the effort paid off in maintaining the film's visual coherence. Overall, the editing and color grading process were about enhancing the narrative and emotional impact of our film. We're all proud of how it turned out. Thanks for tuning in, and I can't wait to share more about our filmmaking journey in the next blog post!

Production Blog

Hey everyone, Finn here. We finally wrapped up filming for our movie. You might remember from yesterday's blog that we were facing a major hurdle with the final scenes, which required us to shoot in a gym with a boxing ring. The catch? None of us had a membership to that gym. But thankfully, our friend Alyssa came to the rescue. She's a member at "The Zoo," the gym we needed, and generously offered us guest passes. We still needed to coordinate our schedules to find a time when all of us could make it. After some back and forth, we settled on a Sunday, and Conner volunteered to drive Alyssa and everyone gym. The scenes themselves weren't overly complicated, but we knew we had to nail them since we might not have the chance for reshoots. Renato's entrance into the ring was all about capturing his determination and readiness to win. Conner set up the camera behind and at an angle below Renato to give that powerful perspective, with the ring in the background adding to the intensity. Then came the knockout scene, where I, well, knocked Renato out. We wanted to make sure we had plenty of footage to work with, so we experimented with different camera angles – close-ups of Renato taking hits, two-shots of both of us in action, and an over-the-shoulder shot of me standing over Renato. And just like that, we wrapped up filming! It's been quite the ride, and I can't wait to see how these scenes come together in the final edit.

Production Blog

 

Welcome back guys. Today I have some crazy news. As a group we love Kanye West and we thought I would be amzing to use his song in our movie. So Conner did just that. Conner went on a mission to get  "Black Skinhead," "Back to Back," and "Lose Yourself" for our video project. In order to upload the video to YouTube, they complicate things The requirement to upload the video to YouTube complicates things despite our use stricltly for academics and support from the label. This showed us difficulties of copyright laws. The realization of high licensing costs showed us the financial obstacles to filmmaking. By emailing the label we gained knowlege about copyright and its difficulties. Long story short, basically Kanye's label emailed us back, but they wanted us to pay a lot of money eventhough we specified our use. So we kept trying, looking at both licensed and royalty-free songs.  The excitement of picking songs like "Black Skinhead," "Back to Back," and "Lose Yourself" fades once you realize how much more work goes into using music that is copyrighted. We asked Def Jam about the project after requesting permission to use "Black Skinhead," but we decided not to use the song to avoid trouble. Instead, we chose a royalty-free song to not worry about the lyrics and  create a more smooth production. Despite the difficulties at the end of the day we chose a song that will fit best with our project.

Production Blog

 

Hey everyone, it's Finn here and I have some exciting updates for you! Finally, the stars aligned, and all of us were free to film together. We decided to head to the beach to work on some scenes that involve the whole gang. First up was a scene to showcase the contrast between Renato's determination and my laid-back vibe. We roped in our friend Sarah to add depth to the narrative. She and I acted relaxed, soaking in the beach vibes while Renato jogged in the background, all focused and serious. It was a cool setup to highlight our different personalities. Then, Conner busted out the drone to capture an aerial shot of Renato, symbolically showing him outpacing me in the race of determination. It added a nice touch to the storyline. For the final beach scene, Sarah and I shared a laugh at Renato's , playing into my character's cocky and carefree attitude. It was all in good fun, and the scene turned out great. After the beach, we moved to a local restaurant where Isahiah took center stage in a scene discussing his return to the ring over the phone with Renato. The noisy atmosphere of the restaurant added a sense of realism to the scene, making it feel authentic. By the end of the day, we were buzzing with excitement and a sense of accomplishment. Next up, we're diving into filming the boxing scenes, including Renato's epic entrance into the ring. Conner will be focusing on editing in the meantime, making sure everything looks perfect. Thanks for tuning in, folks! Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes action, and I'll catch you in the next blog post!

Production Blog

 Hey everyone, Finn here. So, another day of filming is in the books, and let me tell you, Renato and Conner took charge today. Since the weekend freed up our schedules, Renato and Conner decided to dedicate both days to getting some serious work done on our movie. Unfortunately, me and Isahiah couldn't make it today, but we'll be there tomorrow at the beach. So, with just Renato and Conner, they focused on scenes that highlight Renato's character, with a few shots featuring Conner thrown in. Their first stop was LA Fitness, where they planned to shoot some training sequences. We havent yet bought boxing gloves, but that didn't stop them. They figured to work on camera angles for a sparring scene and come back later with the proper gear if needed.Things got a bit tricky for them with filming in a crowded gym. They didn't want to disrupt anyone's workout, so they made the call to switch locations to Renato's house. It turned out to be a good move, as they filmed without worrying about getting in anyone's way. They incorporated the treadmill and punching bag into our scenes, and despite the change in location, they managed to keep the momentum going. It's all about adapting and making the best of the situation, and they just that. Can't wait to see how it all turns out on screen!

Production Blog

It's Finn again. So, today was the start of our filming session, and let me tell you, it was quite the adventure. Renato and Conner had a strategy going in since communication with Isahiah and me hasn't been the smoothest. We decided to tackle as many scenes as possible without us and save the ones we're needed for until later. Renato and Conner planned to start filming after his afternoon practice, which worked out. Conner headed over to his place around 6:00 pm, just as the sun was beginning to set, adding that perfect mood to our shots. We kicked things off with the drone scenes since they were the trickiest, especially with the limited daylight.Their first task was an establishing shot of Renato's neighborhood, captured by the drone. It wasn't too complicated, but they were under a bit of pressure because Conner's drone was low on battery, and he forgot to bring a spare. Next up were the running scenes, and let me tell you, those were a challenge. They had to use the drone's auto-follow mode since it was just Renato and Conner handling the filming. Picture this: Renato sprinting away from a car, with the drone trailing behind, capturing the action. The tricky part? Conner was driving the car, so he couldn't exactly glance back to check if they got the shot right. It took them a few attempts and about 30 minutes to nail it down. Overall, it was a hectic but productive day of filming. Stay tuned for more updates on our progress. Thanks for following along, and I'll catch you in the next blog post!

Production Blog

 

Whats up Cambrige, it's Finn again. We decided to film a boxing movie for our final task. Me and Renato are the boxers. Isahaih is Renato's trainer. And Conner is the news reporter. We created a group chat and getting eachothers numbers wasnt a problem. This was due to the fact that this basically the same group as last project, but with Conner. I've known Conner since 6th grade and Renato has known him since 2nd.  We texted in the group chaty to meet up in our class and plan when to film. We were talking for two hours and we decided to meet up in the weekend to film at the beach. Due to our busy schedules we would only be able to film for a short amount of time. Renato is busy on schooldays and Isahiah is busy every second saturday of the month. While I am free only on Sundays. We stayed with the plans from that one Sunday we set on. Everyone was ready and all of a sudden Conner calls the group. He said, "I can't go." And you would think, "oh only one person is missing you guys can still film." This is not the case because Conner has all of the equipment. The drone, the camera and the microphones. We are going to try and film again because we have a day off from school.