Links

 

Film Opening Link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gbgmee9dVc3-aIHddiGrMplYrMH035Pr/view

CCR1 Link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XFQfPzHgrTL6rH-bER0ibDX-AwFjK_lm/view?usp=sharing

CCR2 Link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CU4ITNpERu396r7WNxTJc3diqCFsl21K/view?usp=sharing

Final Reflection

 March 23, 2025

My Final Thoughtsss

This project has been such a fun and valuable experience. I have learned SO much from planning and problem-solving to editing and everything in between. It was way more time-consuming than I expected, but in the end, I am really proud of what my group and I created.

Of course, it was not always easy. One of the biggest challenges was the bathroom scene. We had to refilm it OVER and OVER and OVER again, which got frustrating, but it also taught me that sometimes you just have to be patient and keep trying. The whole process was a mix of fun and stress, and we had to push through a lot, especially when it came to editing.

Thankfully, Christian helped us figure out Adobe Premiere, which made things a lot easier. Editing took way longer than we thought. Since we planned everything so carefully, we assumed we would be done super fast, but that was not the case at all. Planning took a whole month because we had to do research, watch other films, and make sure we actually knew what we were doing before filming. Then filming itself took longer than expected, especially with all the refilming. At first, we could not figure out why the bathroom scene clips were so overexposed. Later, we realized the camera settings were wrong, but once we fixed it, the shots turned out great.

We spent hours editing, whether it was at my community clubhouse or at home. None of us had much experience with editing before, so we had to learn everything from scratch. It took a ton of time and patience, but in the end, we picked up so many new skills. Even though the whole process was long and sometimes exhausting, we honestly had a great time. Not only did we create something we are proud of, but we also built a stronger friendship along the way. We spent so many hours together, and in between all the stress, there were a lot of laughs and memories. It is kind of funny how that ended up reflecting what our film is about.

Looking back, I would not change anything. This project challenged us in so many ways, but it also gave us something we can look at and say, “We did that.” It was stressful, fun, frustrating, and exciting all at the same time!

CCR Post Production

 March 22, 2025

Editinggg My CCRsss

Heyyy Cambridge!!!! Today I started editing my CCRs. I wanted them to have a YouTube-style feel, so I kept things casual and found some vlog-like copyright-free music on YouTube.

CCR 1 took much longer to edit since it was originally an hour-long video. I had to trim and cut it down to about four minutes, which was time-consuming but overall I really enjoyed the process. I also created a logo for Christian’s YouTube channel to make it look like he had interviewed other celebrities not just me.

CCR 2 was much easier to edit. All the clips we took turned out exactly how we wanted. They were short and to the point so there wasn’t much to cut out. I mainly added transitions and overlays to some clips which wasn’t too difficult.

In the end, I think both videos turned out pretty well. Each one took me about an hour to edit since I wanted to make sure everything looked just right.

CCR production

 March 19 & 20, 2025

CCR Production

Heyyyy Cambridge!!! Today we are filming my first CCR! We had to change the script because unfortunately, Sienna could not make it, and she was the one playing Piper. So I came up with a new idea. Instead of the original plan, we are doing an interview while painting. Every two minutes, we switch who is painting, making it a more fun and creative way to answer the questions. Here is the updated script!

INTERVIEWER: Hey everyone! Welcome back to the channel! Today, we’ve got something super exciting for you. I’m here with the amazing producer of the movie One Last Time! We will be painting while I ask some questions about the film. We’ll switch paintings every two minutes, so let’s see how this turns out.

ME: Yeah, this should be fun. Let’s do it!

INTERVIEWER: Alright, first question. How does your film use or challenge conventions, and how does it represent social groups or issues?

ME: One Last Time sticks to a lot of coming-of-age movie elements like nostalgia, friendship, and that mix of excitement and uncertainty about the future. We focused on Piper’s emotions from the start, which is super common, but instead of just showing happy moments, we also highlighted Piper’s struggles with change. A lot of movies skip over that part.

INTERVIEWER: So you wanted it to feel more real?

ME: Yeah. Growing up isn’t always exciting. It can be scary too. We wanted to show that side of it. That’s where representation comes in. We wanted Piper’s story to feel real for people who might not be totally thrilled about moving on to the next chapter of their lives.

INTERVIEWER: How did you figure out your target audience?

ME: We looked at similar films like Eighth Grade and Lady Bird to see who watched them. Most coming-of-age movies attract teens and young adults because they’re super relatable. So we made sure our story, visuals, and music would connect with them.

INTERVIEWER: How did you make sure it would actually engage them?

ME: A lot of it comes down to the overall vibe. We focused on natural settings and a realistic atmosphere to make it feel authentic. Music and fashion were huge too! We wanted everything to feel like something teens today would actually connect with.

INTERVIEWER: And where would people watch it?

ME: YouTube! That’s where most of our audience is, and it’s the easiest way to reach people. If we wanted to take it further, we could also submit it to film festivals.

INTERVIEWER: Makes sense. Okay, final switch!

[They swap paintings one last time and hold them up, reacting to the results.]

INTERVIEWER: And that’s a wrap! We finished the interview and somehow made some... art?

ME: (laughing) Yeah, I think I’ll stick to filmmaking.

Filming was honestly really fun. I haven’t started editing yet, but I did create a little logo for Christian’s so-called YouTube channel using Canva. We went to Dollar Tree to buy canvases, and I already had some paint. Since there were a lot of kids at the park, we made sure to ask the questions only when the background was quiet. It was a last-minute idea, but we made it work. Neither of us is good
at painting, so the final results were pretty funny!

We filmed my second CCR today, March 20th, with a walkthrough of the set where we shot One Last Time. It took way longer than expected because we did not have our lines memorized. After every clip, we had to stop and learn what to say next, which made the process kind of stressful but also really funny. Christian struggled to remember his first few lines, and we could not stop laughing. In the end, it took about 2-3 hours to film a 3-minute video, which felt insane. I printed out our research and we went to different locations where we originally filmed our opening, making it feel like a true set walkthrough. The video was simple, but I really like how it turned out.

Group meeting #2

 March 15, 2025

How our second group meeting went...

A few days ago, we had our second group meeting, and we mostly focused on our CCRs because none of us really knew what we wanted to do. We also went through our blog posts and gave feedback on what needed fixing, which turned out to be really helpful. I initially thought about doing a food review or a baking CCR, based on some of the suggestions from my group, but after watching a few interviews at home, I realized I wanted to go in a different direction. I came up with the idea of drawing random questions from a box while interviewing the main lead of our film opening. I also went back to my blog posts, made a few changes, and improved how they looked and some of my writing Overall, the meeting was super helpful, and it was great to talk to some classmates outside of my usual friends.

CCR #4

 March 13, 2025

Script for CCR #4

[Scene 4: Walking past the camera we used, my computer, and my iPad.]

Me (talking to the camera):
"We used a lot of tech for this project. Our main camera was the Sony A6400, which gave us great footage. We also used a few iPhones, including the iPhone 13 and iPhone 15 Pro Max, for some of the memory shots. Since we didn’t have professional lighting, we just used the iPhone flashlight for darker scenes.

For editing, we used Adobe Premiere Pro. It was kind of tricky at first, but we watched a ton of tutorials, and eventually, it became easier."

[Scene 5: Showing hardware or gear.]

Christian (talking to the camera):
"We kept it pretty simple with the gear. The Sony A6400 was our main camera, and we used iPhones for the memory shots. For lighting, we used the iPhone flashlight, and our microphones were basic but did the job. We didn't use fancy tripods or dollies. Everything was handheld, which worked out better than we expected."

[Scene 6: Close-up of camera gear.]

Sienna (talking to the camera):
"Since everything was handheld, we were surprised the shots turned out stable. As we said, the Sony A6400 was the main camera, and we used the interchangeable SEL18135 lens. As for lighting, we had to cover the lights in the bathroom with a towel and we used the iPhone flashlight for like 2 of our scenes."

[Scene 7: Walking past your editing station.]

Me (talking to the camera):
"We did all the editing in Adobe Premiere Pro. It was hard at first, but once we got the hang of it. We also organized our days of finishing locations, shooting, editing, and doing everything by the deadlines on my notebook and a calendar. This really helped us stay on track and make sure everything got done on time."

[Scene: Standing in front of the editing setup or a filming location.]

Me (talking to the camera): "Looking back at this whole process, I can see how much I’ve learned. From planning and filming to editing and problem-solving, every step taught me something new. We had to adapt, figure things out as we went, and make the most of what we had. In the end, everything came together, and I’m really proud of what we created."

CCR #3

 March 12, 2025

Script for CCR #3

Concept: In this CCR, I’ll be talking about my film project and how my production skills improved along the way. I’ll walk through the whole process. From the research and planning to filming and editing. I’ll also explain the tech we used, like cameras, lighting, and editing software, and how we adapted as we went. The goal is to keep it casual and real while sharing what I learned throughout the project.

[Scene 1: Walking through our set.]

Me (talking to the camera):
"At the start, we were all still figuring things out. We didn’t have much experience, so we learned along the way and made adjustments as needed. But by the end, our skills improved a lot. We got way better at handling the camera. At first, we were nervous about shooting handheld, but it actually turned out looking pretty good. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked out."

[Scene 2: Walking past our printed out research.]

Christian (talking to the camera):
"We started by choosing the Coming-of-Age genre. We watched films like Stand By Me, Juno, and Eighth Grade to see how their openings worked. After that, we went started brainstorming. We came up with the plot, wrote the script, and made a storyboard. We also sorted out the details like locations, filming dates, and music."

[Scene 3: Walking around a filming location.]

Sienna (talking to the camera):
"During filming, we had to adapt a lot. When we were filming in the car, Christian had to stick his camera out of the window to get the right angle. It was a bit risky, but it worked. We also had to get creative, like when we didn’t have proper lights, we used an iPhone flashlight to light the scene. We had to figure things out on the spot and make changes as we went."

CCR #2

 March 11, 2025

Script for CCR #2

Concept: For my CCR video, I’ll interview Piper, the main character. She’ll be sitting on one chair, while I’ll be sitting on the other. Piper will randomly pick questions from a box and answer them, making the interview feel more spontaneous. I’m calling it "Adri's Box Talks". The questions will cover CCR questions #1 and #2. 

This will be the second part of the interview, which is why the beginning isn’t an introduction.

[Piper pulls the first question]
PIPER: "Alright, first question!" "Discuss how you arrived at your target audience. What kind of research did you do?"

HOST: "So, how did you figure out who your target audience was for ‘One Last Time’? What kind of research went into that decision?"

PIPER: "We knew we wanted to tell a story about the transition from high school to college, something that a lot of people could relate to, especially teens and young adults. So, we started by looking at other films in that genre. We paid attention to what kind of audience they attracted and how they connected with them. We looked at what made those stories connect with people and how we could tell a similar story, but still make it unique."

HOST: "That makes sense. You’re really focusing on that age group who’s going through big changes, right?"

PIPER: "Exactly. It’s not just about the age, but the experience. People going through big life changes like leaving home or starting college are really going to understand the themes in the film."

[Piper pulls the second question]
PIPER: "Here’s the next one." "Discuss how your production choices work to engage a bigger audience."

HOST: "So now that you know who your audience is, how did you make sure the film would actually grab their attention?

PIPER: "We wanted everything to feel relatable. From the way we shot scenes to the soundtrack, it was all about making it feel real. We didn’t want anything to be over-the-top or fake. The music, in particular, was important. We chose songs that are popular with younger audiences.

HOST: "That makes a lot of sense. So, it was about keeping things real and making sure people could see themselves in it."

PIPER: "Yeah, we wanted the audience to watch something relatable. Whether it’s the awkwardness of graduation or the excitement of what’s next, we wanted it to feel real."

[Piper pulls the final question]
PIPER: "Alright, here’s the last one." "How does your product engage with audiences, and how would it be distributed as a real media text?"

HOST: "Now that the film’s out, how do you think it connects with the audience? And if ‘One Last Time’ were being distributed as a real media text, how would it reach people?"

PIPER: "I think the film really speaks to anyone going through a transition in their life. It’s not just about leaving high school and going to college. It’s about change, figuring out who you are, and moving on from what’s familiar. That’s something almost everyone can understand."

HOST: "I agree. So, if you were releasing it in the real world, how would people be able to watch it?"

PIPER: "I think platforms like YouTube would be a great fit. It’s easy to access, and people can share it with friends. It’s the kind of film that doesn’t need a huge marketing campaign. People will watch it and talk about it."

HOST: "I think YouTube would be perfect for it, especially since people could discover it on their own and share it. It’s all about reaching the right audience."

PIPER: "Exactly. It’s not about a big theatrical release. It’s about getting it to the people who will appreciate it the most."

PIPER: "Okay, I think that’s it!" "Thank you so much for having me on!"

HOST: "Yeah, this was awesome! Thanks for coming on today, Piper. It’s been great hearing all about the journey behind ‘One Last Time’. I know everyone’s going to connect with the story you’ve shared. To everyone watching, if you haven’t seen the film yet, make sure you check it out on YouTube! Thanks again, Piper, and thanks to all of you for tuning in to Adri’s Box Talks! See you next time!"

Production 4

 March 9, 2025

Production SETBACK....

Poor piper....

Hi Cambridgeee!!!! Today we were supposed to film our final scenes for our film opening. Unfortunately, our main character, Piper, got sick. My partner and I decided to meet up and get more editing done instead. Our new filming date is Tuesday. Since we now have less time to record and edit, we made some changes to the memory scenes. Originally, Piper was going to scroll through her camera roll, looking at memories and videos from high school. Instead, we decided that while she was in the bathroom, she received a text from her friend saying, "OMG, I edited a bunch of videos of us throughout high school! Look!" Her friend sends her a compilation of their moments together, and after watching it, Piper decides to call her friend so they can go out one last time before she leaves for college. 

Editing

 March 8, 2025

Editing day1

Heyy Cambridge!! Two days ago, we went through all our clips for the film opening, and today, we’re finally starting the editing process! Like I said in my last blog post, we don’t have everything filmed yet. We figured it’s better to start editing now instead of stressing later and cramming it all in at the last minute.

Since we’re using Adobe Premiere, we had to watch a couple of YouTube videos to get a better idea of how to use it properly. We know the basics, but there’s still so much we don’t know. Turns out, editing is way more complicated than just cutting clips and putting them together. We learned a lot about organizing the timeline, adding transitions, and making sure everything flows smoothly.

One of the biggest struggles was the audio. It simply didn't sound smooth and natural. Some didn't blend the way we wanted, while others were very choppy. We eventually got it to sound smooth after playing with the settings, adjusting, and adding fades. To get the echoey sound for Piper's scene, we also experimented with reverb and other effects, and after what seemed like forever, we were able to make it work!

Overall, editing has been a combination of excitement and frustration but it's so cool to see everything come together at last. Even though there is still much to be done, we are at least going somewhere!

Post-production

 March 6, 2025

Sorting the clipsss

Heyyy Cambridge! Today, we officially started the post-production process! Even though we don’t have all the clips we need to fully edit the film opening, we decided to sort through the footage we have so far. Until now, we had only skimmed through them briefly to check if they were usable, but today was the first time we watched them properly.

We didn’t have much time to work since we all had tons of homework, but we managed to import all the clips into Adobe Premiere. We haven’t started the actual editing yet, though. The clips we have look good overall, but we realized we needed to reshoot a few scenes because our actor wasn’t fully in character (yikesss). She’s supposed to look disconnected, but she keeps smirking in the shots...
 

We’re planning to refilm the necessary clips on Sunday so that we can finally start editing for real!

Question 1

 March 6, 2025

CCR Research for Q1

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

Hiii Cambridge! Today I was doing some research for my first CCR. There is something about a good coming-of-age film that just sticks with you. Personally, I love the nostalgia, the awkwardness, and the way it captures teenagers in their awkward years between being a kid and an adult. Coming-of-age movies create a comfortable and relatable environment for myself and others. 

Coming-of-age movies allow us to see what various teenage generations cared about, struggled with, and believed in. From the rebellious energy of Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to the raw honesty of Lady Bird (2017). While Eighth Grade (2018) highlighted the challenges of growing up, American Graffiti (1973) captured the joys of youth in the early 1960s. These movies ensure that we all see a little of ourselves on screen whether it's first love, a family argument, or the fear of growing up.

Genre Conventions

1. Relatable Characters: Piper is going through the transition from high school to college, and the film opening shows her struggles more than her excitement. This makes it easy for teenagers to relate to her feelings.

2. Setting: The film's opening includes a teenage party scene, which is a familiar scene that teenagers see. The emotional shift happens when Piper goes to the bathroom, overwhelmed. The audience can see how it's all too much to take at once for Piper.

3. Transitions: Rather than focusing on typical milestones, the film emphasizes a more reminiscent moment as Piper looks back on old videos. This shows her transition from a high school teenager to the beginning of her adulthood.

Production 3

 March 2, 2025

Grad Partyyy

Hi Cambridge!!!! Today my group and I finally filmed the graduation scene for our film opening. We started by decorating the house, but we ran into a little problem. We accidentally bought four graduation tablecloths instead of a graduation poster. I had to get creative and tape them all together so it would look like one big poster. We used them to cover most of the house and only left the front entrance visible.

Then we started blowing up the balloons, which took way longer than we expected. It was honestly so annoying. Once everything was set up, everyone we asked to help showed up. We had about fifteen people pretending to be at the graduation party, which helped make it feel more realistic.

Before filming the party scene, we also filmed a clip of Piper in the car on her way there. While I was driving, one of my team members recorded out of the window while our main character sat in the back, reminiscing on her phone.

Filming was kind of frustrating because not everyone was taking it seriously, but we still got some good shots. Now we’re ready to start editing. We do have one more filming day to fix mistakes from the bathroom scene and film the memories Piper, our main character, is looking at on her phone. But other than that, we are basically done filming, thank godddd. I’m so excited to start editing!!

Production 2

 March 1, 2025

Purchasing Props

Heyyyy Cambridgee!!!! This past week, we’ve been preparing everything for the graduation party scene in our film opening. But before we could even start filming, we ran into a problem. We completely forgot to get a new SD card. We were about to start shooting the bathroom scene when we realized the old one wasn’t working. So we had to make a quick trip to Walmart to grab a new one. 

Once that was out of the way, we moved on to decorations. Since we wanted the party to feel packed, we needed to make the space look smaller. We went to Party City since they’re closing down and everything was on sale. We got balloons, a graduation cap, and this huge graduation poster that covered a big part of my house. It actually worked out perfectly because it made the room feel smaller and the party looked way more crowded than it actually was. 

We also needed snacks, so we picked up some Doritos and Cheeto Puffs. At my house, we already had tortilla chips and red cups to help with the party vibe. We barely spent any money since almost everything we got was on sale. 

Now that we have everything ready, it’s finally time to start filming the graduation party scene. Can’t wait to see how it all comes together.