Final CCR

 This is my CCR or Creative Critical Reflection based on our short film Spike of Luck

A Spike of Luck

My group and I worked extremely hard to present to you this short film. We've learned a lot and had a great time making it. We hope you enjoy it!

A Change of Plans

 The group came to the conclusion that before we tried filming again, we needed to iron out a few more details of our project. Thankfully, we were able to complete a lot of tasks before spring break. The editing and CLAMPS of the production were our primary concerns. I helped them look over a few fresh editing programs to see if I could help them add anything fresh to the mix. My group did much of the editing for the last two projects with Video Leap. Even though we have no plans to use the application once more, switching to something new might provide us access to more interesting effects. I was able to test a few of the scenes we filmed using different programs to see what may be altered. I'm not sure what to eliminate from the footage at this point because we are still so early in the filming process. However, I gave them constructive criticism to help them come up with new edits they could make. 

    I discovered I needed to help source music for the project when I was browsing editing programs. I helped write a couple of emails to the people who control the Hell N Back song's master use and synchronization licenses. The song was co-produced by a production team that has previously worked with celebrities like Kendrick Lamar and independent musician Bakar. We are waiting for their reply right now. I believe it will be a fantastic complement to the introduction if they agree to let us use the song for our project.

    All of the actors will wear contemporary athletic attire. It's crucial that we are all at ease because we'll be spending a lot of time outside. Very little makeup will be worn, but sunscreen will undoubtedly be available on-site. No matter how skilled we are as individuals, every character is an athlete. Therefore, our attire must reflect this. The volleyball and net are the most obvious props in the movie. To make the characters seem more realistic, we might give them items like backpacks and water bottles. Such matters are uncertain because they are merely provided to give the movie an authentic sense. I'm hopeful that once these issues are resolved, filming will proceed much more smoothly.

A Bump in the Road

We haven't been able to record since our last day of filming. Being powerless and not being able to change the circumstances makes it exceedingly irritating. Since the weather has been so bad, the sequences we would shoot would not resemble the existing content. We need sunny conditions for the outside scenes we have. Since it has been continuously pouring, we were unable to film at the park where we had previously done so. In essence, time is lost because of bad circumstances. We have been working on the project draft for the time being. Aidan, one of our colleagues and editors, received our mockup to review. He provided us with some intriguing remarks. He re-edited some of the montage clips. He also completely altered the project's music. This, in my opinion, significantly improved upon what we previously had. We still need to film the second half of the project even though the first part is almost done. The complete conclusion should be shot. More outside actors will be needed for this. We have all discussed joining forces to finish the project with our friends and family. Since everyone will be present after school, we intend to film then. We can all simply travel to the park to shoot the climactic sequence because it is close to our school. The volleyball tryouts will be the final scene. We underline the significance of this occasion and how badly Randy's character wants to join the squad throughout the opening scenes of the movie. Since the suspense around the event had been steadily building up to that point in the movie, I believe that finishing it on this note is ideal. Our current only challenge is finding suitable conditions for filming. When it occurs, we will be close to finishing the project.

Time to edit!!

 This is not the first time we have had to edit. But it is the first time we have been putting together acting scenes, which is a little different from editing a music video or a commercial. We had most scenes filmed and ready to be put together. But we ran into problems running them cleanly together. For some reason when we added them in, the scenes it was very obvious that they were all different shots put together. For a lack of better words, it was blocky and the transitions between them were not clean at all. We tried a few different things in order to fix this. First, we tried to use transitions at the end of one scene and feed it into the next one. That worked for the most part but the screen would go black for a second and then the next shot would show. So this was the next problem we had to deal with. We thought maybe if we cut off a little off of each end and beginning it would get rid of the small black in between the scenes but it made it worse, now the black screen was there for even longer. We went back to square on and instead of adding the transition to the end and begging of every scene, we added it into the bridge in the middle. This ended up working the best and all the scenes we had strung together beautifully. The next thing in the process of editing was finding watching what we had througha dn seeing what worked and what didnt. We decided to be as constuctive we could be we would watch it individually and take notes and the come abck togetehr as a whole and watch together and explain our notes. Through this process all our thoughts were able to be heard and we got all of our points across whichh will only benefit the movie. Now that we know what we need to re-film and what still needs to be filmed we will take a deeper dive into what that process will look like. Most likely we will be taking another filming day. As well as redoing this this same editing process in order to complete this portion of the film process

first round of filmimg

After school we planned to film our scenes. Luckily this time around we were successful in getting together and were able to film. As you know our film is about two people who play volleyball, though one of them is very passionate about it and the other is losing themselves and doesn't seem to enjoy it anymore. Filming this portion was very emotional for me because I could compare my past to it. Though now I have re-found my passion for volleyball once upon a time I considered quitting and never going back to it. So when my partner was having a hard time really getting into the character. When watching some of our films back before going through the next scenes we saw that it didnt seem real. The feelings that were shown through the camera didn't seem real and i couldn't compare to it. So we took a break and talked about it. We all agreed there needed to be a change but we didnt know what. After evaluating together we decided if I shared what it felt like when it really happened maybe they could understand where i was coming from. Once we did this, not only did it bring us together but it helped us in the scene. When we finished the next shot you could feel the emotion through the camera. When we watched it back, it was ten times better than the first and we were all happy with how it came out and were able to move on in filming. As we proceeded, I was enjoying it more and more. I believe that i have now found a new passion and it is for filming. I took a first hand in making sure we got all the angles we wanted from our storyboards. We know that some of the scenes are going to need to wait until later though. When we tried to film some, we realized we really needed a tripod. The problem was none of us had one so we asked a friend and they said next time we could borrow it. We are going to try and put together some of the scenes we have now and see where we need to re-film or edit out. 

Practicing makes perfect!

     It was essential that I practice several volleyball skills that would be required in the film in order to ensure that our production was authentic. It wasn't too difficult for me to practice a little bit extra because I had already been playing for several years and play on our school team. Volleyball is a fun and exciting activity that may be played indoors or outdoors. I initially needed to find a court to play on and practice on. I went to a park close by. As soon as I found the park, I gathered all the necessary equipment to practice safely. You can create a volleyball team or play and practice alone. While practicing alone can help you focus on your technique, playing with others can help you hone your skills more quickly. I made sure to fully warm up. This will ensure I am loose and prepared for sudden and fluid movements to get me ready for the big movie day. I then started building upon my foundational abilities. 

    This category includes serving, passing, setting, hitting, and blocking. Serving needs to be mastered first because a game cannot begin without a serve. It's important to start each point in the same manner. After a serve or a stroke, receiving the ball requires the use of a vital skill called passing. Effective passing is essential for your team to have a good play. Raising the ball allows a teammate to spike it down over the net. It's important to be accurate and have good hand-eye coordination. The most exciting action in volleyball is hitting, often known as spiking. In an effort to score a point, you leap and firmly strike the ball over the goal. Blocking, which involves leaping and catching the ball before it crosses the goal, is another essential skill. 

    To improve at volleyball, I had to practice every day whether it be in or outside of school. I took part in numerous exercises and pursuits. In order to enhance my techniques, I also watched videos of top volleyball players in action. Communication is essential in volleyball. Make sure you're directing their attention to the ball's location and speaking with your teammates. I collaborated with Aidan, another member of my group, to assist him and practice myself.