Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. I am most proud of all the effort I applied in my 30-min presentation. I created speaker notes and presented with them, because without them, I would have forgotten all of the pertinent points I intended to make, and thus, not met the speaking time requirement.
2. A. I would give myself a P because an AE wouldn't be very modest, and I don't think I did anything so wrong to the point of a grade deduction. To my knowledge, I met the time requirement, and because I not only tried to give as much background on my answer as I could, but I supported every point I made with research, my mentor, real-life scenarios, and even feedback from the audience. I tried to be as integrative and comprehensive as I could and I truly hope the audience enjoyed my presentation, and ultimately, learned something. B. I believe I met all of the specifications labeled under "For 'P' Consideration", I articulated well enough, I frequently made gestures to the audience and although I used speaker notes to help guide me along, I made sufficient eye contact with the audience. From this eye contact, I could tell that they were considerably engaged as I never met eyes with someone who were ignoring me or falling asleep. My activity utilized all of the information I conveyed through my presentation and it was a break from presenting for myself as well as the audience. I had a powerpoint equivalent, and I showed a prop (movie slate) and briefly explained its usage. I cited quality research, one was a publish research source, and I referenced both my mentor and my interview. I used a simple (not overbearing) hook activity, my activity required minimal group work from the audience, and the activity required the audience to use the information I presented to them. That concludes every specification noted in the Lesson 2: 30-Minute Presentation Component Contract.
3. Everything worked for me in my Lesson 2 Presentation.
4. If I had a time machine, I would have said more loudly (meaning that I did clearly say it) that the audience needed to complete the worksheet I handed out during the film scene, not after it. This was minor though, and not much of an issue on my behalf, it just seemed like the audience was too lazy to complete it.
5. For my answer #2, I might have another take on the term "profitable" as it is used in my EQ. Maybe this time it can directly be monetary gain, or personal satisfaction.

January Blog

My 30-min presentation is in 3 days and for my activity, I will be showing the class a film to support my answer 1 and help the audience better define characters and the factors that contribute to good dramatic presentation in regard to independent film. I am contemplating several different films:

1. The Breakfast club- one of my all time favorites, this film clearly establishes distinguishable characters and exhibits their complex interactions and personal situations.
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower- this film is truly moving, and features a unique character that faces numerous issues that he eventually succumbs. 
3. Garden State- I haven't seen it myself, however it was recommended to me by my mentor and it seems interesting nontheless.
4. Like Crazy- A nice love story that can offer the audience a bit of insight on a college relationship.

I'm currently leaning towards #2 since it's one of the less vulgar choices, but it should still be relatable to the audience.

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

1. What is most essential to creating a profitable independent film?
2. How would you define independent film?
3. How would you define "profitable" in the context of independent film?
4. What factor contributes most to the success of an independent film?
5. What about independent film appealed to you?
6. Which departments do you most enjoy working in?
7. In what ways have independent films shaped our lives and society as a whole?
8. Would you say that independent films have created a culture that many tend to overlook, or that it gives anyone with a camera and an imaginative idea they want to express an outlet to do so?
9. What are some independent films that you would recommend?
10. In the case of independent film, do you most value exposure, revenue, relationships, or the process?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours

1. I am doing my mentorship with the production company my aunt and uncle are affiliated with: Desert Monsoon Media. Some of my mentorship was done on-site under their supervision, and some was collecting research which they assigned for me on my own time. The details of my work are indicated in my mentorship log.
2. My contact/mentor is my aunt, but I can contact my uncle just as easily.
3. I have done a total of 31 hours of mentorship so far.
4. All of this is stated in my mentorship log, but I doubled as an on-site production assistant and a film festival research assistant for my aunt and uncle's web series. I marked the scenes and operated the boom mic on several scenes and organized the snacks and drinks. As for the film festival research, I found all submission specifications for upcoming film festivals.

Blog 10: Senior Project: The Holiday

1. Over break, I allowed myself to rest and get my mind off of the bombardment of schoolwork. But for my senior project, however, I brainstormed a few additional fields of film I could research that I've overlooked: animation, camera operation, accounting, wardrobe, hair and makeup, stunts, and special effects. With regard to independent film, some of these will be much more finite as opposed to feature films.
2. What I learned from this is that film departments will be much more diverse and broad for feature films. For example, wardrobe, hair and makeup, and even special effects (physical) could all be lumped into one department for a low-budget independent film, but for a feature film, they are all their own respective departments. There is no source for this, it's just an analytical interpretation based on logic and common sense. Evidence: independent films typically have much smaller budgets. As a result, there will be less crew members and subsequently these crew members will have to work in teams that cover several departments, lumped together and chosen at the discretion of the directors/supervisors.
3. If I were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers of my EQ, I would consider talking to independent filmmakers who've produced a good variety of films each with their individual qualities, preferably some that have done significantly well.