Week 4 3/11-3/17

3/12
Well, I never really thought finding music was so hard. Connor and I want to do something that suits the movement of the video which is actually harder then it looks. In doing this we have to play each song over our film and see if it matches, this can get tedious, really fast. I thought third would take about 10 minutes but it’s lasted over a two day discussion. Part of the problem is copyrighting. After doing some research I had to find out what songs are copyrighted and if they are how to tell if they are. First, Mrs. Stoklosa directed us to the tab it should be under in YouTube. However, after doing further research I came to realize not all regular instrumentals are really free, if you click on it they are looped versions of the original Audio or remakes for purchase. There are only a select few that sound hype and uptempo without sounding cheesy that we came across. There’s a big balance between a channel making a beat, those are usually the corny ones vs a person uploading them onto a channel. The ones that are made by individual producers allowing there beats to be downloaded for free are the gems. Here is the main top 5 list we have.

• Free meek mill type beat- Zoom
• Future- Super trapper 
• 2 milly- milly rock 
• Young dolph- Kush on the yacht (my favorite)
• 6ix9ine - Tati

It was tough a lot of perfect songs we could have used like On the regular by Meek Mill or Outro by Meek Mill both have a choir element imbedded into the beat that we see a lot in boxing films, anything with that angelic tone mixed with a dark beat at a fast pace spits out success and a lawsuit because we can’t use it lol. Next class we will pick the song, and finish up the video!

Week 4- 3/11-3/17

3-11.

Note: The video image looks the same as the one I posted yesterday but if you click on it, it is different and is a rough draft for my brief part.
Today Connor and I made the initial video of my training sequence. We edited it all together using I movie and wanted to show quick powerful cuts. Our original plan was for it to be about 20 seconds but we found we were off by like 6 seconds. When we first edited, it looked ok with the cross fade transitions because without it we felt it looked kind of abrupt and didn’t flow properly without them.  We met with Mrs. Stoklosa she guided us in a better direction. If we add more shots which we will, two to three seconds of me doing sit ups, possibly  jump roping, and more speed bag shots we will be good and take off the transition effect. As far as the music that goes with the video, it is still in the works we are unsure which song to pick but we do know I t is going to be something rap based but we have to make sure it is not copyrighted. Next class we will pick the song and wrap up the video. Stay tuned.

Week 3- 3/4-3/10

3/10-
Today Connor and I started filming my part of the film. We shot it at my buddy’s garage and wanted to make it kinda look ratchet and ghetto with the boxes in the back, like a rusty training environment. A couple big take aways from the process, limited # of shots had proper head room but it’s ok because we have enough that look perfect for a quick 20 second montage. Also, it gets confusing which shots we are taking and deleting so when we film in the Karate center we will delete it right away if it looks bad and if it is good we will save it to an album in our camera roll. We will open it up with me doing sit ups while throwing punches almost like Master T from Rocky, transition it to some jab/hooks, push-ups, close ups of the gloves, and lastly the speed bag. The speed bag gave me some problems because it was deflated so it took us a good 20 minutes to find a rythm. We will edit it tomorrow in class, and end it with a clip of my hands with the camera moving up to my face challenging Connor. I think it was a very productive day. Connors iPhone X camera rose to the occasion and is more then suitable. It was pretty easy because we didn’t need lighting or anything but for Connor’s we may. Look forward to sharing more info with you guys when I get it.

Week 3- 3/4-3/10

3/7-
Today Connor and I took the outline of our storyboard and progressed it a step further with a break down of each shot and a more concise overall plan rather then a general idea of the start, middle, and end.
Changes- We made a big change completely taking out Midtown as the start, it would not flow, looking like a trailer. Instead we will open at the karate gym. Another big change we made was the editing software and camera. We will use Wevideo even though we rather not, it allows us to both edit from different computers through one account and that is a greater benefit then all  drawbacks. Also, we will shoot from our phone well, because the Cannon camera broke lol.


Here is the more detailed version of the shots we came up with today.

1. Hand opening door to gym with ring of door or open right away too to the duffle bag shot. (Undecided)
2. Camera in duffle bag, low angle, as he takes out equipment a credit appears.
3. Putting glove wraps on and close up of glove.
4. Warming up before the spar, stretching, jump rope, quick jabs into bag, start timer for spar.
5. Sparring scene phone on floor, touching of gloves close up, medium shot about 7 seconds of them feeling each other out throwing light jabs, quick cut to close up of Connor getting hit, cut back to long shot of Connor throwing 2 body shots, left and right  hook,  finish with big uppercut to head.
6. End with timer going off, drinking water
7. Goes and sits down and looks at Ipad and sees video of me, close up on his fingers holding ipad with fake blood. (New music for me)
8. Video of me
9. Closes Ipad upset, walks out and title appears.

Important upcoming stuff- We will work on soundtrack next class, and we are filming my part this Sunday.

Week 3- 3/4-3/10

3/5- Today Connor and I officially started the planning process. We first originally started storyboarding but we felt it was too big of a thing to do at once, instead we outlined our storyboard into sections, start, middle, and end. Here are the events we wrote down today for each.


Start-

• We will be filming outside at Midtown Athletic club, opening with a tilt up of the sand/lake. 
• We will then include a series of running shots, drills, and strength workouts to mimic a beach workout.
• The concluding shots here will be Connor packing up his bag and closing it. 

Middle- 

• The camera is placed in bag and Connor opens it at karate Gym unpacking items as credit scene appears
• We will film in the back room of the studio, a dark room and bring some lamps
• Shots of him putting raps on close ups of tape and such.
• Cuts to sparring scene of hum training against someone knocking them out.

End-

• Go back to back room and set up laptop, on screen is a pre made fake news recording of me boxing 
• Clicks video, rolls clip
• Ends with slamming laptop
• Title appears as Connor walks out in the distance

Side note: One of my best friends has an Irish flag I could wrap wound myself as I train, follow conventions of fighters, proud and usually rep a country. 

Side change: Switching most likely to iMovie for editing as the Cannon camera is compatible with that. Not positive yet will keep you guys updated. 

Week 3- 3/4-3/10

3/4-
In order to do anything in this project we need to actually film it, what a great opportunity to discuss what we will be filming on before we officially start our production process.  I knew my step mom had a nice camera I could borrow, I wasn't sure what kind or its capabilities, video recording being the most vital. It turns out it's the Sony Cyber Shot HX350. I was skeptical of it's non picture capabilities but after doing some research I concluded we are in good hands. Here are some of the key features we will be using.

• Exmor R™ CMOS sensor- This allows us to use movie mode and capture dimly lit settings, like the inside of the karate gym we will be using for inserts at a really high level due to the 20.4 megapixels in the sensor.
• 50x optical zoom- either for out tilt up/ establishing shot, zooming in on facial features and landmarks are vital in the intro. 
• Active Mode- Since camera movement is a big component of the filming, handhelds are required. This mode reduces blurriness and increases camera stabilization with movement. 
• Movie Mode- The most important. We wouldn't be able to film without it. It offers great resolution at 1080 full hd 24p, and even transfers the same quality on active mode. 
• Automatic Focusing- If we want to zone in on  a specific object like a seagull moving in the air, we would use this which allows for pristine tracking performance. 

Source for text

Source for image

Week 2- 2/25-3/3

3/3
Intro basis: Deciding what to do and how to plan out a 800 point story when you never have before, can seem like a daunting task. Since this is my first time doing this, I look for inspiration. The opening and ending scenes are arguably the most important part of this piece, we can't make it look like a trailer. So, I did some research. Black Panther. All though it is not a boxing film, the structural development of the plot and opening scenes are one I would like to mirror. I feel like it is important to bring in other genre aspects and ideas to an existing one to give it some new juice. In the beginning of the film, there are lots of establishing shots and cuts of Chadwick Boseman. (Black Panther) They want to establish first the relationship between the main character and the audience. opening setting scene (protagonist) A couple minutes later they intro the Antagonist, Michael B Jordan in the art gallery. opening setting scene (antagonist) I feel like based on commercials we can't intro both at the same time or else it will look like we are advertising the movie rather then starting it. So, if we open with Connor and end the opening briefly with me throwing a punch in a bag and the title popping up, it will be implied he is about to fight someone and illustrate a new villain to the audience.
Next class since we haven't started storyboarding yet we will put all this together.
Side note decision : Main outdoor filming location will be Midtown Athletic Club. Connor will wear white. I will wear black to follow good /bad color plot trends.


Image links : https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a859840/black-panther-cast-michael-b-jordan-killmonger-mcu-return/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2018/01/29/marvel-black-panther-superhero-diversity-cultural-touchstone-event/1071858001/