My Reflection

Wednesday March 11, 2026

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It is finally over. Wow. I have no words, this project has almost entirely consumed and my life in the best way possible. But it's not only this project that has impacted me, it's this class. I was so curious and a bit  nervous to take this class in the first place, it looked intimidating, but I knew that it involved things that I wanted to do. It is stressful at times, yes, however it made me create art that I was proud of and that is my favorite thing. Going into this I thought that I wanted to be a musician, my whole life I was dedicated to that idea. But now, I want to pursue cinematography and everything visual and editing. This class has changed my perspective on my life, which is more than I could have asked for. This project alone challenged my skills and what I want to work towards and I couldn't be more grateful for that. 

I know i'm getting a bit sappy, but I want to be completely transparent with you. I truly believe that this class has unlocked an inner passion within myself. When crafting this project, I was allowed to do anything and everything I wanted; for example creating my own story, filming, and editing. I had complete creative freedom, which is something that I have never had while constructing this film. It allowed me to fully immerse myself into my art, making it an escape from reality, even when it is for a class. In having myself feel so excited and exhausted at the same time while doing this project, made it feel all worth it to me. This project is a lot to handle and that exhaustion only fueled my creativity more. Making that feeling apart of my film and characters, adding another personal touch.

A lot of the time while I was filming or editing, I listened to a bunch of music. In this reflection I wanted to write down some prominent songs that honestly got me through this project. During the times where I didn't feel motivated to work on this project, these songs helped me push through that. I feel that it is important to my process and my overall reflection.

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Here are my list of songs below ↓↓

- Metamorphosis - Your Arms Are My Cocoon

- Stop Smoking (We Love You) - Car Seat Headrest

- Rolling Out the Red Carpet - Hail the Sun

- Much Like Falling - Flyleaf

- Long Term Relationships Were Only Cool When Divorce Wasn't - Merchant Ships

- World star Money (interlude) - Joji

- God Turn Me Into a Flower - Weyes Blood

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Even though I said that I wanted to pursue cinematography, music is still such a forefront detail within my life. It helps me through everyday, especially this project. I wanted to sort of get into the mood of my film, so I listened to music that reflected the content and vibe of my film. It was a process that I feel really helped me connect to my film on a deeper level. I wanted to pour my heart out into this project, and I think that I did that. This took up so much of my time and energy, but it helped me push myself for my art. This film is so extremely important to me and I want others to feel the same.

I know that I keep going on and on about how much this film means to me, i'll wrap it up I promise. I just want to leave you with a thank you. You have went on this journey with me and I couldn't be more grateful. It has been a long and hard process, but I finally made it to the end. I can't wait to see what the future holds for me. Thank you for everything.

CCR Editing

Tuesday March 10, 2026

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As far as editing goes, I have gotten pretty far from the last time that I talked about it. I was able to finish my second video in full and start my first one. In having all of this being done, it relieves a bunch of pressure. I am in the home stretch right now and I want to go out producing content that I am not only proud of, but that I worked hard on. For each of these videos I am giving it my absolute all, making sure that it is edited in the correct way and including citations and music and sound effects to adhere to what is typically seen within those types of media. For example, within my second video (where I filmed a talk show) I made sure to edit in audience noises and intro music to further enhance that piece.

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This video specifically was really fun to film and to edit. I wanted it to be as authentic looking and feeling as possible, so I wanted all of my answers to come from my heart and not directly from my script. Now believe me, I did utilize my script a good amount, but I really used it as an outline rather than a work for word tool. In having the shots being continuous made it feel like a real talk show, which is what I wanted. I did end up having to edit out some bits because I took a long time answering or I kept saying "um" and "uh" to gather my thoughts in the moment. I really only edited those parts out because I didn't want it to add any unneeded length to the video, making it straight to the point. 

Now I know that this video is on the longer side, but I think that if I had it any shorter it wouldn't have the same genuine feel that I was going for. This video really aims to target those specific and thoughtful questions that need to be answered honestly, and in me doing a talk show, it ensures that I answer those questions directly from my thoughts and not reading off of a script.

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Even though I only just started the editing process for my first video, I feel that I have a set in stone plan as to what direction i'm going to take it in. I've said before that I want it to give off a sort of YouTube commentary vibe, while still holding professional aspects. When going into the editing process for this video, I thought that some things would be challenging, like adding cutaway content or finding the right non-copyrighted music. But now, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I will say, it did take some time to find the exact music that sounded and fit within this video, but it was a way easier process than I made it out to be.

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In the picture above, I made it a point to show how I am putting in the cutaway content. Through iMovie, it is so extremely easy to do this, which is what I was nervous about. I have never edited a project in that way, so it was a completely new territory for me. I am no where near done to having this video being complete in full, but over this week I will be editing and putting the final touches onto all of my items for this project, including this video. I can't wait to share all of my videos!

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Here is a link to some BTS videos from my editing! - Editing BTS

CCR Production

 Monday March 9, 2026

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The overall production of my two videos was extremely fun. For the second one specifically, I got to film it at my dads apartment, having a night time city scape in the background.  They both went exactly how I wanted them to, my scripts came in handy and I felt that they worked to get all of the driving points across. 

For my first video, like I mentioned before in one of my previous blogs, I filmed it my small tripod with a light attached, to make it look more professional. I haven't gotten to the editing process for that one since it will be a little bit harder than my second one because I will have a lot of cutaway content and inserted content, which I didn't have in my talk show themed second video. 

This is a photo of my exact setup! I did show this photo in my last blog post, but now I can elaborate on it more now. The set up was extremely simple, since it was just me talking to a camera. I will make it so much more interesting within the editing process. I think that it will take a decent amount of time to get this one done, so that is why I am saving it for last. 

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Now for my second video, as I mentioned before, I got to to film this at my dads apartment. I wanted it to have a very talk show vibe, that is why we decided to film it at night. Now my dad got really into character, he gave himself a fake name and named this show "The Late Late Late Show" as a short of nod to all of the other night time talk shows. In having this energy within this video, made it so much more fun. I felt like I could really communicate my process in a professional but still engaging way.

Now for this video I got a lot more behind the scenes pictures. My dad was really excited to be apart of this part of my project and even made little cue cards for him to remember his lines. This proved to be helpful for keeping the professional aspects that talk shows carry and it helped me remember what I put for my script, but talking about each questions in a way that came natural to me and not a set in stone, blank way. In having me give my answers honestly, it helped me provide emotion to each response, making it really thoughtful.

This video was so extremely fun to film, as it felt like a real interview. I have gotten into the editing process of this video and I decided to do it first because I won't have any cutaway content in order to keep the talk show aesthetic and not make it feel like a YouTube video, as my other video will be like. I will go more into detail about my editing process within my next blog, so stay tuned!

CCR production ideas

Friday March 6, 2026

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Now within my past posts, I have gone into a good amount of detail as to what I want to do with my CCRs. I have already shot my first video, which will be a director commentary, but I sort of want it to have the same vibe as like GQ interview or a commonly asked questions where there is no host, just the person answering questions. I will most likely add different editing techniques to make it feel more interesting and dynamic, as well as adding the questions onto the screen with a rolling citations at the very end.

I talked about before how I wanted the information within the first two questions to be communicated to the audience in a good way. I think in doing the first video in this style adds more room for me to elaborate on the topic without having to bounce off another person (podcast, interview). I also want to incorporate a decent amount of cutaway content, like some scenes from my film, or BTS of shooting. In adding these cutaways, it makes it more engaging and appealing, keeping the audiences attention.

My Setup!

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Regarding my second video, I have already wrote my scripts with a talk show type production in mind. I talked about before that my dad will be helping me with this video, as he will be playing the part of the host. I will start filming this weekend at my dads apartment, I wanted the setting to be clean and have some natural light. I also had an idea of adding a rolling credits/ citations providing my research and the host and guests name, making it like a real talk show. 

Now for this specific video, i'm still trying to decide how I am going to incorporate content from my film into it. I don't think that I am going to do any cutaway content because it wouldn't feel like a natural talk show environment, it is typically not seen to have cutaway content within the media sphere. I was thinking that I could print out some of these pictures to have them physical with the characters instead of added in.

I am in the process of filming and getting my CCRs shot in full, next week will be full of editing and stitching together the final pieces of my project. I am so excited to get all of my items finished and I can't wait to share them!

CCR Question #3 Research

 Thursday March 5, 2026

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As I mentioned in my last post, I decided to answer the third question last. It really discusses my over all skills and in what ways that I improved, and I think that my answer for that would be a good way to wrap up my project as a whole. In having my second video being an interview, there can be a sincere feeling with the host and even the audience when I am discussing my answer. To convey a feeling of growth I will most likely have to add some empathetic lines within my script and add audience reactions to further drive my point home.

After we would come back from the short ad break (will not be shown), we will jump straight into the second question which is:

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

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My main goal for this video is to create a accurate and engaging interview environment. In adding all of the sound effects, audience sounds, and opening/closing music, it all works together to further push the typical interview vibe, which is what I wanted. I decided to split the questions up between the two video very intentionally, I wanted to have each question fit the vibe of what I was doing to pair with it. I could go way more in depth with the first and second questions within the director commentary because it was only me, not bouncing my answers off of a host. However, the third and fourth questions were perfect for that, that is why I chose them for the interview.

I am going to be filming the interview over the weekend, so I can ensure that me and my dad aren't busy or tired during the filming, especially because it is a very upbeat and fun tone to the interview, not somber and sad like the content of my film. As I mentioned before, that juxtaposition is a major factor as to why I chose a interview style CCR in the first place, I wanted it to be that happy feeling.

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Here is a link to the second video (CCR Question #3) script/outline! - CCR Scripts

CCR Question #4 Research

Wednesday March 4, 2026

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Throughout the last couple of days, I have been in the process of filming my first CCR, which is a director commentary! Now with that being said, it is time to start writing/ talking about my second CCR. I want it to be basically an interview, with having comedic elements; for example, I will be taking major inspiration from "The Tonight Show" starring Jimmy Fallon. In having my interview be in this style, I think that the juxtaposition between the sad content of my film and my personality out of that is super interesting and it shows that the art doesn't always reflect the artist.

Now, again, with it being an interview, I will need a host. So I managed to ask my dad to help me film the second video and to my luck, he agreed. Every element that goes into this second video is already locked in place, I just need to get my scripts down and places ready so I can begin production over the weekend.

I have now shared my thought process for the second set of CCR questions, but lets take a look at the first question that I will be discussing:

How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware, and online - in this project?

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I chose to address the fourth question before the third because the third really is a question that wraps up final thoughts and loose ends. I figured that in ending with the third question (that I will address in my next post) my overall video will flow better and will end on a set-in-stone conclusion, rather than a sort of rushed feeling and unclear ending to the video.

This question is all about the production and equipment that went into making this film in the first place. I'll talk about the different items that I used, such as tripods, cameras, hand-held lights. In addition to the equipment, I will also discuss the resources that I utilized to edit, which was mainly between iMovie, Canva, and Blogger. This also provides an opportunity for me to talk about the song that I used within my film because it falls under technologies that I used. With all that being said, I am excited to share my script!

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Here is a link to the second video (CCR Question #4) script/outline! - CCR Scripts

- I will be adding the rest of the scripts for video 2 into this One Drive folder, so stay tuned!

CCR Question #2 Research

Monday March 2, 2026

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Over the weekend, I was able to complete my film opening as a whole. All editing, credit sequence, and anything else that ties into it has been wrapped up! With that being said it is time to move all of my attention to my CCR's. As I mentioned before in my last post I will be merging two questions into each CCR video. 

Along with the first question I will also answer the second question, which is:

How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

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Now within my last post, I talked about all of the ideas that I had for this first video. In having it be a directors commentary, it will allow me to discuss each question in absolute depth. But I still want it to be engaging and fun for the audience, I want to have clips of my film playing when I mention a specific part  or utilize transitions between clips to add some movement. All together, I want this video to reach around 3 to 4 minutes, to insure that I provide all of the necessary information without it being too long.

This question specifically will be one of the more fun ones to answer since the distribution is a really big part in the film sphere, but it is also a way to reach target audiences. Every bit of information that I put into the script is done in a realistic fashion; for example, if I was actually releasing this film to the public, I wouldn't say that it is coming out in theaters because it is a self produced/ funded film that I did all by myself. Platforms of the likes of Youtube or independent movie websites would be a better way to go to ensure that it reaches audiences. Even sharing clips or trailers onto social media platforms could be a good way to spread the word.

In finishing up the two scripts for my CCR video 1, I will start filming sometime this week and edit it late this week, into the weekend. I am so excited to share my thought process throughout the making of this film!

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Here is a link to the first video (CCR Question #2) script/outline! - CCR Scripts

CCR Question #1 Research

 Friday February 27, 2026

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Now that my film opening is close to being complete, it's time to start thinking about my creative critical reflection. This really consists of creating two videos that will answer each of the four questions, two in each video. I will group the first and second questions together in the first video and in the second I will group the third and fourth. I want to do a director commentary for the first two questions, as I think that I will be able to present the information in a thorough manner, while still having fun with it.

For my first video I will answer the question:

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

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I want it to almost feel like a movie review, but instead of critiques I will talk about my process. It's really all about research and diving deeper into what I discussed in my previous blogs, i'm just saying all of it in front of a camera this time. I will have to look up different things about genre conventions and representation (if there is any) to give a thorough analysis and explanation to my film. 

This will probably be the easier one of the two videos to film and write, since it isn't as elaborate as I want my second video to be. However, I still want it to be engaging and fun, showing my personality and how it is a complete 180 to the contents of my film. I think that that juxtaposition is really interesting, and in doing that I want to set out my thought process and what led me to choosing such a hard topic in the first place.

With the CCR's, I really just want to have fun with it, it is just reflecting on all of the work that I have put into the last few weeks, and I want to present it in a way that i'm proud of. So i'm so excited to get to work on finalizing the scripts and starting filming, I can't wait to share my process!

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Here is a link to the first video (CCR Question #1) script/outline! - CCR Scripts

- I will be adding the rest of the scripts for video 1 into this One Drive folder, so stay tuned!

The Editing Process (audio)

Thursday February 26, 2026

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My choices in the audio of my project were heavily decided on what I did with the visuals. I wanted them to go hand in hand, providing a balance between them both. My main goal was to make the visuals match the audio. One thing that I did to try to communicate this was taking the song that I chose, Metamorphosis by Your Arms Are My Cocoon, and making it muffled in some of the present day and sad flashback scenes. 

Making it feel like that is what the character is hearing; they are both sort of "blocking out" the song in an attempt to make them feel better. Even though the music is very much non-diegetic, that little bit of symbolism makes the music mean so much more to the characters because that was their song. 

Now i'm not going to have barely any dialogue, however, I do want to utilize some sounds other than the music. I created a foley gasp sound for when Violet wakes up from her dream sequence, creating more of an impact instead of just seeing it visually. As well as including a ringing sound that is typically heard when a character receives terrible news or gets into an accident, I want it to communicate how Violet sort of lost all of her senses when she found Lee dead. She lost touch with reality and that feeling is hard to replicate, especially through a screen, but I think that the mix of the muffled music, ringing, and the visuals will really convey that sheer emotion to the audience, creating a hard hitting moment.

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I am utilizing a bunch of different cuts within the music to put the distortion where it needs to be, as well as creating fade in and outs for the other audio elements, creating a smooth transition between all of them. Making it sound cohesive, instead of choppy. Even tho the audio elements that I am using are fairly easy to edit with, it makes it that much for important to mess them up. So I am taking everything into consideration; things like the volume levels and time duration are huge in making or breaking the sound as a whole. I just mainly want the audio to fit perfectly with the visuals, it will take a bit more editing and working for it to get to exactly where I want it, but I know that I can do it!

At this point in time I am close to having all of the overall shots and sound where I want them, then I will take the time to thoroughly go through each section to make sure that I didn't miss anything. Like i said in my last post, every move that I make regarding this project is for a reason. I want there to be intention behind every single thing that I do and as of right now, it is turning out in my favor. I think that my film is unfolding beautifully, exactly how I wanted.

 It tells a story that I hold close to my heart and I want to execute it in a way that does it justice. I have all of my thoughts and ideas in my head and as I am getting closer to the end, everything is starting to take shape just the way that I saw it. I can't wait to wrap up my editing process and share my film! 

The Editing Process (visual)

Wednesday February 25, 2026

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When it came down to starting the editing process, I landed on utilizing iMovie to put my piece together. I have already had previous experience with this platform from some of my other classes, so I thought that it would be a great pick! It also has a ton of filters and color grading elements to chose from, which helped me tremendously when it came down to scenes that required a good amount of editing. This especially came in handy for the dream sequence scenes, to add a hazy and calm connotation; not only through the visuals (filters/ colors) but from the scene that those things are being placed on. 

For example, with this specific shot I made sure to add onto the preexisting sunlight to make it more warm. In doing this it creates a more memory like feel, which is exactly what I wanted. I also added a "Romantic" filter overtop to create a hazy and light atmosphere surrounding them. I chose that filter specifically because I feel like it encapsulates that essence of missing someone, where you remember them in such a warm and beautiful light.

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Now in comparison to the dream sequence scenes, I used a black and white filter for the present day scenes where Violet is all alone. I did this with intention, making it seem like all of the color got drained from her life the second Lee died. I had in mind that throughout the film, the color will slowly come back as she grasps onto the reality of the situation instead of falling back into her dreams to seek comfort from someone who is no longer there. 

With this scene specifically, it starts by showing a grey sky (establishing setting), showing Violets mood before she is even shown. And in having the scenes following the sky be black and white shows that that is how she is seeing the world, with no intention of fixing it, as she is seen laying in bed. I did this because I wanted the audience to see the differences in how Violet sees the world and how Lee saw the world before he died and how that sheer event impacted Violets view. 

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The scenes where is depicts Lee right before his death, I wanted to show how his heart is feeling through the visuals. All of his previous scenes before this have been extremely warm and airy, which reflected him in that moment, so in doing that same thing but with a deeper and more emotional underlying tone, makes the audience feel it too.

Now for these scenes I didn't want to push it to become completely black and white, just because I didn't feel that it fitted the scene entirely; I wanted there to be some color, but very muted. I chose the filter called "Silent Era" mixed with a muted and cold color grading to create a very somber feeling. Revealing that it is how Lee is dealing with his emotions.

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Along with my story that i'm telling, I want the visual aspects to enhance it even further. Every move I make within the production of this film are all extremely intentional, I want to produce a product that is fully thought out, connecting myself to this project in so many ways besides emotionally. 

Now I am about halfway through the editing process as I am writing this post, and that is exactly where I want to be right now. I plan on having my film be finished within this week and next week, I can't wait to share my creation. Stay tuned!

Group Meeting #2

Tuesday February 24, 2026

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Today in class we had our second group meeting. We are using it as a sort of a mid way check to see where people are with filming and how their story has evolved from the first group meeting. 

My classmate, Veronica, went first and explained her story and the process, her film is called "Her Major Flat". Her story follows a band, consisting of 4 members: the front man, bassist, drummer, and keyboardist and their issues as a band. The front man is jealous of the keyboardist because of his musical talent, with different storylines intertwined throughout, like how the bassist is in love with the front man. I really love this idea and concept, I think that it is a really cool twist to the typical band story. She mentioned that she started her day one of filming and has one more day to complete it in full, but I think that her film opening is a very solid idea that translate really well on screen! We also talked about her ideas for her CCR, she talked about wanting to do a podcast with her being the guest and the host being an animated character. I think that this really reflects the vibe of her film, so they go hand in hand, which I love. This is her blog below! 

Super duper cool blog by me macaroni😎

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Second went my classmate Luciana. Her story follows a traumatic love story of abuse and right before he hits her it cuts to a flashback of all of their loving scenes, then it cuts back to her about to send a message. She talked about having trouble in differentiating the fighting scenes and the flashbacks scenes, and everyone in my group gave her tips of changing the lighting or utilizing filters to make it feel nostalgic in a way. I think that her story could be developed a bit more, but overall I think that it is a good storyline that could be executed beautifully. She's also going to communicate the different feelings within each scene, she is going to utilize three different songs with minimal dialogue. She also talked about her CCR and how she wants to split it up into an interview portion and a presentation, which I think is a good idea! This is her blog below!

About Me

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Filipe went third. His story is a comedy/ action film that follows a driver, Pauly, and a guy that sells car parts, he described it almost as a dealer for car parts. The whole premiss is how the main character, Pauly, wants to show his new and improved car to his friend and it backfires on him. It is meant to be a fun and funny film opening that surrounds cars but it isn't the typical racing movie, which I really like. He mentioned that he is starting filming today at a dead end road, which I think that it could be really cool so that they are. able to make it look believable. He also talked about how he wants to use shots that showcase shifting gears and pressing on the gas to create the illusion of driving really fast, without actually doing it. To add on, he also talked about wanting to use a hip-hop song with a lot of prominent beats to create an upbeat feel, but he said that he has not found one that fits just yet. With that his film is called "Shift Happens" using a play on words of shit happens, which I think is really funny. For his CCR he wants to do a presentation or maybe a interview. This is his blog below!

AICE Media studies

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Fourth went Srikara. The story follows a drug deal that turns into a kidnapping, following the Action genre. It consists of a lot cuts that show the progression of the kidnapping, which I think could be cool. He mentioned using close ups of the main characters eyes, using eye line cuts to show what he is seeing. He said that he wanted to utilize somber music within the flashback as well. He also mentioned that he is still thinking of a title for the film. It really just follows the process that the kidnapper is taking and highlights what he is doing to the kidnapped person. I think that his story could use a little bit more developing because it is't really a solid story, but I do think that it could become a really cool story. For his CCR he wants to do an interview with the drug dealer, tying his story with his CCR, which I think is a cool idea. This is his blog below!

blogforproject

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Last went Kamila. Her story follows a love story that turns into a phycological thriller, that evolves from a car crash where the girlfriend dies but the boyfriend lives. From there it completely shifts into the boyfriend spiraling because of her death, leading to a revenge plot within his character. That scene is set up a year later, it really is his mind playing tricks on him, making him believe that she is still there with him having hallucinations about her. In having it be one year later, he wants to get revenge on her killer by taking revenge on him on her anniversary. She mentioned that they haven't gotten a title yet, but will most likely have one soon.I think that this idea is so cool and I think that her and her group will execute it really well. I also think that the story is extremely well developed, which shows real improvement. They want to achieve those hallucinations mentioned before by playing with the opacity and editing, making it look like she isn't really there. For her CCR she wants it to be in correlation to her story, but hasn't gotten a definitive plan yet; however, she did mentioned a police interrogation which I think could be cool. This is her blog below!

KBlog