CAP Hollywood Week Three

Last week in CAP Hollywood my group almost completed our film. We have all the footage we need and we have it in order on the timeline. We have music and credits. Are most important areas to focus on are:

1. Transitions. A lot of our scenes have awkward jump shots in them. We need to smooth these out a lot.
2. Establishing shots/ b-roll. Adding more of this may help with transitions, and also help to establish setting and vary the shots more. It adds interest to the film and also helps with the pacing.
3. Pacing. Everything that happens occurs very quickly in our film. We need to spread it out more to allow for rising tension. It's also a little short right now, so this will help to extend it.

Adding more establishing shots will probably help in the other two areas. We were good besdies this, because we had our music and audio mainly done, and had everything like we wanted it in the timeline. We also did our movie poster. The only problem is that I'm not sure whether we still have the same film we did last time, because apprently something happened to it. I haven't seen it yet, so next time we'll have to check and hope that this is the only work left.

We might have to do a bit more of the audio as well, smoothing everything out. I might have to redo some audio adjustments I spent last class working on because I think the audio got kind of messed up. I think we might also have to re-insert music or choose between two tracks. We also have to insert some voice over for one part.

We're hoping to get in some time outside of class this week so that we can accomplish all of this by Friday.

CAP Hollywood Week Two

So this week in CAP Hollywood my group almost finished our rough cut. Although we're only done with the first two acts, I think what we do have is really good. We have a variety of shots and I think some of them are very interesting. We could have probably finished the rough cut Friday if we weren't spending a lot of time on the details. So instead of having a lot of it badly put together, we have less of it that's pretty well constructed.

So far we have the two good acts, music, and credits. I think that so far we're pretty on track with what we need to do, as long as we can put in some time after school. No one in our group was able to come in for Saturday editing this weekend, but I think we will be more able to work after school on weekdays after tomorrow, because there will be no more studying for the AP.

Another thing we've done that's important is edited down the footage we've put on the computer. We have taken out all of the shots that didn't work or bloopers, and we've sorted all the footage into different folders, so we know exactly where to go for each shot, and we have several of each to choose from. This will make the remainder of our editing a lot easier.

Something else we need to do is to work on the pacing of our film. It moves quickly, and we probably will end up with it a little shorter than we want. To fix this, we're going to use some establishing shots we got around the store to slow things down.

Another problem we're having is with putting together some pieces that don't seem to have any transitioning shots between them. We're going to have to figure out how to make the disjointed style work with our film.
Hopefully this week we can finish with the visual aspect of our film, so we can work on the audio next week. It would also be good if we could do our movie poster.

CAP Hollywood Week One

Last week, my CAP Hollywood group focused on filming. We spent Tuesday and Wednesday filming at a gelato store in downton Takoma Park. Our earliest challenge was finding a place to film, but the gelato place worked really well with our story and they were very accomodating. In terms of getting props, we printed fake lottery tickets from the internet. We also brought a radio to replace what we thought was going to be a TV, so we wouldn't have to try to bring a TV and change the channel at the right time.

 Anotherchallenge that we faced was trying to find a time that worked for all of our group members. Instead of trying to do that, we decided that we had to have three people show up each day. One to work the camera, one to act, and one to help with the lighting and looking after Mr. Mayo's kid. We used Mr. Mayo and Ross as our two actors, although the cashier from the shop was used in some b-roll.

Our most important task while shooting was to get a variety of shots from different angles and with different compositions so we would be able to easily piece together our film from the availible materials. I think we got some really interesting shots, and varied the types, like Mr. Mayo showed us in class. We got all of our filming done within the two days. We also took some stills for the poster.

During this time, my job was cinematographer and artistic director. I organized the set and mae sure the props and cotumes were prepared. I also worked the camera and used the script and storyboard in order to figure out what shots to use. I also took a lot of b-roll on my day there, because I thought the shop was a really interesting and colorful setting for some cutaways.

Overall, our filming went really well. I think that we have all the footage we will need for this project. The only concern I have is how much film we have, but I think we'll be able to cut it down pretty easily. We just have a lot of bloopers and shots that didn't work out. Another concern I have is with audio, because I'm not sure what the quality of the sound is yet.

This week and next week my group needs to cut down all the footage into one rough cut. Since I have the most experience with Final Cut Pro, I will probably be doing a lot of the editing. I think that we should be able to have the rough cut done by the end of the week.

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc is one of my favorite women in history, and she is also my confirmation saint.

She was born in 1412 in Domremy, France. She was from a very religious peasant family. She was a very devout Catholic From a young age, Joan heard voices of saints

Documentary Reflection

The topic that my documentary explored was the closed lunch policy at Blair, and how the recent modification of the policy has impacted students. Something that we learned in our research and interviews is that Ms. Johnson actually has no say in the lunch policy; it was agreed by the school board when Blair was built that it would never have open lunch. So my position on the topic is that we can’t change to an open lunch. However, if this restriction was not in place, I would say the best solution would be to open lunch and put more safety measures in place so that the students, who are already going to Woodmoor during lunch in large numbers, are less likely to be hurt. This was a good topic to focus on since it’s local and affects everyone at Blair, so it was easy to research and relate to. I think that the freedom in choosing the topics was one of the most important aspects of the project, as it allowed us to focus on the things we are interested in exploring on our own.

            While making the documentary, we did a lot of interviews with students. We found out that there are some students who don’t want an open lunch at Blair. Also, when looking back on the interviews with Ms. Johnson and Ms. Greene, it was obvious that they didn’t realize the true attitudes of the students. Most students admitted to going out for lunch at one point or another. The majority said something to the effect of “everyone does it”. However, both the principal and security guard told us that few students leave campus since the policy was enacted. They also believe that the stores are holding up to their end of the deal, while students testify that all the stores continue to serve them.

            The biggest challenge my group faced was the fact that out project got lost half way through its creation, replaced with a file that was outdated. No one could find it for a day, even with Mr. Mayo’s help. However, eventually Maddie managed to retrieve it, and we got our work back. Another challenge was the fact that a large part of our documentary was going to be based on our own experiences of going to Woodmoor during lunch, but one of the assistant principals prevented us from leaving. We worked around this, using more student interviews.

            If we could redo the documentary, we might have written the voiceover earlier and given it a more prominent place in the project, because most of it is just switching between interviews.  I think that if we had to turn in a script early on, the project would have been more manageable, and it would have been easier to piece together everything to create the final product. I think that the project was interesting and it challenged us.

           

Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII is one of the most famous female rulers in history.

She was born in Egypt in 69 BC. Her family, at the time of her birth, had ruled Egypt for over a hundred years. The Ptolemaic dynasty is one of Greek decent and was founded after Alexander the Great's death in 332 BC. Cleopatra's death ended their reign over Egypt.

Her father was Ptolemy XII Auletes, and her mother, it is believed, was his sister and wife, Cleopatra V of Egypt. Little is known about her early life. It is believed that she had four or more siblings, but records make it unclear.

Cleopatra VI, who is speculated to have been her sister, could have also been the same person as Cleopatra V, her mother. Records of her mother end around the time of Cleopatra's birth, but the name surfaces again in her later years.

Her known siblings are Berenice IV, Arsinoe IV, Ptolemy XIII, and Ptolemy XIV.

Her father died when she was eighteen, and left the throne to her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII along with Cleopatra. It is suspected that she was included in the succession because she might have been married to her brother, eight years her junior.

Ptolemy and Cleopatra seemed to be engaged in conflict, and in 51 BC, Cleopatra undermined him completely by placing herself on coins and writings, rather than the traditional male ruler. Soon after, she was forced to flee to Syria by his threats.

In 48 BC, she returned to Egypt with her own army. After a series of conflicts in Rome, Julius Caesar followed his rival, Pompey, to Egypt. While there, he met Cleopatra, and aided her in winning back her throne. The two defeated her brother in The Battle of Nice. After the battle, Ptolemy is said to have drowned in the Nile.

In 47 BC, Cleopatra had her first child, Caesarion. She traveled with Cesar to Rome after his birth, returning only after Caesar's assassination. She supported Marc Antony as Caesar's successor over Gaius Octavius, and went to visit Antony at his request, only for him to fall in love with her as well.

Antony and Cleopatra worked together to conquer Rome, Cleopatra providing support in return for parts of the land given over to Egypt as the result.

Antony was supposedly told in battle that Cleopatra had died, and committed suicide. Most stories agree that Cleopatra committed suicide as well, after hearing of his death, by allowing herself to be bitten by a cobra.

Cleopatra was the last of the pharaoh's of Egypt, because Cesarion, who was supposed to rule, was killed by Gaius Ocatvius shortly after her death.

60 Second Film Challenge - Spare Change

Our assignment was to create a 60-second film in our assigned groups using an object chosen randomly. My group was Maddie D, Natalie B, Olivia, and Kirin. We selected a round, translucent blue and green hemisphere and an additional object, a fake diamond ring. Originally, I wanted to do something about Olivia and Maddie being twins, because they're both gingers, but eventually we decided on a plot about a beggar woman who gives a gift to a kind student.

Our biggest challenge surfaced after our production was completed, when the sound disappeared. The sound was a vital part of our video, as the beggar woman/witch person uses a strange sound to hypnotize the students, and only the main character is immune to the powers, because of the ring. The changes in sound when she has to ring of and on is the key way of understanding our video.

I learned how to manage time effectively. Getting the script, storyboard, and shot list done early helped our group solidify our idea. Filming was done all in one day, which gave us plenty of time to edit the video.

Mary Tudor

If you've ever heard of "Bloody Mary" (the one who will come to kill you at night, probably if you don't forward a chain email) then what you may not realize who you're hearing about is a real person.

Mary Tudor executed about 300 Protestants during her five year long reign as Queen of England. However, when you take into account the life that she lived before assuming the throne, the context sheds light on a woman who is not, as history paint her, evil at all. Mary was the victim of her society, most easily shown through her father's neglectful abuse.

Mary Tudor was born in  1516, to Henry VIII of England and his first of six wives, Catherine of Aragon. Mary was adored by her father from a young age. However, as her mother grew older, the chances of her giving birth to the son that would become the heir to the throne lessened. Henry grew anxious about the state of the kingdom. He did not believe that any woman, even marry, was fit to rule a country.

Because of this, Henry divorced Catherine in 1533, and married Anne Boleyn the same year. Before he was able to annul the marriage, however, Henry had to gain the approval of the pope. The pope, a relative of the Spanish-Catholic family that Catherine had originated from, told Henry that it was against the rules of the church to follow through with a divorce. Determined, Henry created a new church - The Church of England - declaring himself, rather than the pope, the head of it. Under his own church's rules he annulled his marriage and converted from Catholicism to Protestantism.

Despite her father's religious change, Mary remained faithful to the church she was raised under, as did her mother. Because of this, Catherine refused to acknowledge that a divorce had occurred  as it hadn't been approved by the pope.  In order to break his ex-wife's will, Henry sent her from one home to another, each more dismal than the one before it. He cut down on her staff. Knowing that she would not budge except for Mary, he cut off their communication and forced Mary to work under the woman that she most loathed - her father's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who, in Mary's mind, had dethroned her mother through bewitching her father.

Henry often ignored Mary, leaving her under the care of abusive noblewomen who held grudges against the former Princess (he had stripped Mary's titles along with her mother's) and forced her to care for her half-sister, Elizabeth, only a baby. Forcing Mary, who had been raised a Princess, into being a servant for the child that would inherit everything that Mary had been meant to was torture enough, but Mary endured insults from both Anne and the other women at court. During this time, she turned to religion for hope. She put all of her faith in god to help her stay strong, and to make her the rightful Queen one day.

Mary's prayers were realized when Elizabeth in turn was declared a bastard, after her mother was executed for adultery. Her father's third wife, Jane Seymour, gave birth to one son before dying, Edward VI of England. When Henry died, his will cited his successor as Edward, and, after him, his oldest illegitimate daughter, Mary.

Edward, always sickly boy, died at the age of 15, leaving the throne open for Mary to claim it. However, in
Edward's will, he had changed the succession to include his cousin, Lady Jane Grey.  It is highly suspected that the will was altered by Edward's regent, John Dudley, who married his son to Jane directly before Edward's death.

Mary was forced to flee as the Protestant Jane and her husband, Guildford Dudley, took the throne. They ruled for nine days, after which Mary returned with an army to place herself on the throne, executing Jane and her husband.

At this time in her life, Mary had been subjected to humiliation on multiple occasions. She's had her throne and titles both stripped from her. She'd been forced into becoming a servant. She'd watched her mother die of suspected poisoning, without even being able to see her. She'd been denied love from her father, support from her mother, and everything she'd wanted in life. The only constant throughout her struggles had been her faith in Catholicism. She imposed it heavily upon her subjects, executing those who refused her.

Is it hard to see why, with such a life, she would? Particularly considering that every monarch before and after her did the same, but weren't villianized for it. Particularly in her later years, Mary was painted as emotional and mad - because she was a woman.

Blair Spirit - Re-uploaded

Marguerite Valois

Marguerite of Valois was born in 1553, the daughter of Catherine de' Medici, born a powerful noblewoman, and her husband, Henry II of France.

Young Marguerite

As a child, Marguerite was said to have been very rebellious, not listening to her parents. She was also famous for her beauty and her luxurious education. In 1572, at the age of 19, she was forced to marry a man who soon became Henry IV of France, succeeding slightly before her own brothers in line. Her parents arranged the marriage so that even if her brothers did not end up inheriting, they would maintain power through their daughter. In this way, Marguerite, like so many of her time, became a pawn in her parent's game. The marriage also resolved an age-old conflict between Catholics and Protestants in France. The only person who disagreed with the union was Henry's mother, Jeanne III of Navarre, who soon died, an event that many thought suspect. 

Four days after the wedding, a group of assassinations took place in France. After that, mob violence reigned the streets. Some believed that Marguerite's mother, Catherine de' Medici, had incited the riots because of the large numbers of Catholics in France at the time. 

Marguerite spent much time at her brother's court, before being expelled for her affairs in the 1580's. She was then forced to return to Navarre, her husband's court, even though he no longer wanted her there. She was unsettled at court, where no one cared about her. As a final rebellion, she arranged for a plan to defeat her husband. She was caught and banished to a castle far away from court life for eighteen years. 

Marguerite and Henry no longer had any sort of contact, and both had widely known affairs. The annulment of their marriage was finalized in 1599, after which she would no longer be married to Henry, but would still hold her titles. 

After her husband's remarriage to Marie de' Medici, Marguerite returned to court, where she was more accepted. While there, Marguerite worked on her writing, which she had begun in her young adult years. She was interested in the world around her, especially those she knew well. She studied her brothers and husband and wrote about them, hoping to record things about her country for those in the future. She was also said to have been exceedingly generous in her later years, organizing events for the poor. At court, she promoted the arts and comprehensive education for noble children. 

It's sad that Marguerite is remembered in a bad light, when she was someone who did everything she could to help others. She made no more mistakes then her husband, but she was held more accountable, because she was a woman. She was someone who tried to control her own destiny and conform to her own rules - not other's expectations - and was shamed for it because it didn't fit into the mold. Whether or not she was a dutiful was, Marguerite was an important part of the history of France,  and made positive contributions. 

Marguerite didn't listen to what the men in her life told her to do, instead doing what she wanted. Many women today are also expected to listen to the men in their lives and do what they're told, when really they should be challenging the rules they've been given, and learning.