Film Opening:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_H7nes8ZkY9HvJc6u2c9eTXuopViUS2g/view?usp=sharing
CCR (Questions 1 & 4):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YsceCszCJXP5zyHkHsoSm0yMaPC3iwuF/view?usp=sharing
CCR (Questions 2 & 3):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T-wqCil7DdOlQUtLTH7F2bb8WRL_-jXx/view?usp=sharing
This project has been the most stressful, fun, agonizing, and liberating project I have ever done. It feels so absurd that it's over, it's like seeing your child leave for college except your child is an amateurly made film opening and you've only been working on it for maybe three months. Maybe that isn't the best analogy.
Sophomore year is my most overwhelming year, so far. I took four AICE classes and three honors this year just because I wanted bona fide proof that I was smart and capable. Taking difficult classes meant, at least to me, that I was challenging myself and coercing myself to do something hard that required cognitive function. I never planned to take four, and I never expected AICE Media Studies to be the class that took up 99% of my time. But I'm grateful it did. It's a breath of fresh air to try a new medium of storytelling and art creation. I've become so accustomed to working alone and locking myself in a room until I finished my artwork that I never allowed myself to work with other people and collaborate creatively. In this class I went out of my comfort zone—well, I actually did the same thing, but at least I wasn't by myself, it's a start. That was my main goal this year, to branch out. This project, and class in general was a rigorous creative exercise that I feel like I needed.
I was consumed by A Major Flat. I have never done a project like this before, the only ever "film" I made was a thirty-two second animation of my favorite song last year. There were times where I felt my creative mind being stretched thin and I couldn't bring myself to open up a word document and type more than two words about whatever I worked on that week. Oftentimes, I always felt that I never wrote enough, or whether what I wrote actually provided any significant information. I would finish them at unearthly hours then text my classmates asking if my blogs were good enough. My blogs would be written once everyday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Sometimes I would leave them lacking and unfinished only to force myself to edit them a few days later.
A Major Flat was also an awesome experience. Being around other creatives made me feel less alone and improved my overall mood throughout the creation of this project. I never thought I would pursue anything related to film or production. After this project...I still don't think I will. My strengths lie in creative work, and film is a medium I am fascinated by, however I think I'll stick to drawing. If I were to go into production as a career, I would work strictly on visuals or maybe storytelling (cinematography, storyboarding, writing, etc.) Film is probably the most expensive hobby I will have if I don't pursue it as a career.
My Creative Critical Reflections were their own pleasant nightmares. It took two days and an all-nighter to finish editing my podcast, and two more all-nighters to edit my second video. I originally did not give myself any time to finish my CCRs when my partner and I drafted the schedule, so if anything this is on me. But I am extremely proud of them. My podcast especially, I seriously believe that I was able to answer the questions (mostly) during the time I had. Also my second video, where I was able to cut down twenty-eight minutes of footage into 6.5 minutes.
I am sincerely grateful to be apart of this class, and I'm so happy I received it as one my electives.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oJbBMffqR2WWcP4vn1KHwP4QDfperAqC/view?usp=sharing
Okay so
Editing took a few hours for the podcast. The majority of what I was doing was cutting out any rambling from the interviewer and I, and cutting out silence where I was reading what to say next. One part I mentioned that thrillers often have messages, however in the original raw footage I said they didn’t. I did my best to splice it in a way where I said the correct line; it still sounds a little choppy, but I did my best. Some of the splices I hoped to cover up with the background music; unfortunately, it did next to nothing. It did blend some of the more subtle ones, but overall, the music simply adds a more relaxed and conversational atmosphere.
During the production, I wrote the script for the sponsorship segment and then forgot to have the interviewer record it. My brother does not have access to a microphone, and he is currently an eight-hour plane ride away. So, I got my uncle to record it instead.
I took a video of my screen while I edited from my phone because my laptop does not have a screen recording feature.
While I was editing in class, I asked my teacher whether I should leave the screen black for the recording. She said yes, but more importantly, she recommended adding a logo. And I decided to take any chance of drawing something that I could get.
The name “movie fiends” gave me an idea on making a monster themed logo, and I came up with this:
The podcast ended up being about seven minutes. I only used two songs, “TV World” and “Green Room,” both by Toby Fox.
"OH MY DAYS!!" you may exclaim, "That's a lot of footage." Why yes, it is a lot of footage, and I hope to sift through it all and finish all the editing today.
To introduce the questions more smoothly, I created a quick animation to introduce the question on a white screen as well as add more variety to the clips that are included.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sbnDJT04fv4qwbYpeOHgC1HPl_yhZnQ2/view?usp=sharing
I really wanted the guitar and bass to sound distorted. Which is why I asked my friend, and actor for The Bassist, Juan Palma to play the guitar part for me.
I also added a recording for my own part on the guitar, and I was able to overcome the lack of a distortion setting on my amplifier by putting the volume all the way up. I had to wear earplugs and warn my family, but the sound came out perfect. Additionally, I played random sounds by picking the guitar strings, hitting them, and sliding around to add the "glitch" effects in the final score at the beginning of the audio clip.
For the bass part, I don't own a bass. And I didn't want to text anybody at roughly two hours before midnight just to ask if they could record a bass line for me. So, I used my guitar by tuning down the low E string and making that the only string I used for the bass line. It sounded a little odd, however, and I ended up using the regular tuning on the low E string anyway.
Finally, the drums. I never played the drums before, and I still don't know how to; consequently, the drums are very uncomplicated. I only recorded myself playing the kick drum and some other additional sounds of the cymbal that I could layer over sporadically, adding to the tension of the scene. I started out with a slow steady beat, then made another recording significantly faster.
Though the sounds are all fairly basic, put together they make a tense buildup. The sound starts out slow and unsettling, then completely overwhelms the listener with the guitar and drums. Overall, it's not bad.
I finished the score in about a day, and was able to put the sounds together in Alight Motion because I deleted iMovie years ago and I didn't have enough storage to redownload it.
Here's the final score:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n8y1cTGlHuWPWuU_6beKK33J65jn0ZWe/view?usp=sharing
Before I start writing anything, I just want to say that this project has KILLED my storage. Not just my phone storage, but my Google Drive. Before I took this class, I had it, maybe, 5% filled. I am at 90% capacity right now. There's GIGABYTES of just audio files, screen recordings, behind the scenes, footage, images, I could go on. And it's worse when mixed with my art portfolio project, which takes up even MORE space with MORE IMAGES, but that's unrelated.
Anyway, CCR production!
My podcast recording was quick. I asked my brother to be the interviewer, and we were done before the 30 minute mark. However, I regret not writing a script for him, I wanted him to improvise some questions, but he ended up rambling at some points. So did I, to be fair. This podcast had to be around 4 minutes, I have around 10 minutes of raw audio.
Most podcasts have sponsors, and for whatever reason, I came up with Steven's Stage Repair. Here is the script for that scene:
-
Do you have a broken prop or set? Here at Steven's Stage Repair, our team of skilled handymen are here to revitalize your set pieces. The #1 trusted service by top hollywood set designers! Call 1-800-SETFIXR and get your estimate. That’s 1 8-Double O, S-E-T-F-I-X-R
(TV World by Toby Fox plays here)
-
Because I don't have access to a proper recording studio, the footage has some background noise. Luckily, it's only white noise, and could be layered by the background music I'm adding.
I talk about the first and fourth question in this CCR. My idea to add a wider variety of sounds is to add dialogue from the film to introduce the characters. Each character has a minimum of one line, and I could insert that sound when I acknowledge each band member.
The intro and outro jingles for the podcast was made by Juan Palma, who actually plays The Bassist in the film. The song is called “Dirty Television,” and I spliced it to make it sound introductory then conclusive. Here is the confirmation that I could use it:
here are the mp3s of each snippet:
intro: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AA6GY8vCkCGsKiYi6_mFRGFsBaCqd3En/view?usp=drivesdk
outro: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qyc7CNN90GpQ1RkOmTRS3X7t9bY_qt07/view?usp=drivesdk
I have two main ideas that stem one bigger main-er idea:
- An (enhanced) podcast interview
- Some kind of interview
I want both to have the interview style, simply because it would have a more professional vibe as if this was a real movie that is coming out, and that style would help for questions 2 and 3.
I know for sure that I'm going to do a podcast, even though sound mixing and recording is the bane of my existence and I don't listen to podcasts, I'm going to do it anyway. To keep it entertaining however, I must include a variety of clips such as dialogue, sound effects, and possibly bloopers. Additionally, I want the interviewer to make jokes or improvise certain parts to make the podcast feel less scripted and generally comfortable.
My second interview splits into two more ideas, my ideas keep mitosing.
The first idea is a regular video of someone, probably my brother, filming me and asking me questions while I load "my" (my dad's) car with all the props I originally brought to the first filming day. This CCR would complement the film opening by being related in a meta way, as in instead of being in the film's world, it's just outside of it, treating the movie like a real indie production. How I will go about this without making it look lazy? Who knows. I'll also add more clips from behind-the-scenes and the actual film to refresh the eyes.
Second easier idea is to have me speaking to the camera like a one-way video interview (new term of the day.) Obviously, because that would be boring, I add in clips from the film and behind-the-scenes, background music, as well as changing the angles of the subject--me--to keep the eye engaged.
For all the background music, I intend to use music by Toby Fox from his game Deltarune. From my knowledge, the music is completely free to use when crediting both "Toby Fox as the composer and Materia Music Publishing as the copyright administrator," according to the YouTube FAQ on Materia Music Publishing's website. The link can be found in the description of each song from Deltarune uploaded onto YouTube.
https://materiamusicpub.com/youtube-faq/
i lost my retainer im gonna crash out
How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
Q: How did you integrate technologies, like software, hardware and online, in this project?
A: For software, we used Adobe Premiere to edit the whole film. Which, honestly, looked pretty hard to use, but I wasn't the one editing. And then I tried editing, and it wasn't that bad. More software I used was Voice Memos on my phone to record the sounds I had to foley for the project, as well as the dialogue.
As for hardware, we were originally going to use a real camera for filming, but the SD card simply did not want to cooperate so we ended up using the iPhone camera instead.
We used a variety of online resources though, mostly for the audio to find free higher quality sound effects, like YouTube, freesound, and pixabay. But my most prominent use of online technology is Blogger, which was the website we used to compile all of the information and updates about our project, and is actually where I'm writing the script in.
Q: What don't say this is scripted
A: No
Q: Okay
A: Not completely sure if this counts as online, but the footage for the film was stored on my Google Drive and was circulated with Gmail and WeTransfer.
How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
Q: How did your production skills develop throughout this project?
A: To be fair, I never had any production skills before this. I've never involved myself in making a film that wasn't animated or more than thirty seconds, or even taken a class that included media creation. Now I have…some skills.
Q: Just a fraction
A: Yeah just a few
A: I would say I improved with my cinematography skills. I had some previous knowledge on composition because, well, I’m an art kid, but I still feel like I got better at it during the project, especially when developing the meaning of each shot. Like with the positioning of the walking scene with all The Treblemakers, each persons’ position shows the relationship with each other and the band. Another one of my favorite shots is the two shot with the band and the crowd. I wanted it to feel like a sort of battle, and the band is “outnumbered.” It honestly feels like foreshadowing that this performance will not go well.
A: I overall learned how to act on a set. I was able to create a comfortable environment during filming days where we got work done and had fun while doing it. A good example would be on our second filming day, where we had a tight time limit yet we were efficient and got all the filming done in less than 45 minutes. AND still had a good time. It was an enjoyable balance.
I also learned the gravity of working with a team that doesn't just consist of me myself and I. As an artist, I am used to working alone creatively, often asking for feedback from others but never receiving, or really, accepting, any outside help. Working with many actors and a co-director/editor/producer etc., was not something I felt comfortable with, like I was being thrown into the deep end because I can't just play eight roles.
I learned the struggle of working with others, which will always happen on any real movie set, because that's how production works. And it's fun, when everyone knows their job and is good at it. This team was full of exclusively amateurs, and my friendships honestly became strained during this project because of how much stress I felt.
Production skills aren't exclusively technical, it entails working with others, creatively; handling stress; managing your time; making everyone's schedules work; being understanding; sympathizing with others plus their own needs; and not being crushed by the weight.
Is the second question I must answer for the Creative Critical Reflection.
Talking Points:
Q: How, would you say, does your product engage with audiences and how do you think it would be distributed as a real media text?
A: Well, the first thing I must address is the target audience. The majority of thrillers are aimed towards people-
Q: I would hope so.
A: -of all genders, aged 18-50. However, due to the number of subgenres under the thriller genre, this varies. I would say that A Major Flat is geared primarily towards males that are18-30 years of age. This is because of the all-male cast. I feel as if most women would not feel as connected to the story's premise of a group of teenage boys starting a band as much as men would, since the "high school garage band" trope is more common among men in real life. I would know, I've met these guys, and they starred in A Major Flat.
Q: I guess casting must have been easy then.
A: Well, I did already have them in mind while making A Major Flat. But "The Treblemakers" are pretty much the eviler version of the real life band.
Q: Right, well it's in the name, "Troublemakers".
A: Exactly!
A: So, the engagement with the audience stems slightly from nostalgia, or at least a fantasy. I think most people dream of becoming rich and famous, and again, males seem drawn to electric guitars blasting in a garage, so seeing, at least at first, a group of high-schoolers getting together and forming a band would ring a bell for the audience members like, "Oh, I remember starting a garage band," or "I used to want to be in a band back in high school." Another element that I think would engage the male audience more, which is why I chose the genre to be a thriller is the violence. While violence isn't shown in the opening—it's only the aftermath, having the first part of the movie insinuated that a violent act occurred, it also implies that the rest of the movie will have people being beat up.
Q: So you're telling me men are bloodthirsty
A: I never said that, but...maybe. At least it's more tolerable according to...statistics.
Q: What about for A Major Flat's distribution?
A: If I were to distribute this like a real media text, I think the easiest technique would be to upload it onto YouTube.
Q: Well yes.
A: It’s the most accessible not only because of its simplicity in uploading content, and low price, but also the use of hashtags to categorize the film opening in a way that the target audience will find it via the algorithm. Also, according to Pew Research, 85% of adults use YouTube, which is a higher percentage than Instagram or Facebook. In fact, 93% of adults 18-29 use YouTube in the U.S.. Our target audience is definitely using that service.
Aside from YouTube, film festivals are our other option. The biggest names would be Sundance, Telluride, and Toronto International Film Festival. To submit our film into the Sundance Film Festival, the fee would be around $80, due to it likely going over 60 minutes, in the U.S. Narrative Feature Films category (according to their official Submissions FAQ.)
https://www.sundance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2026_Submissions_FAQ-1.pdf
Moreover, the FAQ states, "Completed films that have been or will have been exhibited theatrically or otherwise made available to the general public... prior to February 2, 2026 are not eligible to submit to this category." This would mean that Sundance would be our first screening, ever. We wouldn't be able to submit it to another film festival or upload it onto YouTube before the date.
Though, I am set on uploading it to YouTube, but I'll just have to wait until after the festival. Same goes for other film submissions.
For Telluride, the submission includes a fee of $35 (for student films, which we are,) and sharing it through Vimeo during the submission window. This is also all according to their website
https://passes.telluridefilmfestival.org/filmsubmission.
To submit to Toronto International Film Festival, the International fee, because we're American, is $120. That brings our total to $235 to distribute our film.
Q: Are there any other film festivals you would submit A Major Flat to?
A: Now, our local options include Miami Film Festival and our high school's own Lightning Film Festival. These are our best bets for our submission actually being exhibited after shooting for the stars.
I just hope our film doesn't fall… Flat.
A Major Flat…
Q: That wasn't funny
A: Okay
Second Filming Day
The weeks leading up to the filming day, I remind everyone going in the group chat we made with the details: the time, location, who's bringing what, the duration of the shoot, etc. However, everyone in the cast, as well as our makeup artist, had some sort of obstacle and we had to continuously reschedule. A day before the ONE DAY we have absolutely no complications, Daniel Catarino, Florence's actor, tells us he has work that day. My other group member even wanted to cut the second scene entirely, but I persisted.
We came to an agreement where we would film about an hour earlier than our original time. The lighting we were going to fix during post production.
The day of the film shooting, Daniel Schmidt tells us Elizabeth, our makeup artist, is grounded. Now, I'm not rescheduling this again. I go straight to YouTube to find out how to BS my way into drawing bruises with eyeshadow. Only to find out that Elizabeth can make it, and is only prohibited from using her phone. Would've been useful to know. At least the makeup process will go faster if both of us prepare it.
We all arrive at the location at 5:30. I realize I forgot the crutches. And we come up with the idea that the crutches broke when Florence was getting beat up. The Keyboardist uses the keyboard stand as a makeshift crutch.
Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of Elizabeth and I both working on the makeup, but just trust me. After finishing up the bruise makeup on Bassist and Frontman, we start filming. I was the one filming the footage on this day, and it is actually my first time actually shooting a film. The shots were simple enough for me to make them look good. My favorite shot is probably the close up of The Frontman's eyes. I never included a scene like that in the storyboard, but I am really glad that we recorded one anyway, as I am very content with it.
Close up shot:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I4PYc-HnGZHYNM2LZckKFTlI4KgoIf0r/view
Aside from being rushed, our second filming day was smooth. Catarino ended up going to work looking like he got jumped though.
I AM DONE!!!!! Film Opening : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_H7nes8ZkY9HvJc6u2c9eTXuopViUS2g/view?usp=sharing CCR (Questions 1 & 4) ...
