Media Portfolio Project CCR Question 1

 Research

• When Making my two minute opening scene, I wanted to flow certain film conventions while also adding my on twist. I also thought about how my story represents real struggles that athletes face, especially young basketball players dealing with pressure and setbacks.

Challenging Conventions

• While I followed some traditional sports movie ideas, I also challenged certain conventions. A lot of sport films focus on big games or final moments, but my scene is more personal, showing the struggle behind the scene. Instead of a coach or teammates helping Mateo, I made him to be completely alone in the gym. This highlights his struggles rather than relying on outside motivation, which is different from typical underdog sport movies.
• Another way the challenged conventions was through my color choices. Instead on the bright color, I instead used darker tone and lighting to emphasize Mateo's struggles. This makes my story feel more emotional and personal rather than just focusing on the action of the game.

Representing Social groups and issues

• My film is about a young athletes, especially those who get injured and start doubting themselves. A lot go high school players feel pressure to be great, and end up getting hurt cause of all the pressure they go through, and getting hurt can make them think their dreams are over. By showing Mateo's frustration and determination, I can show what student athletes go through mentally and emotionally. 
• I focus o feeling alone and working hard to come back. Mateo is like a lot of athletes who feel like they have to prove themselves again after a setback. His time in the empty gym is something many players understand working hard when on ones is watching, trying to get back to where they used to be.

Film inspiration

Media Portfolio Project Post-Production

 The second part of my Post-Production editing

Adding Sound effects and Music

• Sound made a huge difference. I added sound effects like the basketball bouncing, Mateo's breathing, and even the squeaks of his shoes on the floor.
  
  
  
  

Adding Flashbacks and Transitions

• Since my scene includes flashbacks, we had to make sure they were clear. I used a slight Blur effect and changed the color slightly so show the difference between past and present. Smooth transition also helped make everything flow better

Editing took a lot of time, but it was worth it. Seeing all the pieces come together and watching the story unfold was amazing feeling. There is still work to be done but this part of my editing has been amazing.

Media Portfoilio Project Post Production Editing

 Post-Production 

• This is where all of it comes together. After filming, I had a bunch of clips, but they didn't feel like a real scene yet. That where post production editing comes in, it help me turn my raw footage into a polished scene.

Organizing the Footage

• The first step was going through all my clips and choosing the best ones. Some takes had small mistakes, like weird lighting, so I had to pick the cleanest ones. Will I was organizing my clips I found different ideas on how I can improve my story by film other clips that will develop the story better and even use different sounds.

Cutting and Arranging the Clips

• I used caput to trim and arrange my clips in the right sequence. This step was really important because it controlled how the story flowed. I made sure the transitions between Mateo's present day train and his flashbacks felt smooth and natural.

Media Portfoilio project Shooting Process

Shooting Process

• During filming my basketball opening scene was a really cool experience,, but it also took a lot more work then I expected. There were so many things to think about, from setting up the shots to making sure everything looked and felt real.

Planning the Shots

• Before I even started to film I had to play everything out. I made a storyboard that showed everthing important part of the film opening, like Mateo practicing alone in the gym and the flashbacks to his championship game. This help me understand exactly what shots I needed to focus on instead of going in blind.

Setting up the location

• I was able to film in a local outdoor basketball court, which was perfect for the scene. I had to figure to the best place for my camera men to shot, for the shots to look great.

Filming the scene 

• This part took a bit longer than I expected. I had to do multiple takes of each shot to make sure everything looked good. Some shots, like close ups of Mateo's face expressions, were easier, but actions shot like him dribbling and shooting were harder because I had to time everything just right .

Media Portfolio Project Editing techniques

 Editing Techniques

5 Different Editing techniques that I will try to implement into my project

Cross-Cutting

• Switching between Mateo training alone and flashbacks to the championship game shows how much things have changed for him. It helps the audience see both his past confidence and his current struggles at the same time, making the scene more emotional.

Slow Motion For Emotional Depth

• Slow motion can emphasize crucial moments, such as Mateo reliving his fall or taking a deep breath before attempting a shot. This technique heighten tension and allows the audience to feel the weight of the moment.
  
  

Match Cuts

• Match cuts help visually connect past and present moments, making the transition seamless. For instance, close-up of Mateo's hands gripping the basketball in the present can match cut to a similar shot from the championship game, highlighting his internal struggle and past success.

Fade to Black for reflection

• A fade to black at key moment, such as when Mateo remembers his injury, can create a dramatic pause. This allows the audience to absorb the emotions of the scene before moving forward.

POV Shots

• Using POV shot can be used to show the emotion Mateo is going through. For example when Mateo is lining up to take a shot and takes a deep breath you can tell his is tryin to come himself down before taking the shot.

Media Portfolio project filming day process

 During this week I was supposes to start film but I had a little hiccup. I was planning to start film on earlier today but when I got to the location I was going to film I was told that I couldn't start filming with out permission. When I heard this I started panicking but the guy told me that I could call the owner or manger to ask for permission to film and he gave me there number. As I started texting them and was waiting for a response one of my friends that was helping me film told me he had a place where we could film. When my friend showed my the new locations I was confident we could start filming this week but ask we got to the location it was to late cause we had to film in an outside court then inside court. But when we thought we were done for the day we got a text back that we could film in our original location but he said we had to wait until next weekend. I was feeling ok about waiting a whole other week to start filming but I was ok with it because it ment I was able to make changes or improve my scripts.

Original Location

Backup location