I'll Miss You

"Under Construction" Components

Video:

Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/underconstructionfilm/

Postcard Front: 

Postcard Back:

 Critical Reflection

Here is a link to my critical reflection:

CR

 Snip, Snip

Editing has been great so far. Well, minus my hard drive port breaking yesterday and my hard drive malfunctioning today. Other than that stuff, editing has been going swell.

Using my script and storyboard, I line-edited my piece. Sequencing everything together was relatively easy, but I had so many gigabytes of footage to work with that the video thumbnails were barely loading, which slowed down the process.

When I finished line-editing, I saw exactly what I was expecting.

Way over five minutes.

Like, by double.

"Under Construction" in its entirety ended up being over 10 minutes long, but luckily for me, many of my scenes were total fluff.

Here are some scenes I chopped for the rough cut (though I will provide the full cut if you'd like to watch that one!):

-Bike riding scene

-Police questioning scene

-KJ and Lola's interaction

-Most of Elijah and Lola's montage

With these scenes cut, the film is now approximately 8 minutes long, with some extra time left for the end credits. I do strongly prefer the full-length version, especially because of Ryan's hilarious acting, but I am also proud of the shortened version.

Before I get into color correcting and grading, here's a cute photo of my current timeline:

 HOUSTON... WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Just a quick update for you guys. It is Saturday and I am at Maya's house. She invited me over so we could edit our projects together and eat ice cream, and that sounded like a great time, so here I am.

Well, everything was going great. We got the ice cream. We sat in bed. We talked about the projects.

And then I tried to show her my current edit and...

MY HARD DRIVE BROKE?

The port for my hard drive broke. The hard drive containing all of my footage from this project.

Luckily, there is another port, but I'm going to need to get a new cable called "eSATA," which seems to be really outdated because I can't find it ANYWHERE. I'm ordering the cable on Amazon, and it should get here tomorrow.

I'm really hoping it works, or my next blog post is gonna be me dressed as the Joker and violently crying.

 I Am Really Extra

My brain has hurt so much during this project. I have overthought every decision. I spent an hour and a half figuring out each character's individual color psychology and costumes. I scavenged for the perfect music that would match my theme with lyrics that people won't even pay attention to. I took forever with choosing the right names for my characters and drove myself crazy for a little while because I didn't want to choose the names of anyone I knew because what if they think the character is based on them? I-

Look. Please read this blog post. I beg.

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS AND SOMEONE NEEDS TO HEAR THEM.

All the Symbolism, References, and Color Psychology In "Under Construction"

    In my film, I've made many decisions regarding symbolism, references, and color psychology to add meaning to my piece. And I've compiled a full list, just for you.

Symbolism

    In "Under Construction," I aimed to present the story of a girl named Lola being sexually assaulted and attempting to recover from the traumatic incident. I did not want to present the cause of her trauma in a graphic manner, however, as this could be triggering to some members of my target audience and a graphic scene would not add anything to my piece, as the incident itself is not what matters, but the healing afterward. 

CAUTION TAPE

    The phrase "Under Construction" refers to something being broken and in the process of being fixed. This is representative of Lola attempting to "fix" herself mentally after being sexually assaulted. During her flashback scene, I portrayed the feeling of violation by displaying Lola covered in construction tape. Lola feels as though her body has also been violated, and is therefore also under construction itself.

"MY HAPPY PLACE" PILLOW

During the therapist scene, a pillow can be seen on Ms. Hayes' couch that reads "My Happy Place." The pillow is blue, which portrays a sense of loyalty and trust that Lola has seemed to grant her therapist nearing the end of the piece. Not only is this an extra blue accent, but a symbol of coping. In this scene, the idea of "My Happy Place" is seen through a therapist's office, though it can be different for others depending on their own experiences.

...Such as Lola herself throughout points of the film. In the extended cut, we see a scene of a character named KJ suggesting that Lola consumes a "more intense" alcoholic beverage. In this shot, the "My Happy Place" pillow can be seen again, but this time in a bright red color, representing the dangers of coping using substances.  We hear from Lola's therapist that she has been drinking to cope, and this pillow alludes to the idea that Lola has found her own "happy place," though unhealthy, in alcohol.

THE CYCLE OF DAY

"Under Construction" represents the cycle of healing through a cycle of night and day. Following the initial therapist scene, the first flashback takes place at sundown as Lola heads toward the park to meet with an unknown person. It can be inferred that this is the same park in which the next flashback occurs, as she sits in a park during the night. As the film progresses, we see her go through the night (the party scene) and back to day (the bathroom scene). 

The bathroom scene presents the false illusion of recovery with the daylight, which is immediately broken with a match cut to her in the park again as she experiences a flashback.  Her scenes with Elijah also take place during the day, as the comfort she has with him has helped her heal, maintaining her in a state of "light." In the final flashback, however, we are met once more with sundown, with another shot of the lake with the sun setting from the beginning of the piece. This depicts the cycle that Lola is experiencing with her healing, and from her final voiceover, it can be inferred that she will fall through another dark time after the end of the film.

SWANS

In our first flashback with Lola, we see the shot of the sun setting over a lake, representing her right before her tough time of the night.  If you pay attention closely, you'll notice Lola's body fades into a swan swimming over the lake, headed in the same direction. This represents Lola herself, as swans represent self-love and clarity. Given that this was right before her assault, Lola was capable of self-love.

At the end of the film, two swans are shown to represent Elijah and Lola at sunset, this time symbolizing two romantic partners. This foreshadows Elijah's interest toward Lola that would end sour.

    

Consistent Branding... How?

Consistent Branding

This week, my Media Studies teacher (shoutout TSTOK) gave us a lesson to guide us in writing our critical reflection. During her presentation, she mentioned that students tend to have difficulty with maintaining a "consistent brand."

She made sure to urge us that this is not out of us being complete utter failures, but rather because creating a consistent brand takes a lot of skill. There's people literally employed to do this.

However, I feel as though I should really focus on this more from now on. I've got my technicalities sorted out regarding filming and editing, so I think it is time to reevaluate what my brand is and how I will present it.

"Under Construction" is the story of a teenage girl following a sexual assault, and depicts the inconsistencies within the healing process. We see her "highs" through her experience with Elijah, and other highs and impulsive behavior are implied through her use of alcohol. Her lows are depicted through her interactions with her therapist and her breakdowns. At the end of the piece, Lola struggles to understand the proper step to take to move forward in recovery, as she feels trapped in the cycle of highs and lows.

My brand aims to normalize the difficulty of the healing process, and to depict the various emotions associated with recovery. I want to make sure my brand remains consistent, so I'm going to plan out how I will depict my brand's identity through each part of of the project.

Match Cuts

Within my script, I have many scenes that incorporate flashbacks, especially in fast-paced sequences or montages. Since my initial draft, I knew that I wanted to utilize match cuts within my film to maneuver between the main scene and Lola's memories. I feel as if this creates more meaning than utilizing a cross-fade transition or black-and-white coloring, as a match cut can evoke a sense of unity between these scenes. Adding familiar traits to both scenes and having a seamless transition between them presents the idea that Lola in her flashback and Lola in present-day are one. 

Since Lola is early in the recovery process, it would not make sense to have her appear as an entirely different person since her assault. Though some people cope with change, this isn't the case for everyone, and many still feel as though they are the same person they were when they were violated. 

These match cuts also represent just how deep-rooted trauma can be. Lola in present-day is still united with the woman she sees in her flashbacks.

Rapecrisis.org.uk provides a list of trauma responses after sexual assault or abuse:

• Intrusive or unwanted thoughts or feelings.
• Very upsetting or painful emotions.
• Low mood, feeling upset or being irritable.
• Suicidal thoughts or feelings.
• Physical feelings, including feeling sick, sweating or shaking.
• Aches, tension or pain in parts of the body.
• Self-harm or self-harm urges.
• Alcohol or drug misuse.
• Low self-esteem.
• Sexual problems – for example, low sex-drive or pain during sex.
• Avoiding certain places or things that remind a victim or survivor of the traumatic event.
• Becoming withdrawn and isolated. Or not wanting to do things they used to enjoy.
• Feeling anxious, worried, ‘on edge’, uneasy, panicked or scared. After trauma these feelings can be extreme, long-lasting and overwhelming – what is known as 'hyperarousal'.
• Flashbacks: vivid memories of a traumatic event that feel like they are happening now.
• Sleep problems: these include insomnia (not being able to sleep) or nightmares where the victim or survivor might feel like they are reliving sexual violence.
• Panic attacks: these can be caused by anxiety. They are different for everyone but common symptoms include having trouble breathing and feeling dizzy, light-headed, sick, weak or shaky.
• Dissociation: when the brain tries to detach from reality as a way of coping with trauma. It might feel like daydreaming or an ‘out of body’ experience.

The symptoms in bold/gray present those that Lola will explicitly depict during my short film. Flashbacks is a major symptom that Lola experienced, which is defined by rainn.org:

A flashback is when memories of a past trauma feel as if they are taking place in the current moment. That means it’s possible to feel like the experience of sexual violence is happening all over again. 

Utilizing match cuts allows me to reinforce the idea that Lola is suffering from a flashback, as the similar angles and seamless transitions depicts that she feels as though her past trauma is taking place presently.

Here is my first match-cut that I have edited. I'm really proud with how this turned out, as I've never really attempted a match-cut before.