CCR: Ideas
I have a couple of ideas for my CCRs, and I need to do at least 2, so here are the two I'll probably use:
Group Meeting #2 (3/11/25)
During today's group meeting, we discussed where we are in filming. I thought I was incredibly behind since I have to reshoot part of my project, but apparently a lot of people haven't started filming yet or aren't done with filming, so I feel a lot better. We discussed a lot about obstacles we've had while filming and it reassured me that even though I'm struggling, others are too, and I'm not completely cooked for needing to reshoot. We also discussed props and I gave a guy advice on how to make a clay homunculus look more real, so I think this was a success!
Film Titles:
TurbulenceAirborneInterludeTitanPearly Whites (mine!)
CCR #2: How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?
" How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project? "
Planning:
While I was planning for this film, I used a ton of different online resources. Public medical research like Biomed Central and lectures and educational channels on Youtube also helped me get more concrete statistics on eating disorders, which helped me be sure I was correctly representing the disorder.
When I was watching films to research, I used streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, as well as websites like Tubi or Internet Archive to find older stuff. Youtube also hosts some movies like Superstar, which I have a post on, and very helpful analyses of film choices in movies like Girl, Interrupted and Requiem For a Dream that helped a ton.
Production:
The technology used in production was relatively simple- just an iPhone I filmed on and a tripod that helped stabilize the shot. I also used a lamp behind the camera for better lighting. Looking back, I could have integrated more technology during the actual process to get better audio.
Editing:
My editing software was a combination of Capcut and Adobe Premiere Pro. I'm very used to using Capcut for editing, so I tried to use it for things I didn't know how to do on Adobe, such as importing fonts and adding and adjusting the color grading. Since I have an Adobe Premiere Pro account, I was able to do the things I would've had to pay for on Capcut, such as fixing the echoey audio and otherwise touching up the footage.
CCR #1: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?
" How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text? "
Engagement
A film like Pearly Whites has a target audience. First, it would be mainly westerners since the west typically has more progressive ideas and audiences are more supportive of body positivity. It would also be mainly women since eating disorders mostly target younger women. The type of person who would relate to a film like this can be ageless since it goes through a couple decades of Marina's life, but I imagine it would be most popular among younger generations, like ages 16-25.
Pearly Whites challenges norms in films and would be sure to stir up discussion in its watchers. It goes against many ideas people associate with eating disorders and shows the weirder, darker parts that people are afraid to discuss or simply don't know about, and for that reason I believe it might resonate the most with people who are suffering with one.
While many films about eating disorders avoid the ugly and end up romanticizing the character's suffering, Pearly Whites wants to show all of it, to perform an autopsy on the condition and lay out every single aspect for watchers to see. I want to engage audiences by giving them multiple different perspectives to analyze, and, more importantly, give people who are struggling a sign that they are not alone.
Distribution
Pearly Whites isn't the type of film that would resonate with everyone. Lots of people, understandably so, wouldn't be comfortable watching something with such a sensitive subject matter, so I need to distribute in a way that targets the previously discussed target audience.
Since the target audience would mainly live in the west where body positivity is more accepted, I would ideally start by showing the movie at a massive American film festival like Sundance or the LA Film Festival. One movie I researched, Thirteen, premiered here and won an award before going on to become a cult classic. Releasing my film at a festival ensures that it is being seen by a large audience and, even if some people don't like the film, the target consumers are probably in the audience and could be interested in purchasing distribution rights.
I could then start releasing Pearly Whites in theaters in America, and depending on its success, into theaters internationally. The movie would likely have a rating of TV-MA due to its depictions of the disorder and Marina's other struggles throughout the movie.
Post-Production: Obstacles
I finally finished filming the first part of the scene, which was the hardest part. However, I need to reshoot the bathroom scene since my phone's quality is significantly worse than my sister's, which is what I used last time. I also need to fix the audio since I realized entirely too late that the dialogue sounds super echo-y. I need to figure out how to edit that in premiere, which doesn't sound that interesting, but it can't all be fun.
The quality of the footage shown isn't too bad, but some clips have great quality while other clips don't. I need to figure out how to even the clip quality out so that it doesn't look off.
 |
| I'll try to make it work somehow, but that cutoff at my head is really bothering me.. |
An obstacle of a more psychological nature is that I HATE seeing myself in videos. I should've thought of that before casting myself as the star in my film, knowing I'd have to edit the whole thing and show it to a class, but here we are. The paranoid part of my brain's thinking that I should rewrite and reshoot the entire film so that I'm not in it, but I know that that would definitely create more problems then solutions. Plus, it's a bit ironic to reshoot my project about insecurities because I'm too insecure to see myself in it.
So, overall, post-production's pretty hard. I'm excited to finish up my project, and this is the final stretch, so I've got to get it done.
Production: Obstacles 2 - Electric Boogaloo
I can't tell if I'm overthinking things or if this is the correct amount of thought supposed to be put into this. This is a very big project so obviously I want to cover all my bases, but I think I need to take a breather. I have a lot of work to do and I can't let stress mess it up.
That being said, I'm back to editing my script. I know, I finished it weeks ago, but I decided to add a bit more lines for Daria to flesh out their relationship. I want to get across that Daria views Marina as selfish and doesn't know what her issues are, causing her to say some rude things.
Production: Obstacles
I have a confession- I haven't started filming yet. I know, I created a schedule and I failed to stick to it. Unfortunately, this means that I have to do all of my prop work, set design, costuming, and filming as well as starting post-production, so I really have to hustle.
There are a couple reasons why I haven't started yet. I planned to get it all done on the weekend, but my sister went somewhere pretty much every day and I don't have another actor. It also completely slipped my mind to borrow a tripod or any film equipment and I didn't want to have bad or shaky footage, but now I'm kicking myself for not having at least something to show for my work yet.
I also do not have a cake or anything that could substitute one yet, but I'm planning to get it today and finally finish the filming portion. Sadly, the cake might get retconned into something cheaper since cakes cost a lot more than I thought they did. I could always make a cake, but it wouldn't look nearly as good and I want it to look very appetizing to contrast Marina's objections to eating it.
I have a couple more things on my to-do list before I film. I need to make sure I have both outfits for the characters, most importantly Daria's pink shirt since I'm not entirely sure where it is. I cleaned up the kitchen and the bathroom in preparation, but I need to make it look a bit less clean in order for the space to look lived-in.
On a more positive note, here's what's already done. The lighting in the kitchen might be an issue since it's very white lighting, but I tested putting my warm lamp in it and it looked good. The kitchen and the bathroom are clean and ready to be set up. My sister should be free tonight to act, so after today there won't be anymore hesitation to begin filming.
My hesitation thus far was partly lack of materials, partly slacking, but also partly fear because I don't know how this will turn out. I'm hoping that my thoughts will come through regardless of if the final project is exactly what I pictured, but having other people watch it?! Terrifying!
Plus, I'm working alone, so if it turns out terrible, there's nobody to blame but me. If my idea sucks and nobody gets it, it's entirely my creative vision that sucks. I don't plan on it being terrible, I'll do a ton of takes and make sure everything is absolutely perfect, but there's always that what if thought that I really need to get over by tonight. As long as I believe in my idea, put in effort, and use the skills I was taught, my project will come through.
Research/Planning: Superstar
You ever start watching a movie and right off the bat you know you’re never gonna be the same afterwards? Thats how it felt seeing Superstar, directed by Todd Haynes and available for free on Youtube, for the first time. I had heard about it a couple times before and I’ve always loved The Carpenters, so I turned it on last night and was shocked into silence too many times to count. There’s so much to unpack, and so much I can use for inspiration for my own film.
The opening was HORRIFYING. Hearing Karen’s mom walk across the house I could barely look at the screen since, knowing about Karen Carpenter’s story already, I knew what had happened. The way that tension was built was so effective. While I don’t want to be creepy in my own opening, I definitely got the vibe of Superstar from the start, which is what I want to accomplish.
The little cards giving us extra information about anorexia are a really interesting choice. I won’t use this idea, but it helps me visualize what I want my credits and title card to look like with the font. I also really like how much the cards discuss the relationship between eating disorders and women’s opression, even talking about the commodificaiton of womens bodies, which I always thought was a more postmodern feminist concept. They also talk about how eating disorders aren’t always just about weight loss, but about control in a world where women’s bodies have been controlled by others for so long. This is an extremely real theme that I have NEVER seen brought up in any other media surrounding eating disorders, further separating Superstar from other films.
“In a culture that continues to control women through the commodification of their bodies, the anorexic body excludes itself, rejecting the doctrines of femininity, driven by a vision of complete mastery and control.”
Of course there’s the elephant in the room, the dolls. While I was confused when I first heard about this film and wondered why dolls would be used in place of actors, I quickly forgot I was even watching dolls and, as Karen’s doll’s figure slowly slimmed down, I understood. Barbie dolls. Beautiful faces and cinched waists. The epitome of beauty and the haunting figure in a girl’s mind, telling her she can always look better.
This sequence is genuinely making me reconsider my entire opening idea. It’s SO GOOD.
Additionally, the film also has a sibling relationship as a major theme. The dialogue between the two characters, while a bit exaggerated, is realistic and something I can take note from.
“What are you trying to do, ruin both our careers?! Jesus..”
(Side note, the description of the disorder included in the film is suprisingly still kind of accurate:)
“The term “anorexia” means “lack of appetite,” yet those who suffer from it are obsessed with food and its preparation, while they deny their own hunger and their bodies need for nutrition.”
Even though there were very few real people shown in the movie, the portrayal of Karen’s anorexia was grittier and more real than any other representation I’ve ever seen.
Click here to watch Superstar, a movie that I love and will never watch again.
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