"No"- Hamlet, Act III, Scene III, Line 87

  Our group has a problem with time management and communication. The problems were mainly  because of finding actors being left to literally the last minute and missing shots during the editing process. During filming, we took longer because rather than filming all the scenes needed at one location, we were bouncing back and forth from place to place and we currently still need more time to complete a scene. We lost actors but were able to revive from it on the second day of filming at school. Although some of the people in my group underestimated the difference a bounce coard makes, I am pleased by the lighting in the film for the nightmare scene.
  My biggest concern in the moment are the incomplete scene and the shots missing in the middle of an action, so it seems choppy while editing instead of smooth. I'm sure that more close-ups would have been better to give the audience a claustrophobic feeling, suspense, and uneasiness rather than watching the action from a distance. The chase scene I had looked forward to seems to have less action and suspense while editing it today.

This week, my group has scheduled our shooting sequence over Thanksgiving Break and is much easier for us now that we will only be taking up 2 days out of our break. Today, the class went on a field trip to Chapman University while a few stayed behind to work on the film. I am excited to work on the special effects make-up and look forward to the actual filming. I hope the result of our hard work shows in our production.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/08/china-passes-film-industry-law-box-office-fraud

The article talks about how China recently passed a law that encourages films to "spread socialist core values." By doing so, China is restricting its film and entertainment industry not only in the amount of foreign films being allowed to be released there but their own companies' productions. In my perspective, the law passed bans film content that is seen as harmful to the "dignity, honour and interests of the country" is a form of censorship that keeps artists from disobeying authority; a way to keep people in line and from going against the government. I see this as a negative impact on the film industry in China since having more limits means less productions being released to the public and abroad as well.

  Vine was sold to Twitter back in 2012 by the co-founder Rus Yusupov and news came out that the app was going to be closed down. Social media is full of competition and it can be seen in platforms being closed down. When other social media apps like Instagram began to allow its users to post videos, Vine lost users. Although it was under Twitter, it wasn't profiting as much anymore. To teenagers, it was a platform to make videos to express ourselves and replay small moments and play around with the loop function of the app. How will the Vine stars reach their viewers? Which social media platform will they move to? Will the Vine videos that were already posted on other websites/apps like Tumblr and Twitter disappear because of the links not being available anymore?

This week, we've been having a guest speaker to help out with transforming our stories into screenplays but it's been difficult for me since I work better being given a script and making a film out of it instead of writing the script myself. I have a pretty weak story so I'm having difficulty with it. I find it even harder now since people in Skills USA also have to create a commercial int the span of one week while balancing the screenwriting homework given by the guest speaker.

http://www.vox.com/culture/2016/10/19/13314670/tcm-turner-classic-movies-film

  The article states that the age of streaming is killing classic film and I couldn't agree more. Although it has made films and movies more accessible for the average American, it doesn't give people the same vibe and chills as it would if it was seen in a movie theater among a crowd. For classic films, they harder to find and come by on popular streaming services like Netflix or Hulu when the films that are featured are the latest ones. The article emphasizes how less people would be willing to watch the classic films since finding them are harder and would more like require a service fee to rent the dvd rather than a quick download or click of a button. I agree with the author that a way of establishing a connection to the classic films to the younger generations has been lost when there is no longer a specific aisle of classic films like they used to at DVD rental stores and are hardly played on regular television. It makes me wonder what other ways can we expose these films to younger generations without force-feeding them? It may not be their taste by these films are important in different film aspects as well as film history.

We began this week by watching our latest projects and the biggest criticism we received-the lack of sound in some scenes- was expected since we didn't get to finish editing. Although it was still in-progress when it was shown,  I liked how the other students were able to grasp the plot that hardly had any dialogue. Today, the class had gone to a field to Mole-Richardson Co. and from the stories I'm hearing, it was definitely fun and I missed out because I got sick the night before the field trip. Unfortunately, it was the field trip I was looking forward to the most out of the field trips to colleges and I missed it.

http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2016/10/12/films-for-a-better-world

  The United Nations Association Film Festival is celebrating its 19th year and was founded by Jasmina Bojic. Starting on October 20 next week, the theme this year is "Compass for a Better World." The documentary films showed focus on "current events from across the world" to bring to light human rights issues that are unknown to other countries.
  This article is important because it highlights documentaries that you wouldn't really find in a film festival in the US. Coming from different parts of the world, people join together to explore culture and spread awareness on human rights activities that would otherwise be unseen in America. As a filmmaker, reading this article reminds me why people want to make movies and it's to tell stories, in this case, they are based on true stories. Will this film festival gain more attention over the years?

  This week, our class went to Loyala Marymount University to check out the Film School on the campus. Tomorrow is also the last day to work on our audio project and I feel extremely anxious because we still have to add in a lot of audio, although our clips are already fixed. I wish I had more time to work on it afterschool but it's been a hassle having tennis games at other schools and not being able to come back to school early enough to still work on the project. In other news, we learned how to assemble a C-stand and use lighting equipment.

  Getting the required shots ran smoothly over the weekend, but upon editing, I realized that I let my team down by not recording in some takes. I must have pressed the button next to record rather than the actual one. I believe I can easily fix it when editing to make it run smoothly. Other than that mistake of mine, our group has worked very well together post-production. Members are busy at all times either editing or recording sound.

http://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/busan-asian-film-school-trains-next-generation-of-filmmakers-1201879448/

  The article announces that the opening of a film school in Busan, Korea will be next year. According to the article, the students attending will have projects suitable for international co-productions by the time they graduate instead of just their own feature-length films.
  The article is important because the school is based in Asia rather than the United States which gives other students on the other side of the hemisphere similar opportunities that they wouldn't have been able to receive. As a student, I can see the benefits of going to a school that focuses on the career people would want to have in their future. This school will improve their skills in marketing, pitching, investing, and project developing. Should we expect more Asian filmmakers in America in the future? Going to a school like Busan Asian Film School should increase their chances of becoming more well-known.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/09/27/oscarssowhite-inspired-new-film-academy-members-to-join/91156424/

  This article recalls the trending hashtag on twitter #OscarsSoWhite from the last Academy Awards and the improvement in the making. According to USAToday, there were 683 new members to the community which included people of color like Chadwick Boseman who stars in Black Panther who stated:
“I felt obligated to join. “After a certain number of years when you see something happen and you feel like there are worthy films that should be nominated or presented, yeah, you have to join. You have to be a voice.””
  This article caught my eye because it memtioned the popular hashtag on twitter, finding out that they are taking the initiative to add new members. As someone who is a minority, I also noticed the lack of diversity despite the many talented people who are a minority. Who can we expect to be nominated next year? I just really hope that they choose people of color who deserved it rather than just because they are minorities.

Filming today was definitely fun. Everyone was on-task. I find it easier working with a small group of four than six. I was worried about being set behind by not being able to start filming in class on Tuesday, but we picked up and are currently on a good pace. My current biggest worry is not having enough time to film during lunch on Thursay. We have our actors set up but the filming process may take longer and reshooting it will be harder. I'm very happy that our director has taken charge and checks up on us having the equipment prepared for the next day's shoot.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/american-male-mtv-film_us_57e2e21ae4b0e80b1b9ff6fd

  MTV's Look Different Creator Competition awarded Michael Rohrbaugh as the winner for his short film "American Male." The short film brings into focus to the audience the harmful effects of hypermasculinity. According to Huffington Post's article, the main character of the himself is gay and hides it by performing what society deems as "manly" acts to fit in. It shows how some men feel forced to prove their masculinity to be accepted and avoid discrimination for seeming feminine. Rohrbaugh provides further explanation for creating his piece:
  “I would like for viewers to gain a better understanding of what life feels like in the closet. I also hope they’ll reflect upon their own lives and think about falsehoods that might be holding them back. So many of the social norms we’ve been taught are rooted in discrimination, and so many young people are taught to feel ashamed of who they are, raised to believe that ‘there’s something wrong with them,’ that ‘they’re not normal’ or ‘not who they should be.’ Those types of lies are really destructive, which is why they must be exposed and debunked.”
  This article caught my eye because it mentioned the LGBT community and , although it has improved over time, is still a current problem. Seeing this from the perspective of someone who is in the community, this article impacted me by reminding me that this still happens to people, because they are under pressure to be be the bully lest they become the target to be bullied. Will this video be noticed at all or just pass through the media and become another web page? Will people, specifically men, feel moved by the video at all?

Currently, we are writing the script for the short film, and I'm very excited to get to camera work and actually film. Lemos says we can finish all the necessary shots over a weekend by my weekends are usually filled with church and community service that I worry about the time we can all agree on. I'm just really happy to finally work with the Sony cameras for a class project, especially with the better control on focus. Communication is steady but I hope it improves as it progresses especially when it comes to meeting up at a location on time. I also hope that no one in my group feels shy to input their own ideas that will better the film; I constantly worry about coming off as intimidating and/or bossy.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-nbcuniversal-dreamworks-animation-layoffs-20160915-snap-story.html

  Recently, NBCUniversal announced that 200 positions were to be dropped from Dreamworks studio after acquiring the company $3.8 billion from Jeffrey Katzenburg. It was the studio's way of saving money by combining the divisions concerning marketing, distribution. finance, legal, and human resources. Since NBCUniversal is the same company that Universal Pictures is under, it is stated by NBCUniversal's Chief Executive Steve Burke said:
  “All of the DreamWorks characters will start to emerge in our theme parks and attractions,” Burke said. “DreamWorks has a very robust television animation business…. We were not in the television animation business, so this now gives us that capability.”
  This caught my eye because I have been paying attention to the animation industry since I was young because of my interest in art. As a consumer, I believe more people would go to Universal Studios because of the additional new characters in the film as well as newere attractions that children would drag their parents to. On the other hand, two-hundred people only have a couple months more working for Dreamworks before they officially leave. Will the large amount laid off discourage people from wanting to get a job at Dreamworks? Dreamworks is currently a well-known animation studios, should we be expecting less movies next year because of the lack of staff in other departments? 

 This week, we're beginning to work in our groups and I'm very happy with the people I've been assigned to work with. Communication is key in all group projects and we shared contacts with one another so that we can easily plan. Unfortunately, some emails didn't go through to the others. The project is to create a short film lasting 4-5 minutes that falls into the theme "it's better to give than receive." The twist being we have to add all the audio post-production.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/0/apple-iphone-7-full-specs-key-features-uk-price-and-release-date/


  This week, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus were released. One of its new features include a dual camera that takes photos of higher quality, flash with with more lighting and a more natural hue, better front camera, and Bluetooth earplugs.
  This is important because it allows a wider group of peopleto create high quality videos without needing a separate camera. With the ability to live edit the videos and better lighting, anyone with this phone has the ability to create better videos than the ones they made on previous iPhones. As film students, we can use this new device to create YouTube videos straight from our phones. Despite the new features, a controversial change was taking out the headphone jack. How will current companies adjust to this change? What new inventions can we expect to come from thus change?

 This week we were to finish replacing the audio on a video given to our groups. I was lucky to be partnered with someone I worked very well with and completed it with extra time on our hands. A remaining problem, though, would be the static sound in the background of my audio clips that doesnt occur in my partner's recording.

  In our film class, we are currently learning about editing sound. Along with learning more terms that are crucial to the sound department, our class will be also only be using foley for our next project as our sound. We will only be allowed to put in those sound clips and not the ones on-set while the scene was being filmed. To prepare us, we are currently working with partners on setting up dialogue and sound effects for a short clip with no audio.

• http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/should-fox-buy-sky-924695

  This year's Milwaukee Film Festival will be taking place from September 22 to October 6 and its Board of Directors will include a new member.

• http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2016/08/25/oscar-winner-john-ridley-joins-milwaukee-film.html#i1
•  http://mkefilm.org/2016-milwaukee-film-festival-announces-john-ridley-to-join-board-of-directors/

  John Ridley, best known for his work on Academy Award-winning 12 Years a Slave for Best Adapted Screenplay, was announced to be a part of the organization on the morning of August 25th. Born in Milwaukee, he state native pushes people to become more involved in the film industry stating:

   "The potential of film and visual arts in Milwaukee lies with those who choose to support it with their time, talents and, frankly, with their financial investments. What’s needed already exists in Milwaukee. What’s required is for those who want film to thrive to join together and to have a centralized experience."
  
  Ridley credits a portion of his success to the community he was raised in for "[giving him] a foundation upon which to grow" This time, he is giving back to the community by providing not only the  experience and network people need to spread their ideas, but also the financial means. We can expect the potential Milwaukee holds for the film industry to increase in the future.

  A Japanese child would see the poster for "Kubo and the Two Strings" and think to themselves excitedly, "I have another character that looks like me and shares the same culture as me!"

• http://deadline.com/2016/08/kubo-and-two-strings-protest-white-actors-japanese-characters-manaa-1201807914/

• http://www.thewrap.com/kubo-and-the-two-strings-director-defends-non-asian-cast-inclusion-matters-but-dont-reduce-diversity-to-a-hashtag/

  Kubo and the Two Strings tells the story of a Japanese boy who goes on an adventure with Monkey and Beetle to quiet a spirit he released. Through his search for his father's Samurai armor to right his wrong, he encounters gods and monsters.

  The film itself is rich in Japanese culture and has recreated the ancient setting with research and detail, creating a stop-motion animation that is both respectful and beautiful. Representation in media is important so that it is inclusive to its viewers.The audience receives it in this film through the characters' ethnic background, personality, and appearances, but Media Action Network for Asian Americans believe the filmmakers could have stepped their game up:

 “These white actors would be appropriate for probably 95% of the movies out there,” MANAA founding president Guy Aoki said in a statement. “For something specific to the Asian/Japanese culture, why not give Asian American actors — who are rarely considered for significant parts in movies — the opportunity to be part of a prestigious project that could bolster their careers?"

  Travis Knight, the director of the film and Laika CEO defends the decision by stating "And so for us, while certainly background is absolutely a consideration, our prime consideration in casting is the ability of the actor to capture the emotion with their voice."

  The film definitely did its part in representation by creating a storyline that specifically targets a specific group of minorities, but could have there been names of Asian American actors that could have used the role to receive more Hollywood recognition by being part of a film with great ratings? Perhaps by including a set of actors (Ralph Fiennes, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, and Art Parkinson), Non-Asian but already well-known, helped with the marketing that the movie needed and spread to a wider audience.