CCR #3

 Hi Cambridge people!!

Today, I’m diving into the third CCR question: How did your production skills develop throughout this project? This is a really cool question because it makes me look back and see how much I’ve learned since starting this whole process. At first, I honestly felt a little lost, especially with editing and making everything look professional. But over time, I started picking up new skills that helped bring our film together. One of the biggest ways my skills improved was in planning and organization. In the beginning, I didn’t realize how much work goes into just getting ready to film. I had to learn how to manage time wisely, schedule filming days, and make sure everyone was on the same page. It wasn’t always easy, but by working with my group and staying on top of deadlines, I got way better at organizing everything. Another huge improvement was my editing skills. At first, Premiere Pro looked so confusing compared to iMovie, which is what I used before. I had to watch tutorials, ask friends for help, and just practice a lot. Now, I actually understand how to cut clips smoothly, add cool effects, and use sound properly to make scenes more interesting. I also got better at using jump cuts and inserts to keep the story moving without making it feel choppy. I also improved my teamwork and communication skills. Since filmmaking is a group project, I had to learn how to share my ideas while also listening to my teammates. There were times when we disagreed on certain shots or edits, but we worked through it by talking things out and trying different options. I realized how important it is to be flexible and open to feedback. 

here's another picture of the editing!

Finally, I learned how to problem solve under pressure. Things didn’t always go as planned sometimes we had tech issues, sometimes an actor couldn’t show up, and sometimes we had to change things last minute. Instead of freaking out, I started thinking of solutions and adjusting to whatever challenges came up. Overall, this project has helped me grow a lot as a filmmaker. I feel way more confident in my skills now, and I know that even if something goes wrong, I have the tools to fix it. I still have a lot to learn, but looking back, I can definitely see how far I’ve come!

That’s all for today, see you in the next post!

Group meeting #2

Hey friends, welcome back!

Wednesday’s group meeting was super productive, and honestly, I think we all needed it. Sometimes, just talking things out helps so much, and that’s exactly what we did. First, Samira shared a big problem, one of her main characters canceled on her last minute! That’s a huge challenge, especially when filming is already planned. We all jumped in to help her figure out some solutions. She thought about recasting the role or maybe even changing the scene a little so it could work without that character. It was a stressful situation, but I think she lef the meeting feeling a little better about her options.

Then, my other teammates helped me with my CCR. They gave me some really good ideas on how to explain the choices we made in our film, especially about how we used certain editing techniques and why our story connects with teenagers. Their suggestions helped me see things in a different way, and I feel way more confident about my answers now!!! Of course, I also wanted to help, so I spent some time brainstorming ideas for their film openings. We talked about ways to make their stories more engaging and what small details could add more depth to their characters. It was cool seeing everyone bounce ideas off each other it really felt like a team effort. This meeting reminded me how important it is to have people who support and challenge you. We all helped each other solve problems and come up with stronger ideas. I left feeling way more motivated and ready to tackle the next part of the project!

 

March 8th, 2025

 Hey everyone!

Since I’m working on my Creative Critical Reflection (CCR), I’ve been doing some research for the first question:
How does my film use or challenge conventions, and how does it represent social groups or issues? To answer this, I started looking into sports drama films and how they usually follow a similar pattern. Most of them focus on an athlete’s journey to success, showing their struggles, hard work, and victories. Our film definitely follows some of these conventions, like including intense training scenes and personal challenges.

But we also wanted to challenge some expectations. In a lot of sports movies, the main character is super disciplined and has everything under control. Instead, we made Gianna struggle with balancing school, family, and gymnastics. This is way more realistic because real athletes don’t have perfect lives—there’s always pressure from different areas. We also wanted to make sure our film had real diversity. That’s why we made Gianna’s family Venezuelan-American to reflect the experiences of many kids who feel caught between two cultures. A lot of movies focus on the "American Dream" storyline, but we wanted to highlight what it’s like to feel like you don’t fully belong in either place. This is something I can personally relate to, and I think it makes the film feel more authentic.

I still have a lot more thinking and reflecting to do for my CCR, but this research has helped me understand how our film fits into (and changes) the usual sports drama formula. Can’t wait to dive into the other questions soon!

March 7th, 2025

 

What’s up, blog!

Let’s talk about sound editing, because wow… it is WAY harder than I thought. One of the biggest issues we ran into was that some of the diegetic sounds (like footsteps, breathing, and the sound of the gym equipment) weren’t loud enough in the original footage. Since these sounds are super important for making the scenes feel realistic, we had to recreate them using foley sound.

At first, I thought this would be easy, but syncing the new sounds with the footage was a nightmare. We had to record things like the squeak of Gianna’s shoes, the sound of her hands gripping the bar, and even the chalk dusting off her palms. Every little detail matters, and it took forever to get it to match perfectly.

We also started working on the background music, and that was another challenge. We needed to make sure the music added to the mood without overpowering the dialogue and other important sounds. Finding the right volume balance took a lot of trial and error, but I think we’re finally getting there.

Even though sound editing is frustrating, I’m realizing how much it actually improves the film. It might be one of the hardest parts of post-production, but once we get it right, I know it’s going to make a huge difference.

March 5th, 2025

 Hey everyone!

Editing has officially begun, and let me just say it’s A LOT harder than I thought. I knew editing would take time, but I didn’t expect it to require this much patience. The first thing we did was organize all of our footage, which took longer than I expected because we filmed a ton of extra clips. We had to go through each one carefully to pick out the best takes.

After that, we started cutting down the scenes. Since our final film opening can’t be longer than two minutes, we had to make some tough choices about what to keep and what to cut. It’s tricky because we don’t want the film to feel rushed, but we also can’t let the scenes drag on for too long. It’s all about finding that perfect balance.

One thing that’s really helping is using jump cuts. In the gymnastics scenes, we’re making quick cuts between different movements to make the training feel more intense. This keeps the audience engaged and helps show how much work Gianna is putting into her sport.

Even though we’re just getting started, I can already tell that editing will make or break this film. It’s definitely frustrating at times, but I’m excited to see how everything comes together!

March 4th, 2025

 Hey blog!

Today was a huge day for our film we finally filmed at TAG USA, where we captured all of Gianna’s gymnastics scenes. I was so excited for this part because it’s one of the most important aspects of our story, but wow… I did not expect it to be this exhausting.

We started by setting up the shots. Since gymnastics involves a lot of movement, we didn’t want the scenes to feel too stiff or boring, so we experimented with different angles. We used wide shots to show Gianna’s full routines, but we also added close-ups to capture the emotion and intensity of her training. Getting these shots right took a lot of trial and error sometimes the landings weren’t perfect, or the camera wasn’t in the right position, so we had to redo certain takes.

Another thing we struggled with was lighting. The gym had bright lights, but some areas had shadows that made certain shots look weird. We had to adjust where Gianna was standing and where we placed the camera so that everything looked clear. It was a little frustrating at first, but I think it actually helped us learn how to problem solve on set, which is something we’ll definitely need in the future.

Even though it was a long day, it felt so rewarding to see our film start coming together. Now that we’ve finished filming, it’s time to dive into editing which I’m a little nervous about, but I know we’ll figure it out!

struggles

 Hello blog!! 

Today i'll be talking about what happened at Candelaria's house on Sunday, February 23rd. We originally had planned to try filming on Saturday, but since I got called into work because people didn't find covers it stopped me from being able to film with my team mates. Emma was also unable to attend because she was grounded and didn't have access to her phone meaning that we were unable to communicate, as you can tell we had a bit of bumps on the road. So we decided to meet up at Candelaria's house on Sunday night at around 7pm, Oona, Candelaria, and I started filming immediately since it was a little bit late and still had to have dinner. Candelarias room was used to portray Gianna's Bedroom.

Here's me (Playing Gianna) and Candelaria shooting.

We originally had planned to film on Saturday March 1st, because there is usually something called open gym that happens every Saturday from 6:30pm to 11:00pm where kids get to roam around TAG USA and do whatever they want. But due to the fact that the front desk workers weren't available that night they had to cancel open gym, meaning that we couldn't go film.

The picture TAG USA gymnastics posted on their Instagram.

I asked my manager what day would be best to film so i wouldn't interrupt any important practice or any special event of some sort.

I asked the owner of TAG USA would be the best to come in and film without disturbing after they announced that open gym was cancelled and he said Monday Wednesday and Fridays but it was already Wednesday by then, so we had to choose Friday at 7pm. Friday Feb 28, i was running late since i had last minute emergency with my sister, and I had to pick up Candelaria since she didn't have any mode of transportation to TAG. Turns out I was a little bit late, and arrived at around 7:20. Our stunt double Valeria had to leave at 7:30 since she lived far away, so we had around 10 minutes of her doing super quick tricks on the bar, beam, and floor. After she left, Oona, Emma, and Candelaria all had to improvise and switch outfits, because one of use was better and round offs while the other was better at beam and bars.