CCR Creation #1

Good afternoon!!! I already mentioned in a post (CCR Questions Class!!) the ideas that I had for creating my CCR. As I said, I made a list of notes and based on that, I started writing in Word a script of the first video for my Creative Critical Reflection. As the title itself highlights, it must be CREATIVE. So, I decided to go with the voice-over of me and my dog, Romeo, who acted too in the film. I also had in mind that I must REFLECT on my opening film by talking about the choices that I made, how I evolved, why I added or didn't add different techniques, etc. There are 4 questions in total, but I decided to split them into two and this first YouTube Interview video is going to talk about the first 2.

1. How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?
2. How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?



Although I already had all the information for the things I've posted on Blogger.com, I did re-research the information that I had and some that I was missing. It was not such a struggle because even if I did not have ALL the information, the information I had was useful to guide me to what I was looking for. I mainly just perfected my facts. I had in mind all the time while writing, that I must incorporate research, so I kept all my research pages open, and I listed some links in the notes folder for media studies. I kept looking back and forth from the notes I took in class, my blog posts, and the websites that I had opened while writing my script. I included not just the words but also the actions in parenthesis as when I said "Romeo going up my bed" so that once I am filming it, I know exactly everything I must do. I did the same to be ready for post-production by adding some of the pictures I already had in mind to add while talking as I didn't want to look like a talking head.


Once I finished I timed myself and I was a little worried because I was pretty sure that Ms. Stoklosa said that they cannot be more than 10 minutes altogether with the other media product, and I had around 8 minutes just with this one. So just as I am going to talk about my second CCR product tomorrow I am also going to mention the ways I fixed that time and balanced the amount of information depending on how much I have in both. Meanwhile, you can check out the full script of my CCR #1. Hope you like the idea, and be sure to come tomorrow to my blog!

Creative Critical Reflection Media Studies #1 

(Romeo runs up my bed and surprises me) -Ari Ari Ari Are you almost done with the film; you told me to wait last time I asked you, but I want to know what it is about so bad. Oh, also would you mind explaining it to my YouTube Channel? Like if you were in an interview? 

(Ari smiles and says) alright, I can explain it to you now. Just let me finish reading this bible verse. Here, listen.  

In Genesis, chapter 6 verse 5, the warning of the flood happens as it says: when the lord saw how great the wickedness of human beings was...(Add voice-over of 2 thousand years later) But Noah found favor with the lord.  

Romeo interrupts: WOW and did that really happen? 

Ari: Well, I think it did the rest just depends on what you choose to believe.  

Romeo: close: mmm 

Romeo full body: Yet, what does this have to do with the film? 

Ari: Well, I just read you the very first part of my opening film, to do the same thing I did in it. Give you context.  

Romeo: Well now I’m lost. 

Well here look my film is about a young adult that bases his life and the things he does in what is called the word of God (Ari raises the book up and shows it to the camera) and doing it with these Dystopian conventions work perfectly to give clearer thoughts about the representation of my character. Just as they do in the several dystopian films, where they start by showing the context first of a historical fact or something written that explains an apocalypse or reformed society. 

Romeo: Wait what do you mean by Dystopian conventions 

First, genre conventions are the typical elements, styles, themes, and storytelling techniques that are associated with the film Genre. In this case the genre is Dystopian which is mainly the imagination of a future place in cataclysmic decline. I chose this genre because it helps my audience speculate a vision of the future if one doesn’t act and there are no changes. I did this because I wanted to motivate people to act and make even the smallest difference that will help not just all the world but themselves too. A dystopian film is not just about a society in a destroyed world where they are separated into different groups depending on their skills, but it also highlights one protagonist that is different and unique from everyone. The main character doesn’t feel like they belong anywhere. Just as they do in the film Divergent or Wall-E. I choose my brother as the main character as he looks in his 20s and represents those young adults that are not old enough to be that mature and not do crazy things (like destroy humans which is conveyed in my film where he closes his hand hard with a plant inside) and he has the energy of a young human to be strong and kill. Yet, they are old enough to be independent and responsible for their actions.  

Well although he is very religious, the anger from his past and the risky events that he faces during the entire film force him to think in a wrong way and misunderstand what the bible is really saying. When I used to go to the meetings for teenagers from the church, I saw that many faced not the same but similar problems. Sometimes we talked about not knowing what the right things to do or belief are. Not just there but also after reading the book Night by Ellie Wiesel because, Ellie was a Jew living on the Nazi Era and he got to a point where there he was in front of hard choices that was either keeping his beliefs or dying. After, I noticed how sometimes there are so many things that one is exposed to in this new world that it is hard to choose what to believe. This character represents those male teenagers mostly that are exposed to a bunch of information now everywhere, including social media and they are at an age where their mind can be tricky and even start to feel lonely, as the main character is alone in the film, they can represent those males that are strong enough to act and cause great damage lead by their emotions. I increased that representation of heartbroken but revengeful human being by adding black clothes to my character with some sign of strength (shows pic of toro in the black shirt) just as they do in the film Divergent with the brave Dauntless. I choose not to violate those Dystopian conventions to increase this representation which include huge apocalyptic challenges to represent an exaggeration of those bad events that the young people face in their daily lives. Although we are not now facing any apocalyptic events, there are several problems that one faces in one’s daily life and don’t realize how they change ones’ beliefs, thoughts, and actions. I even added edited the running scenes of my film to relate more with the color scale of apocalyptic events such as using orange and brown colors in the background as in this picture (Wall-E into) or this (. As well, you can see that the sun is also highly illustrated in these pictures in what can be described as a sunset or sunrise, that is exactly why I also decided to film around those times of the day to have that symbolism of the sun going down just as the world ending. Imply that there is an end to everything.  

Romeo: Wow I see, I’m very proud of your work sis. I wish more people could see what incredible things you are doing here but I barely have 3 followers, dad and mom and you. 

Ari- Hahaha its ok, I planned some strategies to distribute my product in a way where more people will watch my film, but first you need to know that before showing your product to the world you need to have to know and understand how it engages with your audience.  

Romeo: But in your case who would be the audience? 

It is highlighted with representation.  

Romeo: huh? 

Well, my audience just as my main character are around the same age of young males of 17 to 25 years old for the same reasons, they are old enough to be more independent but still young to be rebellious and have their hormones not mature enough to be more reasonable as adults. In most dystopian films they use male main characters for the obvious reason of genetically having more physical characteristics that favor their strength, unless they want to represent strong women as in the Hunger games or Divergent. This strength relates with my audience as they are usually males that like being active and would normally like action films or well dystopian. Yet, their emotional strength is not always the audience can relate to the character feeling lonely and lost in a world where one doesn’t understand why bad actions happen and they are hurt by it.  

Romeo: OHHH I like it because it would also bring some social reform by making your audience understand that acting in the revengeful way, they would normally by saying they should first breath and think clearly before acting in a crazy way that later they could repent. 

Yeah exactly.  

Romeo: What else did you do to engage with your audience? 

Uff well I focused on how my brother and those males around his age love going to the gym and use their anger to get more strength or simply to forget about it. This helped me use the action of running to engage with that type of active audience as the main character mainly runs or workout to become stronger and deal with his past. Yet my audience relates to him as at one point this doesn’t really work as instead of forgetting about the past, the memories keep coming and disturbing his life. Based on what I’ve heard from my brother and his friends in the gym they face similar problems as no matter how much work they put memories keep coming back or sometimes the gym even makes them come back more, yet they both, my audience and my main character use the training to deal in some way with their problems.  

Romeo: (gets into paws excited) 

Romeo: Well now we can continue, and can you tell me how you are going to show it to the world? 

Ari: hahaha of course, well I plan to distribute my film through different mediums because I am not famous, and neither is anyone on the film to be realistic but there still are great ways to make it seen in more places.  

Romeo: Such as... 

Well, submitting it to a film festival and competitions is a great idea as I could simply just click the submit button and promote the festival while they promote my film. Besides I get the chance to win prize money which could also make my film be seen by other famous or important productors or marketing companies that are always looking for something that will differentiate the film beyond just the film itself so that they can distribute the film to a wider number of people. I could also distribute download links through social media in comments or messages on posts where some short trailers on TikTok or Instagram with reels are shown to give the viewer a preview to be motivated to download it.  

As well I could also use online distribution platforms for films such as GUDSHO, VIMEO, MUVI, DACAST, or even YouTube. These online platforms would help me just like other filmmakers to distribute and monetize videos worldwide across all devices. 

ROMEO: Wooow, Ari you have everything planned out, I truly cannot wait to watch the film!  

Romeo: So, Mom and Dad, you heard that! Be sure to check it out when she posts her film! We are all so excited.