Locations for the 2-minute blog #22

Hi guys! If you're coming from last week's blog you probably know that today, we'll be discussing filming locations. last blog we also discussed dividing the 120 seconds amongst one another leaving us with 30 seconds each. That said, we collectively decided that filming in our houses would make the most sense considering our complex schedules. Which, believe it or not, is relieving for me being that everyone can work on their piece at a pace that's comfortable for them. Thankfully, Ethan and I do have one class period together which allowed us to discuss the layouts of our home and where each scene would be filmed. Additionally, Andres was able to pull me out of one of my electives to go to Ms. Ortiz's class during his period, which gave us time to do the same. 😁

Down below I'll attach the drawings we drew to give you guys a visual of our thought process.  

This part was honestly pretty fun, and it made me all the more excited to begin the filming process. Although we still are unsure of what to do with the remaining 20 seconds, I do have some ideas that I think would be pretty cool. One idea is incorporating different tracking shots of us moving along the halls during school. I've seen this done in numerous films such as “Mean Girls” and it truly does make the audience feel more involved with the film and makes them feel as though they are in school with them.  

Not to mention, this will make the “teen experience” surreal and allow people who are no longer teenagers to reflect back to a time when they themselves were in high school walking through the halls and might have felt these overwhelming emotions.  

Thats all for today. Hope you guys enjoyed today's blog, until next time!

Our 2-minute film break down #21

Hey hey hey! Welcome back to another blog! 

Believe it or not, me and my group members were finally able to properly make a film guide for our 2-minute film!  

I know, I know what a shocker indeed. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to finally announce that we’ve established a proper script that can help guide us when we finally begin the filming process (hopefully soon) ... I'm not going to lie; this took us quite a while to make considering the lack of availability we have after school. However, I’ll attach down below a visual image of what we’ve conducted so far.  

Film breakdown: 

We decided the best way to attack this film would be by dividing the seconds equally amongst each other to give everyone an opportunity to showcase their perception of how mental health affects teens. To begin with we thought it best to take 10 seconds out of the 120 to put aside for credits. Five seconds would be placed in the beginning and the remaining five would be for end credits. Ethan decided to take the first thirty seconds of the film to depict the life of a teen who suffers from depression. Some ways he’ll evoke this feeling is by sweating, which is ultimately triggered by the body's stress response. Nail biting, rapid breathing and constant twitches will also be incorporated into his film time to demonstrate the struggles of anxiety. I’m taking on the next thirty seconds and decided to play the role of a teen who suffers from an eating disorder being that this is a common condition that a lot of teens suffer from, especially in today’s society. Shedding a light on this could open the eyes of many parents and/or other teens who may be going through the same things and feel alone. To illustrate this condition, I'll constantly look or grab my stomach showcasing insecurity and lack of confidence. Another thing I thought would be a huge indicator of an eating disorder would be when eating breakfast rather than me eating the food given by my mom, I would secretly toss it to my dog under the table showing disgust in thought of eating food. Next, we have Andres taking the following thirty seconds to depict the emotions of a teen who suffers from substance abuse. He will depict this condition by the usage of cigarettes, acts of aggression (such as slamming his bag on the floor when he gets home from school) and lastly playing the guitar. Although playing guitar isn't always an indication of depression/sadness, we figured in this instance it can be perceived as a coping mechanism to deal with his overbearing thoughts (hearing music silents his thoughts). For the remaining 20 seconds we aren't completely sure as to what we might do. We did jot down some ideas, however, that may change as the filming progresses.  

Stay tuned for next blog as we will be discussing location ideas! Byee! 

Genre pt.2 #20

Hi guys!  

Last blog I discussed that our 2-minute film would have the genre “drama”. This blog I decided to analyze three films that contain the genre drama and how they've inspired my work.

To begin with, I selected the infamous film Joker (2019) which depicts mental illness in complex ways including chronic depression and trauma. This film also explores the result of a failed mental health system. This film is used to educate people who may be unfamiliar with mental illness and to encourage its audience to reflect on their current roles in society. Throughout the film you can visibly see a man experiencing extreme psychological distress which is likely a result from a combination of childhood trauma, social isolation, and a neurological condition that stimulates uncontrollable laughter. This ultimately highlights the effects of untreated mental illness and the effects of individuals feeling ignored and drawn to the edge by society. This inspires my work being it portrays a protagonist's struggle with mental health, by capturing their raw emotions in a short but impactful way. This films use of color, lighting and cinematography to convey emotion inspired me to illustrate internal struggles without heavily relying on dialogue. Another hot take from this film was its use of an unreliable perspective that blurs the lines between reality and delusion. Incorporating this in my film could provide an immersive experience that mirrors the complexities of mental health challenges. 

The next film I selected was WALL-E which subtly incorporates mental health and drama themes through its storytelling, world-building, and character development. Throughout the film WALL-E is isolated on earth and experiences deep loneliness. His collection of small treasures and longing for companionship reflects the emotional needs that we all have. This can correlate back to our film where Andres will be using a guitar as a way to cope through his substance abuse. Just like Andres WALL-E finds joy in the little things such as music which ultimately highlights mindfulness and gratitude. Not to mention, WALL-E's loneliness and ability to feel love for other robots shows his capacity for human like emotions. Although he isn't able to verbally express his emotions, he communicates through body language and robotic sounds. This inspired me for my film being this movie showcases how you can still deliver emotions that the audience can understand without having to verbally announce anything.  

The last film I chose was The Little Prince (2015) which explores mental health through themes of childhood wonder, emotional repression, societal pressure, and self-discovery. The film portrays a young girl into a high achieving lifestyle by her mother, mirroring the struggles many teens face with academic pressure and loss of joy. This story highlights how suppressing emotions can lead to mental distress while rediscovering one's inner child fosters healing and self-acceptance. This approach prompts filmmakers that are working on teen mental health stories by encouraging narratives to emphasize self-exploration and breaking free from societal expectations. Through visually symbolic story telling such as structured adult world and the vibrant, imaginative universe of the Little Prince, filmmakers can creatively represent internal struggles. Using animation, dream sequences like The Little Prince can make mental health themes more emotionally resonant for young audiences, fostering deeper understanding and empathy. This film inspired my work being that my 2-minute film also targets a younger audience and shines a light upon the struggles many teens endure and mental health's oppressive nature.  

Till next time!