Creative Critical Reflection

Here's my creative critical reflection! I hope you enjoy it!

 CCR:

Transcript: 

[Marcus Fallon] - Welcome to the Marcus Fallon show. Today’s a special day. We have a special guest very special. I present to you Marcus Cheeatow!

[Marcus Cheeatow] - Hello Marcus Fallon!

[Marcus Fallon] - Welcome Welcome Welcome! It’s such a pleasure to have you on this fine night on the Marcus Fallon Show! Where actually, for those of you who don’t know, Marcus Cheeatow here actually directed and PROduced Forsaken! God crazy work right?! 

[Marcus Cheeatow] - Why thank you why thank you! 

[Marcus Fallon] - Alright Alright Alright… So tell me Marcus: How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups and issues? 

[Marcus Cheeatow] - Well my group project you guys know as Forsaken, revolves around a teenage guy who fantasizes about having friends in a mall, where he’s actually lonely when he wakes and has no friends whatsoever, where this fits into the psychological drama and coming-of-age genres. Where the psychological drama aspect surrounds the protagonist of the film opener, Kendrick, who struggles with loneliness, as shown by the abrupt contrast between imagination and reality at the end of the film opener. The coming-of-age elements and Kendrick's desire for friendship are also introduced here. Upon doing research from what I’ve seen, I used many examples that inspired the film opener, particularly the 2024 coming-of-age film Didi, where the protagonist otherwise known as Chris Wang, struggles with friendship and familial struggles while discovering what he can do better for himself to overcome these situations. Because of this—Because of this movie, we wanted to break these conventions by utilizing an abrupt transition from the playful atmosphere of the mall to a dark, lonely atmosphere in Kendrick's room so that the audience could be intrigued for what would happen next, and the story breaks the coming-of-age pattern, where friendships grow over time. But instead in my film opener Forsaken, it quickly takes away the main character's connections and makes the audience feel his loneliness. In addition, this lets them know that this topic is not only apparent to just the main character of the film opener but to any person who could have a universally understood experience of the ideas on relationships just from anywhere! Moreover, this same pattern can be seen in the 2012 drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower, where the protagonist struggles with himself and his friendships, and thus, Forsaken explores the common experience of feeling lonely and the emotional struggles that come with wanting friendship.

[Marcus Fallon] - WOW! WOW! That was truly moving I can’t believe it! I can’t believe we see the real Marcus Cheeatow in person can we have another round of applause?! [Insert Applause] Alright Alright Alright. So tell me Marcus, I have another question I wanna ask you: How does your product engage with the audiences and how will it be distributed as a real media text? 

[Marcus Cheeatow] - Well funny you mention that! Catching the audience's attention for our film opener is an extremely important aspect to consider, and this was always on my partners' minds, particularly Alexander and Justin. For instance, we attempted to get the audience's attention for the film opener by connecting the audience through relatable themes and psychological twists, making Kendrick's loneliness feel personal to them. The sudden shift from the mall's vibrancy to the emptiness surprises viewers and makes them wonder what will happen next and beyond the screen, I would definitely definitely love to distribute Forsaken theatrically. I would first submit this film to film festivals like Sundance or TIFF, for example, that other movies published and these psychological dramas and coming-of-age films gain strong recognition from movie critics in the film festivals. Secondly, before expanding to larger movie chains, I would definitely like to distribute Forsaken into movie theaters which are well known for distributing psychological and coming of age films that would help push to a broader audience from companies like A24 or Neon. In terms of marketing, I would produce—or I mean promote Forsaken through entertainment apps like TikTok, Instagram, or even YouTube, making trailers and ads of the dream mall sequence and the abrupt transition to Kendrick's lonely room to gain interest. For example, I would partner with film influencers, highlighting the film's deeper themes like friendship, isolation, depression, etc. Moreover, creating posters, exclusive Q&A sessions, and behind-the-scenes content would help build a loyal audience and keep discussions alive even after the release of the film opener in theaters.

[Marcus Fallon] - WOW! WOW! WOW! [Sips his mug intensely] How did your production skills develop throughout the project? 

[Marcus Cheeatow] - Well throughout making this project, I've learned an incredible amount of production skills when it came to constructing Forsaken! Working behind the camera as the main director taught me SO many concepts I'd never learned before, especially seeing behind the scenes for several movies like Oppenheimer, Interstellar, etc and so on. I've learned about camera settings like shutter speed, and I learned how to properly frame the camera to get the desired result that I've ever imagined since the storyboard draft probably in late 2024 in August or not even August October from what you guys have seen in my blogger account.. I have also focused on improving my skills in cutting and editing film. I aimed to create transitions and maintain continuity, where I utilized fade transitions and a smash cut at the end of the film opener to improve the pacing and the mood of the film overall. However, I found audio the most frustrating aspect of developing this movie mainly because because of the atmosphere we filmed in, where wind outside and the ambient sounds inside the mall blocked SO much dialogue and thats what I really felt I could’ve improved in more. Although, I now understand how to import music, adjust sound levels, and even use effects to set an atmosphere, it’s still not the best for me. But by experimenting with visual effects and titles, I developed skills in color grading, and importing custom fonts to showcase the title sequence for the film opener Forsaken. This experience has made me increasingly interested in film editing, cinematography, and visual effects in the near future! Where looking back, my filmmaking journey just from August alone for creating this movie has dramatically changed me. I have moved from basic editing skills to telling a compelling visual story, which has given me a more precise direction for my future creative projects I would love to make as a director in the future. 

[Marcus Fallon] - [Sips even more intensely] So tell me how did you integrate these technologies, hardware, and software, and online in the project? 

[Marcus Cheeatow] - Well in the project, me and my group used different technologies to create Forsaken. At first, my group and I started off with app otherwise known as Adobe Premiere Pro for editing, but we found it SUPER complex and slow, especially with our tight deadline in February. So, in the end, we all agreed to switch to CapCut, which made editing more straightforward and faster and because its beginner friendly, we thought we wouldn't be able to access CapCut due to the TikTok ban that previously happened for a 12-hour period, but gladly, it went back up and running, so we used CapCut to cut clips, add transitions, adjust audio levels, include text, and color grading! This approach helped my group and me simplify the editing process and focus more on improving the story overall!

[Marcus Fallon] - HOOHOOHOO! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW! It’s a pleasure to have you here son and guys please make sure to go out and watch Forsaken publicly now on YouTube! 

The End...

 WELCOME BACK BLOGGERS! IT’S HERE!

I really want to thank all of you for joining me on this journey that started in just August! Time flew by very fast and honestly I'm super surprised that I'm finishing my blog for CineMarcus Productions now! Before you guys watch the well anticipated film opener I’ve been talking to you guys about, your support and encouragement have been amazing, and I couldn’t have done this without all of you guys! From the very start of creating CineMarcus Productions, when Forsaken was just an idea, to the long nights of blogging and editing, your enthusiasm kept me motivated a lot and here we are now with me sharing the film opener with you guys! 

 I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it along with my partners Alexander and Justin! I look forward to hearing your thoughts very much! I know it’s annoying to say this many times but again thank you for being a part of this journey! And for one last time... Thank you bloggers for reading today's post! As always... See you on the flip side!

(P.S Put on subtitles if you have trouble figuring out what we're saying!)

Huge Announcement!!!

Oh man... Where do I even begin? 

Greetings and welcome back bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions have a HUGE announcement to share with you guys! This is probably the biggest announcement on the CineMarcus Productions blogger account and honestly tears are forming as we speak while I am typing this. Can you guess what I'm about to announce? Well....

FORSAKEN WILL BE COMING OUT ON THE NEXT BLOG POST!!!

As we approach the close of our journet, sadness and celebration is filling the air in my room as I'm typing this! Forsaken for me is more than just a film opener. It represents the dreams I have had making a movie ever since I was a little kid. The first movie I ever watched was Jurassic Park and I always wondered how it was like to make movies and here I am now! This is the first step of me trying to pursue my filmmaking journey and this wouldn't be possible without you guys! Thank you so much for being part of this journey with us!

None of this would have happened without my amazing teammates. Alexander and Justin have been so important to this project and to be honest I don't know where I would be right now without them where Forsaken wouldn’t be what it is today! I truly appreciate your support during this time, and now the moment we’ve all been waiting for is near. So stay tuned because in the next blog post, Forsaken will become available and it will be yours to experience! Thank you bloggers for reading today's post! Stay tuned for the next post and see you on the flip side!

Storyboard Completion

 Greetings and welcome back bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions are going to share with you guys the finished updated storyboard for Forsaken! Now that we've finished filming Forsaken, my partners Alexander and Justin & I were able to complete the storyboard without further changes which was honestly the best idea we could think of because we wouldn’t have to change it anymore! Although my drawings aren't that great, I hope it's somewhat readable to you guys! Join me today as I share you the latest storyboard update!

Creating the film opener has been an exciting journey. We began with many ideas and discussions, working together to shape our vision and each step from developing concepts to updating this  storyboard has brought us closer to our story! Now as we prepare to share the film opener VERY soon, we are thrilled to see how you guys will react in the future! Thank you bloggers for reading today's post! Stay tuned for more updates and as always see you on the flip side!

Feedback for Forsaken

 Greetings and welcome back bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions are excited to talk about the feedback I've gotten from my friends as I showed them Forsaken before I publish it to you guys here on blogger! As we get closer to finalizing the film opener, gathering feedback has been a VERY important step in improving the story, pacing, and the overall impact in my opinion as we upload it right before you guys see it. Watching how different people react has given me and my partners valuable information into what works and what needs to improve. So in today’s post we’ll share what we’ve learned from these screenings and how they’re shaping the final cut of our project!

The Best

Throughout watching Forsaken, two of my friends were in awe by the warmth and vibrancy of the whole film opener! Specifically, they were praising how the shots and actors made them feel fully immersed in Forsaken's atmosphere. They loved the way the film built up a sense of friendship and adventure, making the sudden shift at the end of the video feel more impactful. For instance, one of my friends really liked the dreamlike atmosphere in the mall because they found that it was really interesting. Where after the opener finished, he also appreciated how the editing blended the excitement of the mall with Kendrick’s growing curiosity toward the abrupt conclusion of the video! My second friend told me that the emotional depth of the story was very clear because my direction to Kendrick expressed how relatable his desire for friends felt really universally understood and how the final moments left an impression of him wanting more!

The Worst

On the other hand, one of my friends found the transition from the mall sequence to the room for Kendrick felt a little bit too abrupt in his personal opinion, leaving you guys somewhat “disoriented.” He mentioned that he wished for more buildup to the transition, suggesting that more shots could have better foreshadowed the change from the fun to depressing atmosphere. But in my opinion, this wouldn’t be possible due to our strict time limit of two minutes. Additionally, he felt that the ending, while powerful, could have been expanded more to give more clarity on Kendrick’s emotional state after waking up making it seem like it was very rushed. Also, he commented on the sound with some feeling that certain moments in the dream sequence were very quiet because the sound of people talking in the cafeteria overshadowed the dialogue in the scenes. Because of these critiques, they have given my partners Alexander, Justin, and I a LOT of valuable information into how we can improve Forsaken right before the finalized date coming VERY soon!

Thank you bloggers for reading today's post! Stay tuned for more updates and see you on the flip side!

Editing Inspirations

Greetings and welcome back bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions are going to talk about the inspirations that led to how Forsaken's edited! Definitely editing is the biggest challenge when it comes to making the film opener, where it's super hard to think of the different creative ways that make a movie actually visually pleasing! We attempted on using a variety of cinematic styles (On CapCut) to create an engaging film opener that draws you guys right from the very beginning! In which many films have influenced our editing style. So in today's post, we'll talk about the different types of movies that led to inspire Forsaken's final product that's coming very soon!

Interstellar 

Interstellar's editing, especially its montage sequences in the movie, is one of the biggest inspirations for making Forsaken where actually in December when I first viewed it in an IMAX theater, the editing sequences of the scene particularly on Miller's planet sparked some ideas! 

One of its most powerful montage moments, for example, can be seen in a scene where the protagonist, Cooper, experiences the passage of “time” through video messages blending different moments to create an overwhelming sense of loss, longing, and missed opportunities expressing a type of similarity to Forsaken! Where in the end, the inspiration here would one hundred percent be utilizing slow fades, subtle like jump cuts, or even overlapping dissolves to improve that dreamlike quality that the whole purpose of Forsaken is about!

Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction was definitely one of those types of films that came to my mind in terms of editing because of how classic it is from the mastermind of Quentin Tarantino! Specifically, the inspiration here would definitely be the utilization of smash cuts, as I wanted to use a smash cut at the end of the film opener to express the isolation of our protagonist, Kendrick! 

In Pulp Fiction, the scene I'm talking about primarily would be Butch Coolidge's frightening dream as he wakes up franticly. Where in Forsaken, I wanted to use that same aspect with Kendrick waking up again in a frantic as he realizes he's alone! I first thought of this idea as I watched a video about different types of shot transitions and honestly I’m super happy my teacher showed me the video!

Thank you bloggers for reading today's post! Stay tuned for more updates and see you on the flip side!

The Directors Chair

Greetings and welcome back fellow bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions will talk about the details behind my role in Forsaken! If you guys forgot, I am the director of Forsaken and "being in the chair" was amazingly fun to be in! Envisioning the different kinds of shots, how to portray them, and to see the interactions between my co-director Justin, my supporting actor Alexander, and the guest appearance actors Raul and Freddy was one of my favorite experiences I’ve ever had in my life to be honest! So in today's post join us as we undergo the various areas chronologically that made my role pretty important to turning Forsaken into life!

As we dove into the story, each scene became a big team effort that highlighted everyone's talents! The chemistry between me and Justin and the actors brought this lively kind of energy that allowed us to explore the many creative ideas we brought! I remember the intense brainstorming sessions with Justin and Alexander, where we focused on the character's journey to ensure it connected with the audience!

Obviously, being the director isn't as easy as you think. There were important challenges that came regarding the film process as you guys know from what I’ve said in previous blog posts! For example, as we entered the first day of shooting, the tasks of filming on the first day was definitely a big struggle. As mentioned in MANY blog posts ago, we had encountered a very specific issue where my team wasn't satisfied with all of the shots, making it seem like it was rushed and it was of course. On my part, I thought we could've finished filming in one day but that wasn't the case. So after that I realized my past mistakes and ever since then it was nothing but satisfactory areas we've improved heavily!

Instead of letting these challenges make us almost give up, we all came together and improvised on what kind of shots and transitions we can use which you guys can clearly see from the storyboard blog posts! Each take brought its own set of surprises, but through the chaos we were surprisingly able to capture the genuine moments that resonated with the spirit of the story we wanted to tell! Being the director was the best thing I could ever experience considering that I want to become a film director one day. Thus, I am so proud of the progress we've done ever since I uploaded the first post talking about Forsaken and it wouldn't possible without you guys! 

Thank you bloggers for reading today's post! Stay tuned for more updates and see you on the flip side!