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!

Editing News...

Greetings and good day bloggers... 

Today's a sad day here at CineMarcus Productions regarding our film opener Forsaken. You may have knew that previously a few blog posts ago, we were gonna try and use copyright music to our film opener. However, now that we're getting closer and even closer to the final product of the film openers due date, my team has sadly concluded that we can't use the music we have at the moment that way you guys can view the project safe and sound...

We've decided to explore for other alternative options that will still bring the emotional impact of Forsaken! And because of this, we are already brainstorming new ideas for original copyright FREE music that can capture the essence of Forsaken without any concerns on Youtube.While it’s disappointing to change our initial plans, we’re committed to delivering the best possible experience for you guys and we will get this done and ready very soon!

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

Plot Inspiration

 Greetings and welcome back bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions are going to talk about the inspirations that led to how Forsaken came to be! As you guys may already know, we planned for this film opener to be as somber and vibrant as possible, so obviously, we needed to find movies and TV shows that fit this type of aspect, including various shots, a depressing and fun atmosphere, etc. So, in today's post, we'll discuss the movies that inspired my partners Alexanders, Justin, and me to create Forsaken!

Didi 

The 2024 coming of age film, Didi, my personal favorite film of the year (Watch this movie its great!), tells the story of an isolated asian teenager who faces challenges with his identity as well as family relationships. As you can tell, the film Didi in comparison with Forsaken already explores exactly similar themes, particularly themes of loneliness and self discovery! 

This movie was the first inspiration that came to my mind when I thought of the whole idea of our film opener! Where both characters, Didi and Kendrick, struggle to connect with their friends that in the end highlight the difficulties of adolescence in this scenario...

 

In Didi, we see the main character navigate through his feelings of being lonely while also trying to find his place in the world. This also clearly correlates as well deeply with the journey of Kendrick too. As both characters from both movies interact with their friends, they both encounter moments of support that shape their experiences!

Where in this instance the arcade sequence would be a great example of this where the characters support the protagonist! They really demonstrate that friendship and the understanding of someone internally are definitely important in facing challenges, in which this is actually what we wanted to show for Kendrick! 

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

Forsaken Wishlist

Greetings and hello bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions will discuss how my group and I would've wished to improve our film opener better in terms of equipment! As of right now we are super proud of our progress, but we would have done a few things differently with better tools of course. Join us today as we'll undergo how Forsaken would've resulted differently!

Upgrading our cameras would have greatly improved the visuals of Forsaken by a thousand miles! As you know we had recorded Forsaken on my iPhone. But honestly if we actually had a different camera, this change would have helped us GREATLY on creating the vibrant atmosphere we wanted, which was the main focus in why we created this film opener. A better camera would have definitely also captured way more detail and provided a sharper, wider range of colors, which we could have used to improve the mood of each scene HEAVILY. Our goal was to make the audience feel truly part of the environment, and the right equipment would have helped us achieve this in ways my iPhone could do a little but not as fully as we imagined.

Investing in better sound equipment also could have greatly improved our film opener. During an important moment at the beginning of the video, the wind noise blocked important dialogue as well as audio inside the mall overshadowed by many individuals, leaving us with unusable audio. Because of this, we couldn’t reshoot the scene, so the poor sound quality remained in tact. With more advanced equipment, we could have captured the sounds of the environment while keeping the dialogue way more clear. The right tools would have also highlighted subtle sounds that build tension, making the scenes in Forsaken incredibly more immersive for the audience...

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

Specific Camera Shots & Angles in Forsaken

Greetings and welcome back bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions are excited to share with you our intriguing camera angles and shots in Forsaken! We will also go under into the reasoning behind the specific angles and shots that my partner Justin and I strategically chose specifically for the vibrant atmosphere of Forsaken! Join us today as we discuss the interesting camera shots and dynamic angles utilized in Forsaken to improve the storytelling!

Static Shots

As you may have seen in previous blog posts, we have used TONS of statics shots preferably to showcase the characters conversations! By keeping the camera still, we focused on these shots particularly so the audience can the catch facial expressions, body language, and the feelings behind every word!

Low Angles

In one shot, we utilized a low angle shot in a way to show Kendrick texting his friends in confusion. Where we also wanted to include the bright blue sky behind him that actually contrasts with his neutral-colored outfit he has on! His phone and small gestures also indeed help add to the realism of the film opener and help viewers connect with his thoughts (Primarily confusion in this scene)! In addition, the framing of the camera leaves space above him, creating a feeling of openness and possible change. So in other words, this shot strengthens the story of Forsaken at the very beginning, allowing not just you guys but everyone as a whole to feel closer to Kendrick’s inner struggle!

High Angles

As well for one shot, we utilized a high angle in a way to convey the characters Wyatt, Kendrick, and Ericson's confusion for finding food in the mall cafeteria! For instance, the way the camera looks at the characters makes them seem small and unsure in such a busy place. In the background of this specific shot, people are eating while the characters look confused. Moreover, this shot helps the audience understand the situation of Wyatt, Kendrick, and Ericson to find food making it feel both silly and real!

Arc Shots

Arc shots in Forsaken are INCREDIBLY important. We have used two arc shots for two different scenes (To which I won't show the second scene due to spoilers) where in this shot, for example, the arc movements emphasize here the friendship between Wyatt, Kendrick, and Ericson as they sit down to eat! This movement in the shot adds some interest and shows their relief and satisfaction after being confused earlier showcased in the high angle shot! Actually, this shot was inspired from movies directed by Quentin Tarantino which honestly might be my favorite shot of the whole film opener! Anyways, using arc shots in Forsaken makes key moments more engaging and cinematic in my humble opinion.

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

Editing Day Two

 Greetings and welcome back bloggers! Today we at CineMarcus Productions are excited to share with you how our process for editing Forsaken is going! While you guys know I'm the director of the film opener, working with my partners Alexander and Justin so far for Forsaken has been great! Editing this film opener requires so much effort and in today's post join me as I explain our editing plans for the opener so far on Day 2!

As we dived into editing, my group and I quickly realized that Adobe Premiere Pro, while powerful and an amazing software to edit, often felt unnecessarily complex. In the app we often faced crashes where we ended up actually spending more time fixing problems than actually editing. We looked for better video editing options and to our surprise, we were happy to find that mobile apps like CapCut and iMovie made it SO much easier and more efficient to edit videos! These apps offered more simple tools that helped us to cut, arrange, and improve our footage quickly, making the editing process much more smoother and more enjoyable!

Editing Forsaken is a big task and we have planned that we will spend the next two weeks making sure every scene is perfect. My partners, Justin and Alexander and I are focused on improving the visuals, adjusting the pacing (The most important task), and making sure the overall tone matches our vision. You guys obviously know that teamwork is important for a project like this. Each of us has a different perspective on the editing process whether it’s changing color grading, improving transitions, or adjusting the audio. In other words, working together and using more efficient editing tools will help Forsaken reach its full potential without any unnecessary delays whatsoever! Thank you bloggers for reading today's post and see you on the flip side!

Day Three of Shooting

 IT'S THAT TIME BLOGGERS! 

Today's an amazing day here at CineMarcus Productions, where I have an ENORAMOUS announcement to share with you guys! Can you guess what it is? Drum roll please... WE HAVE FINISHED FILMING FORSAKEN! We are so happy with the final product and we're insanely excited to start editing it and to later publish it for you guys to see! Join us today as I share you all the moments that led to us finishing Forsaken! 

Today's filming was incredibly calm, especially since we've already wrapped up the bulk of the film opener! The main focus was on capturing the vibrant arcade scene, a personal favorite of mine, where the characters would be in playful interactions just as friends in the real life do when they're enjoying a day out together! The characters fun day at the arcade really helped create a really genuine atmosphere in my humble opinion! We chose to keep the ending scene from our initial draft that is right after the arcade scene because it was the most important part of the film opener and it was tough to reshoot. Thankfully, that part didn't require any reshoots, allowing us to maintain its original charm and impact...

When we arrived at the mall, our guest actor, Raul, was really late due to traffic. Fortunately though, this did not disrupt our film shoot. We had planned to meet around between 2:30 PM and 3:00 PM, but Raul didn't arrive until around 3:15 PM. My partners, Justin and Alexander, our guest actor, Freddy, and I felt impatient since we were on a tight schedule. However, when Raul finally arrived, we were relieved and began filming right away...

Regarding the challenges we faced filming today, we didn't go through many obstacles compared to the other two days. However, an ENORMOUS problem appeared. From the amount of footage we recorded, we had to sadly delete the scene of the characters roaming through the shops throughout the mall because of time. As you may know, our film opener needs to be below two minutes...

Since our opener had to fit within a strict time limit, we decided to cut the shopping scene to keep the film's pacing more clear as possible. Instead, we actually focused on improving the arcade scene to show better the mall's lively atmosphere in a shorter way. I'm happy to say this change worked well. In the end, the arcade scene became engaging and truly captured the spirit of the mall environment!

I can't believe we did it guys. We've been through so much and in the end we finished the film opener! Thank you guys so much for staying with me on this journey and I can't wait for you guys to see the final product of the film coming soon! Thank you bloggers for reading todays post! See you on the flip side and stay tuned for more updates!