Behind the scenes - production process

 Yayyyy now it's the exciting part... filming!! 

For some context, Summer and Alex (the love-interest) are in the same marine biology class. Alex eventually asks Summer to work together on a project together. For the project, they have to go the beach, so they decide to make the most of it!! Here is a little behind-the-scenes video I created for this specific scene!!

bts video

Character Development - Alex

 Now it's Alex's turn! 

As you can see, Alex is a lot more... normal. He enjoys sports, especially soccer, and he also has a ton of friends. Although he is one of the "popular" kids, he has a soft spot for the people he loves. Every Tuesday, him and his family get tacos for "Taco Tuesday," where they do karaoke and just overall have an amazing time. Alex is done with all the rude popular girls that bully the kind, shy ones.

Character development - Summer

 Hey blog!! It is finally time to start the production process of my A level portfolio project! 

I felt like my plot didn't really have a point, like all I had was just it will be about a girl who struggle with anxiety. To add more to it, I decided to turn my film (trailers) into a romance!! It will still fully have the same idea, just now there will be another character involved. So, the final genre for my film is coming-of-age/romance. 

So, for today's blog post, I am going to go deeper into who Summer is, and how I will make her come to life!

Summer is the main character for Almost Spoke. She suffers from severe anxiety which causes her to constantly miss out on all the things that other people her age do. Even something so simple as eating lunch with friends at school is impossible for Summer because not only does she feel super anxious around other people, but she doesn't even have any friends. Summer usually wears clothing that consists of muted colors to represent her loneliness. It's not that she wants to feel lonely. Everything inside of her tells her to make friends and be social... except for her head. Her head often creates visuals of what the worst possible scenario could be, and it often takes a toll on her. 

Since I am the one playing Summer, I really hope I am able to execute her character well! I am not an actress at all, so it is definitely a risk making myself Summer, but I feel that because I understand her, and have partially been in her shoes, I have a shot at being successful.

Storyboard

 A storyboard really helped me last year when making my portfolio project, so I have decided that I want to make one again for this year's portfolio project!

Trailer #1 outline

 Hey blog! Soooo it's time to start creating the outline for my two trailers... very exciting!! 

First, I am going to explain the basic premise of the first trailer. (I have not yet decided what my exact outline of trailer #2 is so stay tuned!!!)

A high school girl struggles with severe anxiety, and she finally gets the urge to talk to a group of classmates, but her own thoughts begin to overwhelm her. The trailer will overall introduce the idea that her mind creates exaggerated fears that make simple social interactions feel impossible.

Trailer #1 Outline

1. Opening scene

• Establishing shot of school
• Wide shot of busy hallway 
• Mid shot of girl sitting alone in class.
• Close-up of pen tapping on desk

*Bell rings

 "Alright class it's lunchtime."

2. Intro of conflict

• Establishing shot of lunch area
• Girl notices group of people talking and laughing
• Close-up of foot tapping
• Girl considers approaching them
• Girl takes a few steps toward people

3. Anxiety builds

• Zoom-in to girl's face

*Muffled voices begin

*Heartbeat noise

*Heavy breathing

• Close-up of girl's face (nervous)

-Black Screen-

"I've been told that my thoughts are louder than reality."

4. Thoughts

(So for this part, I have not decided if I want to continue with the animation route, or if this will be actually filmed just with some sort of filter that makes the audience understand we are seeing what is going on inside the subject's mind.)

• Scribbles/chaotic visuals 
• People laughing
• Quick cuts between the real hallway and animated thoughts
• People judging

(Overall, this scene will exaggerate her fears, showing how sometimes anxiety exaggerates reality.)

5. "Peak" moment

• Girl finally reaches group
• Girl opens her mouth

-Fast paced shots begin to play while voiceover plays

^Worst possible scenarios 

*Voiceover: "Sometimes the loudest voice..." *pause* "...is the one inside your head."

(A sample of the voiceover: *click here*)

6. Title

(I am not completely sure if I will stick with this title, but it is just an idea)

In big letters: "Almost Spoke"

Research - Print

Hey blog! It's time to start doing research on the print component for my portfolio project! Since I am pursuing the film promo package, I need to create a poster for the film. The release can either be theatrical or streaming, here are the differences!!

Theatrical Release:

• Title
• Key art
• Production credits
• Tagline

Streaming Release:

• Multiple thumbnails
• Title
• Few production credits

Something that is important to note is that if I do the streaming release, all of the thumbnails need to have the same font for the title and same coloring overall. The reason for making the different thumbnails is to attract different audiences. 

I think that for my specific genre, a streaming release makes more sense. 

One of my favorite films ever is The Perks of Being a Wallflower I think that it really resonates with the idea that I have for my portfolio project because it follows a teenager and their struggles throughout their life. My project won't have nearly as much of trauma in it because The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a VERY heavy film/book, but it will have a similar idea. This film was originally a theatrical release but then was later on moved to streaming services. I think that for one of my thumbnails, I want to create something similar to this one where there are multiple characters in it. I also really like how the background behind the characters is very bright because it stands out rather than if it was just a plain white or black background. I will probably also do something like that because it is just something different!!

I have never heard of the film, Eighth Grade but after doing research on films about mental health and anxiety, I stumbled across this one. I really like how for this poster, it is an extreme close-up so that the audience knows that the film will mainly focus on that one specific character. I also really like how the title is very bold and stands out. I think that if I do something similar where the poster is pretty much just an extreme close up of a character, then I will also make the title bold, and vibrant so that it stands out. I have yet to actually watch Eighth Grade but after doing research on it, I think that it has some sort of a similar concept to what I'm thinking of doing. The film follows a young girl and how she navigates through the last week of middle school, the catch is... she struggles with self-image and social media pressures. I honestly think I might watch it to possibly get some inspiration!!

Research on anxiety

Hi blog! So, for today's blog post, I have decided to do some research on anxiety as it is a very real thing, and I want to make sure that the character is portrayed realistically while still being respectful!!

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To begin with, what is anxiety?

According to, Anxiety.org "Anxiety is a physiological and psychological response that occurs when the mind and body encounter stressful, dangerous, or unfamiliar situations. It manifests as a feeling of discomfort, distress, or apprehension before a significant event." While anxiety is mostly common, people with anxiety disorders experience these feelings not only more often, but also more intensely. According to What is anxiety disorder? and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, a common type is Generalized Anxiety disorder, and it is where a person constantly is worrying about everyday situations. Another common type is Social Anxiety Disorder, which is when someone feels extreme fear of being judged in social situations. One more type is called panic disorder which involves sudden panic attacks.

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I also need to know the basic psychological and physical symptoms so when I am creating my character, I can make sure to portray anxiety correctly.

Psychological symptoms:

• Feeling overwhelmed easily
• Constant worrying (overthinking)
• Difficult time concentrating
• Fear of social situations
• Idea that something bad will happen

Physical symptoms:

• Sweating
• Shaking
• Fast heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Stomach pain
• Nausea
• Feeling dizzy

Symptoms & Causes

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Now, because the character that will be having anxiety is going to be a teenager, I need to do specific research on anxiety in teenagers because it could be very different from anxiety in adults.

Anxiety in teenagers:

According to GAD in children & teens, anxiety is very common among teenagers because adolescence is a time when people experience social expectations, academic pressure, and identity development. School environments are known to increase anxiety because of pressure to succeed socially and academically.

Teenagers with anxiety often avoid speaking in class, isolate themselves from friends, heavily fear of being judged or embarrassed, and overthink conversations.