Group Meeting Experience

Hi, so today I got the chance to meet with a couple students from my class to share each other's projects and give each other advice on how to move forward. We started by going around and describing our plan and overall plot. I was able to hear of some super creative ideas, and frankly, I was a little jealous. But, when I told my ideas, I received a lot of positive feedback that I did not realize I needed until now. I have been worried about making sure everything comes out perfect, and getting some validation really made me feel like I am on the right track. 

I basically pitched them both of the ideas that I discussed in my earlier blogs, sort of as if they were the directors. Most of them agreed with me that the first one, inspired by my parents, is very fitting for the romantic comedy, and adorable. But, when I told them about the second idea (meeting by getting into the wrong apartment) they said that it had more room and flexibility to develop, as well as feeling more like an opening than the first idea. This feedback was extremely helpful because it just reassured what I had been thinking myself. Although, someone did say that if I would like to go along with the first idea, then I should add more aspects to the plot to give it more depth. This is something I would like to bring up with my group in case we do decide to make our film opening about the beach. 

When I expressed my worries about my idea, such as the location, my classmates gave me advice on how to work around the situation. To elaborate, I said I was worried since I did not know what apartment I could film in. I had said that there might be a slight chance I could use my aunt's apartment in Miami, but it is not likely, as they live in Kentucky. One girl told me that when she did her one-word film project, she also did not have an apartment to film in, so she just cleared a few pieces of furniture in her home and used tight shots to give the impression that it was an apartment. This made me realize that I might have been worried over something that was not that big of a deal. In fact, I think that the tight shots could definitely work, as I want to emphasize the objects she is taking out of the boxes either way. I was glad that I was able to get some input from other people to help me figure this whole process out. I look forward to telling my group how we should lean towards tighter shots when filming.

I also told my group the small details that I would like to incorporate into the opening. Such as the use of a very elegant font for the credits to match the girl's personality. They agreed with this decision and felt that it was a subtle, yet efficient way to develop character. Moreover, I described how I would like an up-beat song playing from the very first scene, and to have the girl seen wearing headphones throughout the various shots. I mentioned how the purpose of this is to have the song completely cut out when her neighbor opens the door and she removes the headphones. The meaning behind this is to show how this girl is always in her own little perfect world, but when she meets the male lead, her world is disrupted. My vision is to make the contrast in sound from a feel-good song to all of a sudden silence emphasize this and give room for the chemistry between the two characters. I expressed all of these ideas, and my group members said that it was a smart idea and that it added depth and variety to the film. This feedback encouraged me to start researching sound and editing to prepare myself for what I would like to create and be able to execute it successfully. I also plan on checking out the film High Fidelity, as it was recommended to me by a classmate to further my research on romantic comedies.

Overall, this was a great experience as I got to get an opinion from an outside perspective, as well as reassurance that my group and I were on the right track. I hope to be able to participate in another group meeting further along in my project.