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[vianablogs]

Critical reflection #4

How Read technologies, software, or hardware, and online and this project?

Throughout this project, we relied heavily on both digital and physical technologies. In terms of hardware. We tested and used school provided cameras, lights, and tripods. We learned the differences between the cameras, and how each handles low light settings, and that was important for us as many of our scenes were meant to simulate nights, even though we were feeling during the day.

To make the daytime filming look like night, we use, sat decoration techniques, covering the windows with posters and curtains. It was a creative and budget friendly way to control lighting. For the final part, we used a smoke machine to create atmosphere in the hallway where Myla is revealed, which helped elevates the visual tone Evander with the smoke, didn’t show up clearly on the camera.

For editing, we used CapCut, which allowed us to add spooky effects, sound overlays, and transitions. We sourced spooky background sounds from its audio library, and we experimented with adding music like dark red, but decided not to do too. It’s copyright concerns. And I think this taught us to be cautious with the intellectual property and plan alternatives.

And some scenes we made an intentional decision to remove all music and sound, particularly in the ending, because we felt that silence created stronger suspense. That choice was inspired by professional horror film start used sound contrast to engage the audience emotionally.

We finally use Tumblr as a blogging platform to document our entire journey. This was not just helpful for reflection, but also for sharing progress with classmates teachers and potentially with an audience. Each block post focused on a different part of the production from script writing to equipment test shoot, planning, set design and reflections. Having that archive is not only useful for evaluation, but also serves a creative journal for our growth.

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Critical reflection#3

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

This project taught me more about filmmaking than I expected. It began with script writing, which was more challenging than I anticipated. I initially wrote a full script over a course of a week, but due to an unfortunate issue with the website I was using I lost the entire file that experience was incredibly frustrating, but also taught me the importance of saving and backing up work. I wrote the entire script from scratch this time with even more attention to details, and I believe a became stronger as a result.

Shoot planning was another critical part of the process, but I think most of the planning was done at home instead of school and I took charge of organizing the locations shot list and timelines. Some parts were discussed in school with my partner, but since we all have different s schedules. I had to manage a lot of the planning independently. It was exhausting, but I learned so much about project coordination and time management.

Searing preproduction we also tested several different cameras provided by the school. and this hands on experience help me better understand framing lightning in shot compositions. We chose the camera that work the best for low light conditions, which was crucial for creating the atmosphere we wanted. Actually finding the best camera wasn’t of that hard as we wanted it to be easy to use and have a good quality so our school helps us with the knowledge they had about the cameras.

The actual shooting day things didn’t go as smoothly as hoped we started filming the final scene first because it’s required the smoke machine and School Rules meant we had to have a supervisor present. This meant we shot the climax before anything else, which was hard because the actors didn’t warm up to their characters yet. But I think they did a really great job. We did our best, but in the final footage, the smoke wasn’t very visible. In the beginning, we didn’t really see how the shots turned out because the hallways were dark and we didn’t really have time to go over every video we take but then later on we saw that the smoke is actually not very visible and it’s not really looking the way that we wanted it to look. We really wanted to reshoot that part improve the visual impact but unfortunately we didn’t have time and we couldn’t keep the students at school after the usual time as they had exams. That limitation taught us how valuable and tight production schedule and planning for a back up days can be.

The entire shooting process was extremely tiring. We had to film everything in one goal with no real breaks because our actors stayed after school and couldn’t stay too late. We started filming at 4 o’clock until 7 pm so it was not very possible for us to keep them more than that. We were all exhausted, but every time we finished a scene, we clapped and celebrated together, and I think that’s very good because we all encouraged each other even though we were all so tired. That positivity helped us push through the stress and showed me how important encouragement is onset not just for motivation but for performance quality.

[vianablogs]

Critical reflection #2

How does your product engage with audiences and how could it be distributed as a real media text?

We created the last girl with a clear target audience in mind : teenagers and young adults, particularly those who enjoy psychological, thrillers, horror, and school based dramas. By setting the story in a school and casting characters in the same age, as our viewers, we aimed to build instant relatability. The horror is not just physical, but emotional, the betrayal of a friend that helps us Ness of being haunted in the familiar space, all of which are ideas that resonates strongly with our audience.

Are film engages viewers, through suspense and mystery right from the opening scene, we wanted to make audience feel uncertain, wondering who to trust who might be the next victim and what’s really going on. On the use of Cliff Hangers, flickering lights and distorted soundscapes help to keep the audience on edge. This pacing was intentionally slow in the beginning, allowing tension to build, and gradually intensified towards the climax.

If we were to distribute the film as a real media product, we would use digital platforms like Netflix or YouTube and cinemas spaces where are target demographic is more active short behind the scenes, clips and cast interviews and teaser trailers could help build hype. Since this is a short film, it would also be a real submission to youth film, festivals, or student competitions.

We also maintained a blog on Tumblr where we documented the entire process and this gave audiences a behind-the-scenes look into the making of the film, helping build a connection between us and our potential viewers. Transparency about our challenges and creative choices adds authenticity and encourages audience investment.

[vianablogs]

Critical reflection #1

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

Our short film, the last girl draws the psychological horror, thriller genre, and embraces many of its well-known conventions. From the beginning our intention was to create a suspenseful atmosphere through visual, and audio thoughts are typical of the genre, such as dark, lightning, empty school, Corredor‘s, and slowly building the scenes of dread. We chose locations that would naturally create this tone dim, hallways, empty lounges, flickering lights, and dark computer lab. These are spaces the audience associates with safety during the day, but we flip that expectation to create discomfort and tension.

We employed genre conventions through sound design for instance adding on settling audio, affects through CapCut in the scariest moments. We are originally considered using dark red by Steve Lacy for the more dramatic scenes in the beginning of the movie when the students are running down the streets to enter the school. We thought that this song with the really great for the beginning of the movie but because of copyright restrictions we decided to not take any risk so we didn’t use it.

In some parts of the movie, for instance, at the climax, when the final girl opens the door and sees Milo revealed as the killer, we decided to use silence to build tension and speak for itself making the reveal even more unsettling. Silence used effectively is a powerful tool in horror, and we made a conscious decision to trust a visual storytelling over dialogue, or loud affects, in these moments.

When we are filming subtly subverts the typical final girl trope is by revealing a girl isn’t alone, but she’s betrayed by someone she knows. Usually in horror films, the final girl survives because of her morality awareness and ability to outsmart the killer. However, in our film, we hint that trust is a vulnerability Myla, who had seemed safe and friendly is actually the antagonist. This twist represents the fear of betrayal from those closest to us a theme that reflects real life issues. Teenagers often deal with trust deception, and the mask people wear.

Representation wise, our cast reflects a realistic and diverse school community. Our characters are teenagers representing the same social group as our target audience. This relatability was important to us, as we wanted the story to feel personal and grounded in every day life. The film, indirectly, touches on themes of academic pressure and peer relationships through the inclusion of scenes, like changing grades in the computer lab, which adds another layer of social commentary beneath the horror narrative.

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Editing in CapCut

 here is when we are almost done with editing in CapCut.

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Editing

In the first day of editing, my partner, and I didn’t really have information about how we can edit a video since it was our first time doing it. So we decided to use the app CapCut for our editing, as it seemed easy to edit and it. My partner was more educated about editing so she did most of the job, but then we would talk about each scene and discuss whether if it’s good or not together.

It was a bit challenging for us to find good music in CapCut to add to our video, but we managed to find suitable sound effects for horror movie.

This editing taught me that I am not very talented in editing videos and putting effects on them but also, I tried my best to help my partner doing it. 

[vianablogs]

Shooting day

We started filming the very first part of the movie, while everyone else in the school was in the auditorium. Since it was busy in there, we quietly pulled our actors. Add a teacher to supervise us out of the auditorium to use that time to shoot the first scene. It was a smart move because it helps us stay ahead of schedule and make the most out of the time we had.

Interestingly, the very first scene we filmed that day after the school was actually the last scene of a movie. That’s because we needed to use the smoke machine for it, and we were only allowed to use it while we had a supervisor with us. That scene takes place in a dark hallway where the main character sees Myla standing at the end of the Corredor surrounded by smoke. Since that shot was so important we made sure to get it done. First one of the supervisor was available.

Once we ended that scene, we jumped straight into filming the rest of the movie in order that’s when things got really busy. We had to access to all our planned locations hallways, the computer lab and the school lounge so we moved quickly from one scene to the next making sure we captured everything just right. 

One thing I was really worried about on shooting the was that we are not gonna be able to finish the whole thing in one day, but luckily we managed to get it all done in one day, so there was no shooting day 2.

[vianablogs]

Pictures from behind the scenes 

Here are some pictures of our behind the scenes, and all the memories we collected. I think one of the best moments was coming home from shooting, sitting and watching the behind the scene pictures. 

[vianablogs]

Behind the scene

 I was filming day was no easy task for us, especially behind the scenes. It was a long, exhausting day that pushed all of us to our limits. We had to stay focused and work nonstop with barely any breaks because our actors and my partner and I stayed after school hours way beyond the usual time and honestly, we couldn’t have done it without their end, our dedications.

I am incredibly grateful for every single person who helped bring the project to life. Everyone gave 100% even when they were tired or frustrated the fact that they stayed and supported us until the end meant a lot and it’s something we will always appreciate.

Even though it was tiring and stressful, there were a lot of beautiful moment steering feeling. After every scene that turned out great, we would all cheer clap and hype each other up. That energy kept us going and reminded us why we were doing this in the first place. We want to make something powerful and we did.

I can see that in some parts, my partner and I would really get tired and mad at the situation when the actors would go on their phones and then we had to call them a few times to come or when we were in the library, and we were telling the actors to do a certain act, but every time they would do a different one. That’s made us lose a lot of time but we still managed to finish it with your help.

There were also some fun moments for all of us, and that was when I had to stand on a chair as the cameraman to film a high angle of Arlo’s dead body. Madelines scream from behind the camera, amazed all of us from behind. Or when we turned on the smoke machine, and everyone was amazed by seeing school hallway in that way as it’s not a normal thing you can see in school.

At the end of the day, we were all exhausted, but we were also proud. We created something special together and that’s a memory. We will keep forever.

[vianablogs]

Critical reflection

Show me the movie. The Last Girl has been an intense and with boarding experience for me. From developing the idea and writing the script to scouting locations gathering equipment and finally shooting the scenes we’ve learned a lot not just about finished making but about patience, problem-solving, and creating teamwork.

The production process started off with a challenge. I originally wrote the first version of the script on the website but unfortunately it was lost and couldn’t be recovered. That meant writing a completely new script from scratch which took me another whole week. It was frustrating at first, but looking back it’s gave the film, fresh, direct link and help me get more connected to the story and characters.

Casting was another big step. We started looking for actors in our school who fits the vibe of each character to guide us. We event look up famous actors with similar energies so we could communicate with our vision more clearly during auditions. One of the actors that we found and chose had a doctor appointment on the day of shooting so we had to find a replacement within 10 minutes. That was very challenging for us and stressful, but we managed to get out of it really well. Some other changes happened along the way. Originally we had written the rules for girls, but after casting two of the characters became boys which led to interesting character adjustments that actually added more variety and dynamics to the group.

Pre-production took a lot of work most of which I completed at home no we did manage to finalize parts during school hours. Planning the shopped was important for organizing scenes, shots and ensuring we used time wisely. We also took actor photos on the date of the shoot so if we ever needed to re-shoot a scene we would know exactly what they were wearing.

For equipment we borrowed everything we needed from School, including cameras, tripods lights, and a smoke machine. Before filming retested a few different cameras, to see which one has the best quality and felt easiest to use that helped us feel more prepared when the real shoot began.

I Recents design was minimal but meaningful since we filmed Dearing the day we had to cover all the windows with posters and close all the curtains to make it look like night time. This was super important for setting the tone of a horror. One of the key visual effects we tried was using the smoke machine for the final hallway scene but unfortunately, when we reviewed the footage, the smoke wasn’t visible enough. We really wanted to redo that moments to enhance the dramatic affect but we ran out of time and couldn’t schedule another shoot day. It was disappointing, but a taught us how important it is to double check affects like that during filming.

Despite all the challenges, the film came together in the way I was really proud of. It’s not perfect. There are parts we could’ve loved to reshoot put the effort, creativity and passion we put in it is shown. The Last Girl was our first attempt at creating something serious and suspenseful, and it’s became more than just a school project. It was a real story, telling me experience from script loss to last minute, decorations, and from casting changes to sound decisions. Every part of the journey taught us something.

This reflection shows how much I have growing through this process. If I ever do another project like this, I will take everything I learned and make it even better. 

[vianablogs]

Actors inspiration 2

 my partner, and I sat and wrote each characters personalities, and a picture of the famous actors that gave the same energy.

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Sound and music

Sound of music are very important and movies. They give so much emotion and feeling to the audience sold my partner and I wanted to choose the sounds that fit the best. We use CapCut to find spooky sound effects. Specially, for the scenes were things started to get scary. These creepy noises really helped us set the mood and make the audience. Feel nervous like something bad was about to happen.

We also wanted to use the song, dark red by Steve Lacy because it’s match the mysterious and emotional vibe of the first scene where they are running towards the school. I feel like that the part “something bad is about to happen” really match the beginning of our movie but we weren’t sure if the song had copyright issues so we decided to be careful and not use it until we found out for sure. It’s really important to make sure you’re allowed to use music in your film or else it could cause problems for us later.

In some parts of the movie, we chose to keep the sound completely silent. What is the most powerful moments was at the end, when Madelyn opens the door and sees that is a killer is Myla. We didn’t add any music or sound there because we wanted to let the silence speak for itself. It’s me to see and feel more real and intense and it’s really helped show the shock and suspense.

Overall, I think sound and silence. Both helped us tell the story better every music or silence adds a completely different atmosphere to each part of the movie. 

[vianablogs]

Set decoration

When it came to setting up the scenes for our film, we had to get creative specially when we were filming everything after school during the day, but the story takes place at night. To fix this, we covered the windows with posters and made sure to close all the curtains tightly, so no sunlight could come in. This helps us create the illusion that everything was happening late at night. I think the spooky atmosphere we wanted.

One of our favorite parts of the set was the ending scene. We used to smoke machine to fill the hallway with a creepy fog, which means everything feel more intense and mysterious. It looked especially scary when Myla appeared, standing at the end of the hallway right next to the auditorium. The smoke really helped build suspense and meet that moment so much more dramatic. Fortunately, we didn’t have to purchase the smoke machine since our school promised to provide us the one that is usually used for our school concerts.

Aside from that, we didn’t use many other sets, decorations, most of our locations, where in the school so we focused more on using lightning, shadows, and camera angles to set the mood. 

[vianablogs]

Actor photoshoot

For our project we wanted to take photos of each actor before we started filming. Originally the plan was to do it few days in advance so we could organize everything properly and have their looks saved for continuity. But with everything being so busy and the schedule changing a lot, we ended up taking the actors photos on the actual day of shoot. It was very disappointing for me as I was planning to do it in advance but we couldn’t because of lack of time.

Even though it was a bit rushed, it’s actually turned out to be a good idea taking photos on the same day meant that we could clearly see what each actor was wearing and how their hair and make up look. That way, if we ever needed to fill more scenes on another day, we could easily tell them to wear the exact same outfits and look the same. The photos also helped us keep track of who was playing pool. Specially, since we had a few changes in our cast before we finalized everything, it was all a small stuff, but it’s made a big difference in making the production look more professional and organized. 

[vianablogs]

Actor inspiration

Before we started casting people for our film, we thought it would be helpful to look at famous actors who had the same vibe as the characters we imagined. This helps us understand what kind of personality expressions and acting style we want to see in our own cast.

We started by reading through our character descriptions, and thinking about which well-known actor or actress could play those roles in a real movie. For example, Madeline our brief and confident leader we looked at the actress who usually play strong, fearless roles. For myla who was a Hidden Darkside, we look at that actors who often played mysterious and unpredictable characters. We did the same for other characters to even though we weren’t casting celebrities it was useful to have these examples in mind if you gave us a visual reference and helped us communicate what kind of energy or feelings we want it from the people who auditioned it’s also helped us when directing scenes, because we could see things like act more like this actor in that film

 In the end, I think this made our casting process stronger as we knew what we were looking for, and we were able to find school actors who gave us a similar vibe.