The film fest was such a cool and fun experience. This year we were able to stay for all three days of the festival. I watched some incredible films while being in the AMC Theater. One film that stood out to me was called 2x2 and it was by this young film maker called Ruby Drake. This film was so well shot and put together but had the simplest story idea. The screen was divided into four squares and you we able to see four different perspectives in one scenario. The storyline was actually very funny and interesting, it took place in an apartment complex and just went through four of the residents daily routine. It was also awesome to see two of my friends films on the big screen, Pavement and Nightfall. I was able to see all the behind-the-scenes of the productions and it was just so crazy to see the films being edited on a mac in our school to then watching them on big movie screen at an AMC Theater in New York City. I was also able to sit in during an all woman panel. It didn't necessarily talk about film making but it did have an underlying message of going towards any goal you have no matter what any one around you says. It opened my eyes and now I do see that you should go for what you want and you can end up being really successful because of that decision. Over all this trip to the All American Film Festival was so much fun and a huge learning experience.
Out of 8 high schools through out the country our television production class had the honor of participating in the first ever film invitational for the All American High School Film Fest. This was a very fun but challenging experience. The festival sent us a series of topics to pick from and we practically had 3 months for pre-production, and three days for production and post-production to produce the short film. Going into pre-production we experienced some trouble with our story idea. Our original idea was two complicated and wasn't really an easy video to shoot given the amount of time we had to film. But after some time of thinking we were finally able to come up with the perfect idea. Our film was based around a girl who moved to New York City trying to escape her past. The next step was now to plan, plan, plan. We started making the script, shot lists, call sheets, vision boards, and more to plan for this project. What we as a production team did was create a Google Docs where we could drag in all our work; it made all information accessible to everyone, and really helped us stay organized. Finally after all the planning it was now time to actually go out and shoot. The festival provided us with a professional actor to star in our film. This was a very new experience for all of us because we haven't ever worked with a professional actor. During this process I stood as the producer, so while everyone was filming my job was to keep track of time and make sure everything was going according to schedule. I feel that we as a production team did a very good job when it came to pacing everything out we were always either with or ahead of the schedule for the most part. Once we got all the filming done it was time for editing, this is where things got a tad bit stressful. Not everyone in the team had one cohesive idea, which was a problem because although we as a team are individuals it was important that we were all on the same page and had the same vision. While editing I also learned that my job was to make sure that story looked as good as it could visually. Sometimes I would get really worried that other people in the team wouldn't like what I was doing with the film, but as editor I had to do what ever I thought would be best for the film. Now being finished with the film we handed it in and waited for the results. Although we did not win, it was an experience that none of us will ever forget. I learned so much those five days we were in New York, and I will never forget the feeling I got when I saw our film on the big screen!
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AuthorMy name is Kimberly Cardona and I am currently a Senior in Perth Amboy High School's VPAM Academy. I have been in Mr. Wilson's Television Production Class for the past for years and have the position as Special Assignments Producer in our high school's morning show Panthers Roar. Archives
February 2016
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