Portfolio Project: Final Reflection

The past 8 weeks have been leading up to this moment. I have fully completed my portfolio project, which I have been working on for about 2 months. I am proud of how it turned out, and to be honest, it's better than I expected.

I learned a lot about different genres, especially thriller, and researched about its conventions. This project helped me learn how suspense is created in film openings.

Considering the fact that I had no knowledge or previous experience with media production, I think this project helped me improve those skills a lot. If you asked me to make the same thing at the beginning of the year, I could not have been able to do it. 

Now I know my project is not the best, but I think that I did the best that I possibly could with the skills that I have. 

When I was first assigned this project, I didn't know what to do; I was lost. I started researching genres and seeing which ones I liked and I was in between social realism and thriller. I ended up picking thriller because I thought it would be more fun to produce and it would be easier to form a structured idea. The problem with social realism was that I didn't really know much about it and I hadn't watched any movies about it that I could name off the top of my head. So that's why I ended up picking thriller.

While I was planning for this project, I developed the idea for the opening and made a full script with all the shots and dialogue for it. Planning all the shots in advance helped me have a more clear idea of what I wanted to do and how I wanted it to look like. It made the filming process much more smooth and efficient.

In the production stage, I filmed all the shots with an iPhone camera because neither me or my partner had any more advanced equipment. We didn't need a tripod or any outside stabilizers because iPhone has a built-in feature that makes your videos look more still. Because of this, all our shots ended up looking smooth without any outside help. My goal while filming this was to give the impression that the main character, Xander, was just a normal teenager that got put in this situation, and that it can happen to anyone.

In the editing stage, I used Clipchamp to edit my opening. With it I was able to cut clips, add and remove sounds, add transitions, etc. Clipchamp played a huge role in my project because it's what made the opening flow and made it understandable. For example, I was able to add sounds like the police siren sound or add overlays such as the texting animation.

One of the most important things I learned in this project was how different technologies can work together to make a piece of media. Hardware such as the filming equipment, software such as Clipchamp, and online tools used for research and sound effects all played a huge role in my project. If it weren't for any of these, it would not have been possible to make it so smooth.

One thing I would change if I could go back would be to experiment more with lighting to make the shots more dramatic and movie-like. When I was filming, I didn't really pay much attention to the lighting as I was more focused on making my setting feel more natural, but now that I look back, I realize that the lighting may have been too light so it made it feel less tense. Maybe if I would have used darker lighting my shots would have looked more suspenseful and cinematic.

Overall, this project really helped me in developing skills like planning, filming, editing, and researching media. It also helped me understand how professional media films are created and the techniques that make it more appealing to the audience. One last thing is that I am usually a huge procrastinator with most of my work so I end up rushing everything, but this project was different. I did not procrastinate at all because I knew the weight of it and it helped me get rid of the bad habit of leaving everything to the last minute.

Research for CCR Question #4

How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project?

Throughout this project, I used a combination of software, hardware, and online tools to plan, produce, and edit my opening. Each type of technology helped me get through different parts of the production process.

Firstly, for hardware, I used my cell phone camera to record the scenes. Smartphones provide high-quality video and are very convenient as they do not take up much space. iPhone also has a stabilizing feature that removes camera shakiness in the video and makes it look more still. This made it so we did not need to use any outside stabilizers or tripods for the filming process. Using natural lighting from a window helped make the scene feel more like an everyday setting, contributing to the idea that unexpected events can happen to anyone.

For software, I used Clipchamp to edit my project. Clipchamp allowed me to cut clips, change the order of clips, add effects, etc. I used it to layer sounds such as police sirens and heavy breathing, and just make the footage smoother. I also used it to make quick cuts between clips and create suspense through the editing. I also used Canva to create my company logo.

Online technologies were very important for my production. I used research tools and media platforms to study thriller/mystery conventions and understand better how they are implied in well-known openings. I used YouTube to watch videos on thriller conventions and how to produce a successful thriller opening. I also used online websites to find sound effects.

Additionally, through this blog, I documented my every step while making the opening. I have dozens of blogs posted from the last seven weeks that illustrate my thought and physical process throughout the project.

Overall, software, hardware, and online tools helped me develop my project in various ways, and I could not have gotten as far as I have without any of them. I was able to complete my project successfully due to these tools.

GeeksforGeeks. (2025, July 23). Difference between hardware and software. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/computer-organization-architecture/difference-between-hardware-and-software/

Research for CCR Question #2

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

My opening engages with audiences in multiple ways.

Firstly, the film creates suspense and thrill throughout the entire thing. The first scene immediately begins with a stressful situation where Xander is in a car with police sirens in the background. This raises questions to the audience such as: 

• How did he get here?
• What could have happened?

By starting the story with an action scene where the audience does not know the context, it makes them more intrigued and invested in learning the plot of the story and how the protagonist got into that position.

Another way my opening engages with audiences is by giving little information. Since the story is narrated through the main character's perspective, the audience only knows what Xander knows. For example, the audience never knows who the antagonist is or anything about him, they only know his voice, just like Xander. Another example of giving little information is when the camera doesn't show the contents of the mailbox. It only shows Xander's reaction but it never shows what's actually in there. This is another factor that naturally makes the audience curious and intrigued to find out more about the storyline and keep watching.

Lastly, my project engages with audiences by including a teenage protagonist and familiar 'teenager' locations such as his bedroom, car, front door, etc. This make the target audience (teenagers) feel more familiar with the film, especially with the use of cellphones and modern fashion such as baggy sweatpants and crocs. This makes the audience feel more connected to Xander, and therefore, makes the story seem more real and relatable. 

If my film was a real media text, it would be distributed through platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video, or YouTube. The reason why is because these are all platforms that teenagers use and interact with, so it's a good way to reach my target audience. Additionally, these platforms are all known globally and get millions of active users every day. This would make it more likely for more people around the world to watch my film.

Overall, my opening interacts with audiences by using familiar places and props to teenagers, adding thrill and mystery, and just making the audience question what will happen next or how the situation got to this point. All these techniques hook the audience and make them want to keep watching to find out more about the context and plot of the story.

Research for CCR Question #3

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

I finished filming my project last week, and I have started editing some of it. I think that my production skills got way better as I progressed along the project. 

Firstly, I think my acting was one of my weaker points, and although I don't think it got a lot better, it improved a little bit. On the first few shots that we filmed I had a lot of trouble acting in front of the camera because I could not take it seriously. I didn't know what facial expressions to make, how to move, or what to do to make it seem realistic. However, as we filmed more and more shots, I started to take it more seriously and figured out somewhat how to act in front of the camera. Honestly, I think my acting wasn't the best, but it definitely improved from when I first started filming.

Next, my editing skills. At first, I had no idea how to edit. For my previous projects, I didn't know how to edit or what to do to make the film seem smoother. Again, although I wouldn't say my editing is the best, it has definitely improved. Now, when I'm editing my project I get ideas of what I should put and how to transition between scenes, which is something I didn't know how to do before. I have also learned how to layer sounds effectively so that the clip sounds good. I learned how to control the volumes of each individual sound and how to layer them to optimize the audio quality.

Overall, my productions skills such as editing and acting have improved a lot throughout this project. When I started, I didn't know how to act in front of a camera or edit a film, but now that I have worked on this project I think those skills have developed a lot.

CCR Production Ideas

So I've been giving some thought recently into what I want to do for my CCR videos. One idea I had was to us ethe last scene, the mailbox scene. I would take out envelopes from my mailbox, where we filmed the scene, and read the questions off of there. This is a good idea because it connects with the last scene, which has a big impact on the opening, The mailbox is a symbol of fear and invasion of privacy because it shows that the antagonist has full control over Xander. It shows that he knows where he lives and is willing to do anything to get what he wants. This is important because it shows the audience that Xander is not the one in control. That's why I want to use my mailbox for my CCR.

Another idea I had was that one of the videos could be a phone call with the antagonist. This is a good idea because the caller scene makes up the whole film and it connects really well. Although this idea might be basic, I still think it's a must-do just because of how big of an impact the caller has on the opening. I'm thinking I will use the same voice changer that we used in the film for the caller and ask myself the questions in a way that will connect with the film. I plan to start working on my first CCR video by this Saturday, and be completely done with the editing of the actual opening.

The last idea that I had was to relate the video to the doormat scene. This is the scene where the caller tells Xander to check his doormat for a spare key he keeps there, and it's not there. I want to do something where Xander checks the doormat and there are keys in it, and they unlock a room or a safe with the questions in it. After that, I would unlock it and read the questions off of it. This is the first time that the audience (and Xander) realizes that the strange caller is a real threat. At first, the audience may have thought that it was just a prank call and there was no real danger but then they realize it was in fact real. Those are the reasons why I came up with this idea, and I think that with good execution, it could be a very unique and interesting idea. It's not that unique but it's more creative than the caller or mailbox ones. 

With these 3 ideas, I think I am set for my CCR production. Since I only have to do 2 videos, I made an extra idea in case my partner comes up with the same ones as me. I think all 3 of the ideas connect with the plot very well and do a good job at showing the main emotions like fear, mystery, and lack of privacy.

I plan to start working on my CCR on Saturday that way I will have about a week and a half to film and edit everything. If everything goes according to plan, I will have just enough time to perfectly finish everything hopefully a few days before the due date. My goal is to submit the project at least a day early because that sets a good impression and shows Cambridge that I did my work on time and did not procrastinate. Also, I want to have a little bit of room in case I need to make any last-minute changes that way I have at least a day to do that.

Production Post: Behind the scenes of filming

 For this blog post, I will be doing a behind the scenes of how we shot our film. I was acting as Xander (the main character), and my partner was shooting the videos. We got my sister to take pictures and videos of the process as we were filming.

For the car scene, I was sitting in the driver seat and my friend was sitting in the passenger seat, recording from there. The video shows how we set up the shots. We had to add police lights but since we couldn't get any real police lights, and I didn't have LED lights, we had to improvise. I used my phone to search up a youtube video of blue and red flashing lights and put it behind the camera. This gave the impression that there was police lights when there really wasn't.

For the second scene, the bedroom scene, I was sitting on the couch and my partner was recording from different angles. We used normal daytime lighting to enforce the point that Xander is just a regular teenager. We organized his room how a teenager has it organized. We made a slight mess, put the backpack on the floor, some books on the bed, and some soccer jerseys and medals hung up in the room.

For the doormat scene, where Xander finds out his house keys are missing, my partner sat down on a bench that was there and recorded me looking down from a low angle. We used an eyeline match to show that the keys were missing. 

For the last scene, the mailbox scene, I had my partner record me from behind the mailbox. This makes it so the audience cannot see what is inside the mailbox but can only see my reaction to it. This is good for an opening because it builds mystery and reveals some of the story but not enough for the audience to know what will happen. This raises questions to the audience and builds suspense.

Editing Process #2

Yesterday was a long day. I filmed my entire opening and afterwards I touched up and refined some of the clips before going to bed, but it wasn't much. I mostly just cut out the extra parts of the clips and added a few transitions. Today, I worked more on the editing and I think my film turned out pretty smooth.

Firstly, I added a black screen in between these two clips and make a fade into the bedroom scene. The reason why I made this hard cut to black is because the start of my film builds suspense and as soon as it's getting to the climax, it cuts out. This builds suspense and mystery and leaves the audience with questions. The fade into the next clip is also effective because it transitions from a suspenseful scene into a completely normal setting, a common convention in thriller openings.

After that, I started working on the sound. I looked up some sounds on freesound.org and pixbay.com. I needed specifically police siren sounds since I did not have that in the original video. I had to get 2 different ones because the first 2 shots don't have the sirens while the rest of them do. If I used the same sound for all of them it would have sounded wrong. I found one that I really liked but it was only 3 seconds long so I had to duplicate it and layer it so it would play in a loop. This makes it sound like its one long sound effect when in reality is is 3 separate ones.

Also, I only had one clip with heavy breathing on it and I thought it would be a good addition to the other clips so I extracted the audio from the original clip and duplicated it to match the length of the scene. 

With these additions, the first scene is completely edited and includes all necessary sound effects, transitions, and cuts.

I did not have much free time today to do my homework so I could only get this much editing done, and it also took me really long to find the perfect sound effects for the film. I decided to call it a day after finishing the first scene, and will keep working on the editing for the next few days. 

I plan to be completely done with all the editing by Saturday the 7th so I can have time after that to work on my CCR questions and refine any last touches that I may have missed.