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Business of Film Mastery Journal

So today I write this post realizing that this is my final submission for my Mastery Journal for my Master’s Degree. Reflecting all that I’ve learned and who I’ve met I can for sure say I am a more centered person then when I started in August of 2016. My end goal is still the same, but I have more knowledge in how to go about it. Being a designer for close to 3 years prior to the program I have only seen and known aspects of design. Combining these fundamentals with the concepts and practices of film, a whole different realm of creativity has introduced.

As you may have read in my previous discussions I have learned quite a bit about filmmaking, and its art form. However, there is a whole other life of a film outside of it’s development process. And it is called the Business of Film. Making films can be just a hobby for literally anybody nowadays. But what is the difference between a hobbyist and a professional? A career. In this class we learned the marketing, festival strategy, negotiations, and financing of a variety of different kinds of films. From independent shorts to box-office films we learned the ins-and-outs of the many different ways money is involved and earned in a career.

Some other things that I found very useful in this class were things like the data in filmmaking and the freelance route in film. The data of film really spoke to me because It put perspective on the digital footprint “media” has on this earth. From both it’s history and future I learned how much data can effect our film world both negatively and positively. Moving onto freelancing which is a whole other dragon to develop and grow to potentially take all over the west cost. Freelancing can be something so tiny that no one really knows you’re doing it, or something so big the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) can send you to jail for not paying your taxes. That being said there is a bunch that goes into being a successful filmmaker in any respect. There are also a ton of safety concerns that were brought to my attention that I wouldn’t have known to avoid such as people fishing your bank account with offers that seem almost too good to be true.

I have learned quite a lot in my journey here at Full Sail University, but I still have just maybe scratched the surface of this world of design and film. I look forward to what the I can offer this world of opportunity helping others with bringing their visions come to life and growing more myself to be a better person in every way.

BONUS: There is this line that’s been stuck in my head and it’s “I’m a jack of all trades with no particular mastery in one.” And although that applies to me, and many people say that it’s dangerous to do so. But I’d like to argue in my case that I am better than average in more than one respect of my creative capabilities. Which indeed makes me a dangerous person to my competition in the freelance realm. In the long run it will help me pin point exactly what I wouldn’t mind doing for the rest of my days.

DOUBLE BONUS: If you’d like to continue this journey I am in development of a blog/vlog on DannyVee.Co

Post-Production Mastery Journal

Not gunna lie, I had a blast during Post-Production class, maybe because it’s been my most anticipated class throughout the semester, but no one cares about that. For the most part everyone ahead of me in the program just mentions the assembly of the thesis film, but they never told me about the content of the class. I feel like I have a better picture as to what position I would like to strive for on set in the near future. DIT - Digital Imaging Technician. And let me tell you I had no idea what the hell that was when I first got started in this program. But now I have a firm grasp as to what their role is, and how crucial it is from production to post. I also really appreciated all of the VFX discussions we had throughout the class. I have a new found appreciation for going through the elaborate process of filming the footage, transcoding it, and making the magic happen. I REALLY love the concept of DaVinci Resolve and how they go about providing the next level post-workflow. I am excited to start diving in and learning that tool. Learning Media Composer wasn’t much of challenge in order to accomplish a basic edit. I am positive that the software does so much more, I just don’t know how to use it well, YET. I guess I also have to learn Final Cut? Just to have that editing trifecta in my editing arsenal. All in all this class was a great experience, I just might just sit in on a few classes in the future to go over the material again because there’s just so much good information. Looking into the future I do see myself going towards the post-production side of filmmaking, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be on set. The best position I could think of would be a VFX Supervisor, and I’ve said that since day one. After this class though I know how I am gunna get there for sure, It’s just gunna take a little time. Alright that’s enough from me. Imma bounce now, Danny Out.

Production Mastery Journal

Overall the production went well in comparison to the few thesis productions I’ve been on. I’ve judged this by the amount of mess-ups, and scolding lectures we receive during production. I am happy to say that there were little to none. Of course there were issues but you know they all are just things that are stopping you from filming, that need to be dealt with in a timely manner. Needless to say I still learned a lot. Unlike most of my peers, I did not come from any kind of filmmaking background. Therefore, every day is a learning experience. And everyday just opens up new doors of knowledge and opportunities to pursue. I’ve learned a lot not only through being on set and during lectures, but through the various discussion assignments we had to do. Within those videos in the big aspects of film, I feel like watching interviews is very very insightful moving forward into my filmmaking career. Hopefully down the line those methods can be incorporated into my filmmaking arsenal, and I end up making an impression on a big time director or something. I don’t even know what I want anymore, except to help make films as much as I can in any given department.

Out of all the things that I’ve learned, the most informative thing that I’ve read that I can retain is the readings from First-Time Filmmaker F*ck Ups by Daryl Goldberg (1). A lot of the books content goes without saying but it emphasizes why each section is so vital, and how many newbies and a few industry professionals that “know the rules” so they can “break” them ultimately fail because of their poor judgment. Dino describes it more as a toilet read kind of book, but for some reason it something I can actually use right here and now. A lot of the other material I feel like I wouldn’t be able to reach their issues and problems until years from now for when I am actually working on a ton of features.

(1) First Time Filmmaker F*ck Ups – Daryl Goldberg – (https://online.fullsail.edu/class_sections/16766/modules/763/activities/12595)

Pre-Production Mastery Journal

So as a co-producer of our production I do feel like I got the most out of the entire class as far as experience in the pre-production process. Getting everything assembled and put together in and of itself was a huge task but it was all in good faith into what needs to be done to get a solid production going. I not only felt that I got the most out of this class in that regard but I also got to be a part of another production that went on during spring break. So I got to see a little bit during the pre-production process as to how a bigger scaled production works. I learned some valuable things within that week that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. That being said this class has given me what I need to move on into the indie filmmaking world confidently. I shall be forever humbled in the sense that even though I am a producer now, it’s only for a student film and there is a whole other world out there both Hollywood and Independently.

Entertainment and Communication Law Mastery Journal

Coming into this class I was expecting a little bit of a boring yet informative lecture about how to protect yourself from basically any kind of copyright infringement. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised with the uplifting aura of the classroom environment. Not only did we learn the different kinds of intellectual properties (which I did memorize [copyright, trademark, patent, right of publicity, and trade secrets] ta-da!) but we went in depth as to how each property has their own way to work around the law. To be honest I must admit, that halfway into next month the content of which I learned in class will start to become a little hazy, but I have embedded the most crucial portions of the class into my brain. I do wish we had an assignment where we actually had to physically attain a copyright approval letter or something, so we know how the process works, and get a feeling of denial/success while pursuing something.

I have come to the conclusion once I am an established filmmaker that I would need an attorney in film because they know what is what and know what to look out for in contracts. For now, this class has given me enough information so I don’t accidentally step on the wrong toes. Going into the future I see that there is going to be a more defined paper trail in everything when going into any given project. That is not necessarily a bad thing, just more tedious. But I believe it’s all in good faith to protect ourselves.

Visual Storytelling Mastery Journal

So it seems that every month my expectations are surpassed of what I am going to learn in a short month. I felt that in this class, I have truly found a life-long teacher/educator. He has me leaving at the end of the class with chills of inspiration to make, watch, and analyze spectacular films. I have learned so much from day 1, and we didn’t even have a legit lecture.

Going through this class I have gained quite a bit of useful knowledge that actually saved me when I volunteered on a set. We had a Grip and Electric lecture in which we learned the ins and outs of the lighting department. Everything from a c-47 to a Magic Finger, we covered it all in one lecture. The best part is that we get to keep the pdf afterwards so we can look back, and review everything we didn’t really understand. I’ve also learned that there’s sometimes multiple names for a certain thing.

Before even getting into how to set up the lights, we pretty much received a physics 101 on the fundamentals of light itself, and how lights are used in film. We covered directional light and diffused light, and how to measure it (in Lux or foot candles.) With learning about lights we also got taught about the other side of the spectrum, shadows. The use of shadows I would say is on an equal playing field as light. They go hand in hand, and shadows are often over looked. I have learned how to appreciate the use of shadows, and actually how to use them where I see fit.

On top of lighting, we got a full breakdown on the camera, and the framing a shot. With the camera we basically went over the function of the camera, the lens, and the sensors. As far as the framing of a shot goes, we discussed field of view, composition, and psychological closure. During that lecture we learned about how people back in the day messed with camera and lighting to make something different. I learned about George Melíes, the unsung hero of VFX.

Then we had a mind blowing two-day lecture about Visual Storytelling itself. Some aspects I already knew a bit of, but then we dove deeper in questions and got a better understanding of the subjects. The subjects we discussed includes space, tone, rhythm, line/shape, movement, and color. Every time we went through one of these categories I felt so knowledgeable of filmmaking. As with anything it is going to take time to get that “eye” for that cinematic look.

But I am willing to devote and sacrifice my time and energy to master that skill.

Another cool aspect of filmmaking is that a director can have a signature look/style to whatever movie they make. We went through some signature styles like Edgar Wright’s and Quinten Tarantino, but the one we focused on most was Michael Bay. His niche is the way that he moves the camera to tell the story. From this lecture I have based how I see my film career unfolding. Starting out doing music videos, and then onto bigger film productions doesn’t seem that bad of a way to go. I would just incorporate the things that I love, like motion graphics, and visual effects that would give me my own edge on the industry.

Experimental Filmmaking Reflection

Mastery Journal Assignment

When I first got here to Experimental Filmmaking, I didn’t know what to expect. I honestly thought this was the month where you just prepare for the Thesis Pitch to the Full Sail Film Committee. One of the biggest concepts that I learned throughout this course was the concept of Transmedia Marketing and Merchandise. The Lion King was a good example to really relate on how Disney expanded this universe into a variety of different mediums and platforms to maximize their profits. I quiver in the fact on how big the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), or Star Wars is in the sense of Transmedia content. The other terminology I retained would be things like Mise-En-Scene, and Motifs. The definition of Film Form will greatly help my understanding of the structure of a film to pull the work together.

On the second day of class I was finally relieved of my confusion of what the grip and electric department worked. I’ve never worked on a professional set for more than an hour or so. So the whole power distribution and such is news to me! Also going through the run down of some equipment terminology like Stingers, or C47s also help. The lighting lecture was a refresher but always still helpful. I still have trouble wrapping those away properly.

I really enjoyed the fact that all of our finals were green lit from the gecko. It really gave me a sense of freedom as a filmmaker to do what I want with the use of Full Sail’s equipment. That being said I wasted no time when Akash and I rented out the Sony FS 700. Like I’ve been around heavy duty cameras, but never have I ever got to take one home, and play with the settings, and different set-ups. Also with the fact that my experimental film had a lot of abstract imagery I had to adapt and figure out what to do in certain circumstances when things got a little complicated. But that’s what film is, problem solving to make a story right?

I’ve personally taken a lot from this class, and will always retain the most important notes in my handy dandy notebook. I’ve said this before, but if I was gunna retake a Full Sail class again, it would definitely be this one.

Directing Talent Reflection

Directing Talent has taught me a multitude of things. Given the course name, my predictions for what this class would entail were pretty accurate way back during the Mastery class. Not only did I gain more insight from the Director’s standpoint, I gained a lot of knowledge and experience from the actor’s perspective. From learning about what makes good acting “good,” and different approaches in learning how to act (Meisner, Hagen, and Strasberg) I feel like I have personally learned a lot from this class. Sometimes I wonder how classes would be and how much more I would learn if Full Sail didn’t do this whole month-month thing.

An important thing that this class brought to my intention is how vital casting can be the industry. Now Hollywood is another story, but casting in general is a pivotal area of focus in the filmmaking world. Watching the film about Marion Dougherty really enlightened me about how crucial casting is. An observation of mine is that casting is the opportunity to experiment with different genders, ethnicities, and age groups of all kinds. Also that it’s maybe because of all the casting years pre-Marion that Hollywood is white washed, maybe.

Another few things I picked up in this class was learning about different types of comedy, and how to edit/direct suspenseful scenes or full films. Within the class we sometimes watched movies after the lecture portion was done. Just by applying everything that we just learned as a class to a film that I haven’t seen before was just amazing. The difference in my perspective was astonishing really. I can’t put my finger on it but there’s just something about watching movies that make me feel like I can take on the world. Seeing how they did certain things inspire me to innovate the way that I do things on my own or with other people.

Script Production and Analysis Overview and Learnings.

E N V O Y (2014) Mastery Journal

VIMEO LINK: https://vimeo.com/106786265

This nine-minute short film E N V O Y (2014) directed by David Weinstein, with the help of Adam Coggin the VFX Supervisor of the film. David modeled this project after classic action and science fiction films of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Though this story is very compelling it is far from over. This film only serves as a proof of concept for a longer feature film.

The premise of the film is to provide a solid vision and tone of how David Weinstein would see in the production of this film in feature length. The story is essentially about when a young boy discovers an alien robot, and ends up being involved within government affairs.

The short-film opens and ends with the young boy, Kyle, in an interrogation room being questioned by what seems to be a high ranking individual in the military. The tone is set to be very cold, and intimidating as with most holding facilities. This can be conveyed by the us of low-key lighting. After that sequence is over, a flash back sequence begins on Kyle showing his brother the undiscovered alien. The tone of this sequence is very bright and vibrant, conveying innocence, and good will. This is captured by the setting, and the use of natural lighting. At some point I do believe they use a reflector to bounce light onto the actor’s face.

The basic dramatic structure can be broken into three different segments. The beginning which arises the the conflict, which is in when Kyle is being questioned on his alien friend. Then the short film goes into the scene of which how Kyle actually came to meeting the alien creature. Then in the same scene you can see the alien being attacked by what looks like military. I believe this portion of the film sells the boy’s innocence. After the outside scene is finished, the short film cuts back into the interrogation room where the pay-off of the film happens.

There is a lot of dialogue throughout the short film, and a good portion of it contributes towards the plot, especially the interrogation sequences. I believe the dialogue mostly has to do with character development, which adds to the story. The alien doesn’t say any words at all, yet the audience can tell that it is a good creature, for the simple fact that he saves the boy Kyle, towards the end of the film.

As explained earlier through the contrast of moods between settings, color correction really enhanced the film’s overall feeling. Speaking of color correction VFX has an enormous roll in this segment. From color correction to full all character animation, this film has a little bit of it all. Starting with the opening shot, you are in the perspective of the camera in the interrogation room. Followed by that is the birds flying from the corn. After that bit of the film the biggest VFX portion is the alien. After watching the VFX breakdown of this short film, I learned that they didn’t even use motion capture for compositing the alien into the live action footage. So by default the post production team went with the compositing technique of motion tracking to set the alien in the scene. The subtle things that are background assets, but easily spotted when done wrong include gun shots, shadows, explosions, and most importantly sound.

The sound design of this short film was done really well in my opinion. The dialogue was very clear throughout the film. The sound effects where done nicely as well, and sold the believability of the alien. Also the score of the film was a subtle but nice touch to help the viewer feel emotion. There were other sound effects to build suspense, and used to aid transitions, and they were all done beautifully.

Taking a closer look at transitions and cuts within the short film, I see that barely any clips last for more then 6-8 seconds. But the shots that do, serve a certain purpose. For example, the cut from interrogation room to outside, holds a little over 8 seconds to show the setting. Also the scenes of dialogue are slower paced, whereas the scenes with a little bit more action have quicker shots, which would mean that they are faster paced.

I felt like the performance of the young boy Kyle was executed really well. On the other hand, his older brother doesn’t really sell it well, but still serves the roll, and conveys the story. The interrogator acted well enough to make me feel like he deserved what he had coming to him at the end. That being said the “costume” design was also fitting for the characters. There was no special need for much costumer design for the characters other then the military interrogator. All in all this short film is assembled in such a way that conveys emotion, and tells a story with a really nice pay off.

#fullsailuniversity #fullsail #fpmfa #filmmakingconceptsandpractices

This is a snapshot of what my next 11 Months at Full Sail is going to be like. I’m going to be getting a Masters in Film Production.

#full sail university #fpma

betype

100 Creativ Numbers by Alexis Persani

villacis-daniel

Alex Persani is a phenomenal Typography artist. What I like about him most is that he uses the 3D route to create such beautiful artwork. In this post he went through a series of creating the numbers 1-100 in some creative way. The link to his BeHance Profile is: https://www.behance.net/alexis-persani

B. (2016). Alexis Persani on Behance. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://www.behance.net/alexis-persani

#3d #typography

This is one of the best 2d Element Animation that I’ve seen so far. This video was published in 2011 and it still holds up today.

The song is called IS TROPICAL by THE GREEKS

Daubas, J. (2011). IS TROPICAL - THE GREEKS. Retrieved September 15, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/25318752

Sooooooo this is my logo. And I am quite proud of it. However, I’m working on an emblem that symbolizes me as a whole to replace this one. I will post progress pictures.

Feedly is an awesome resource for gathering data, and learning what industry professionals are up to. It’s almost like a more professional twitter. For a small fee you are able to get a Pro account, and share these posts and findings with your social network.

( UserVoice, B. (2016). What is feedly? Retrieved September 15, 2016, from https://feedly.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/180131-what-is-feedly)

Here on Papaly you’d be able to see some of the sites that I frequently browse just to check up and improve on certain things in the Visual Effects industry.

Site: https://papaly.com/DVillacis36

Papaly is site that helps users keep bookmarks, nice and organized in categories called “boards”. A big plus is that you can keep your board public to share or private to enjoy alone.

( Help. (2016). Retrieved September 15, 2016, from https://papaly.com/help)

"LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network with hundreds of millions of members, and growing rapidly. Our mission is to connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. " (LinkedIn Help. (2016). Retrieved September 15, 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/45/how-linkedin-can-help-you?lang=en)

Hi I’m a Film Production Major at Full Sail University, with an undergrad of Digital Arts. I make cool things, and enjoy people’s company. Connect with me on LinkedIn.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvillacis36

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