The Purpose of Conflict

Why is conflict important?  What is its purpose in the story?  What are the differences between the different kinds of conflict?

    Conflict is important because it makes up the events in the story. A good plot revolves around some kind of conflict, which can be in different forms; external and internal. The external conflicts are what physically stop the protagonist from getting what they want, either being a physical antagonist, an institution, or even the environment itself. These are often more surface level and aren't the most interesting part of the story, but they are necessary for the context. The internal conflict is within the character and the choices that they must make. This is typically in the form of emotions which hinder the character and make their goal difficult to reach. However, something important about this is that simply having the conflict doesn't make a story good, but rather using them to reveal a deeper meaning about life is what makes a story good.

Drama and Conflict

Why is drama important to conflict?  How do you create effective conflict in your story?

    Drama is important to conflict because it increases interest and emotional connection to the story by raising the stake. This is how you can create effective conflict in a story as raising the stakes make it feel more important and more impactful. You can take a simple conflict like trying to get someone to fall in love with you and raise the stakes like in Wall-E where if he didn't get Eve to love him, he'd be completely and utterly alone in a desolate world with no one else to keep him company besides roaches. By raising the stakes, you can take a common trope or simple idea and spin it into a large conflict that has major impacts on the story, characters, and the audience.

Writing Strong Characters

What's the difference between the wants and needs of your characters?  Why is it important to know these for your characters?  What happens when you don't have these?

    The difference between a character's wants and their needs are that wants are external and needs are internal. The want is what drives the plot forwards; the goal of the character, whereas the need is what the character needs to learn about themselves in order to achieve their want and often drives the message and theme. This also applies to the obstacles as the things that prevent a character from getting what they want is external conflict while the things that prevents them from their need is internal, typically some trait or characteristic which holds them back. The video also highlights how wants are unique to every individual whilst needs are universal. This is because the wants are specific to that story, setting, and plot, but needs can be shared between completely different characters in wildly different contexts.

    It is important to know these for your character because it creates depth, interest, and connection. These are vital aspects that are needed in order to create an interesting and meaningful story. A story without wants feels aimless and can be confusing and a story without needs feels shallow and emotionally unstimulating. That is why it is important to understand this concept and have a combination of both within your story.

Hot Seat Technique

What is the hot seat technique?  How can you apply this to the next script that you write to create interesting characters?

    The hot seat technique is one that theater directors often use where they place a single chair, or the "hot seat," center stage and every actor, regardless of the size of their role, take turns sitting in the chair and answering questions as their character. When it comes to filmmaking and writing characters, you can simply just ask yourself questions about the character in the mindset of them in order to better flesh them out. I can apply this to the next script that I write by coming up with the idea of the character then asking myself a large variety of questions which will build off each other to create the full picture of the character and who they are, giving them so much depth and interest. This can also help drive the plot as I could base major events and plot points off of traits the character has and how they may react.

Character Empathy

What is the key to creating empathy with the audience and our characters?  How does success play into this?

    The key to creating empathy with the audience and our characters is desire, motive, and action. We are able to understand characters who want something and who acts on it as those are human characteristics that everyone can relate to. Having characters be relatable is the primary trait that makes the audience empathize with them. Additionally, people empathize with characters that have traits which they aspire to have. Success plays into creating empathy as people aspire to be successful and can relate when a character fails. By showing both failure and success, it meets both criteria, which greatly increase the empathy that the audience feels towards the character.

Creating a Character and Story in 10 Minutes

Reflect on this video and the character exercise yesterday.  How can these exercises help you develop and improve the characters you create for your next film?

    Reflecting on the video and the character exercise yesterday, these can help me develop and improve the characters that I create for my next film as it's a good way to come up with an interesting character that also has an arc, which is often one of the most driving and appealing aspects of a film. The exercise shown in the video can be an effective way to come up with a character and their traits, which can heavily influence the kind of story and plot which your film would have. For example, his character was addicted to lying, which led him to create a plot and conflict which revolved around her ability of and affinity for lying. The Story Spine exercise in incredibly effective for creating a character arc that heavily drives the plot. It helps build an understanding of the character's motives and how they will change throughout the story, which is incredibly important for making an engaging film. In my exercise, I created a character who's profession (art-historian) had been very impactful to what major plot points happened, the reason behind them, and the way that her character evolved. Based on the profession she was given, it influenced other traits such as her passion for history, learning, investigation, and sharing her findings. All in all, these exercises help make deeper characters that can drive the plot of your film, making for a much more engaging, relatable, and entertaining experience.

Copyright and Fair Use

How does copyright and fair use apply to YouTube?  Write a reflection on three instances where you might have violated copyright on YouTube.  Now that you've learned more about copyright, how might you have solved each of these three situations using the fair use clause?  Take time to craft a 3-paragraph response to what you've learned about the future of work in this video.

    Copyright and fair use apply to YouTube as all of your videos need to adhere to the rules of copyright, and the by following fair use you can utilize different copyrighted materials in your own work. The only instance where you are able to use copyrighted music is through licensing and fair use. However, fair use has specific but also somewhat vague rules for it to apply. When in regards to commentary, criticism, reporting, and education, these are all part of the fair use clause and are able to use copyrighted materials. In other instances, the factors which are considered are (1) the purpose of use and whether its commercial or nonprofit, (2) the nature of the copyrighted work, (3) the amount of the copyrighted material compared to the whole video, and (4) the affects that using it might have to the copyrighted material.

    Three instances where I might have violated copyright on YouTube are my vlog from last year, my music video parody, and the BTS for the 72 hour film challenge. All of these are in regards to the music that I have in the videos. With the vlog, I had found a video which said it was copyright-free music without having knowledge on licenses and usage. As for the music video, I use the entire original song in the video. And the use of copyrighted material in the BTS doc was the Run Lola Run section and music.

    Now that I've learned more about copyright, I might have solved these issues using the fair use clause by ensuring that the music has the license for use, the music video being a parody, and that the portion of Run Lola Run included was only a fraction of the total run time of the video. With the music, I always make sure to credit it in the description, which helps my case for it being fair use. In the music video, it is a parody, which places me in a gray area for whether it's copyright infringement or not. And as for the BTS, the potion which is copyrighted is short and only a small portion of the video.

21st Century Skills

What are the four 21st-century skills?  As an advanced student, how do these 21st-century skills apply to the work that you are doing in the advance class?  How do you think you can apply each of these to your work in this class going forward into the year? Be specific and give an example of how each of the four key 21st-century skills apply of your filmmaking career going forward.

    21st-century skills are ways of thinking, ways of working, tools for working, and skills for living in the world. As an advanced student, these 21-century skills apply to the work that I am and will be doing in the advanced class as a lot of them are very important for leadership and independence. In the advanced class, we have a lot of unstructured time that we need to be responsible with. We are also placed in leadership positions for the beginning students and this need to be effective communicators, problem-solvers, collaborators, and be good role models. 

    I can apply ways of thinking all throughout every production as being able to solve problems, being creative, and making decisions are all vital to every project we do. For example, problems will always arise during a production and you need to be creative in order to effectively circumvent all the issues that can occur. Understanding the ways of working is incredibly important as every project is a group effort and having the skills to collaborate and communicate are required to effectively complete every assignment. For instance, when working for clients, having clear communication with them is absolutely necessary for your work. Being equipped with the tool for working is extremely helpful as it can improve the quality of your work as you would have a better grasp and understanding of what you're making and how to get your message across. This could be seen in the story writing process or maybe even for something simple like an ad. Having the skills for living in the world is important for interpersonal relationships and being a good team member as people will want to work with you more if you display these skills.

AI in the Film Industry

How is Artificial Intelligence affecting the film industry?  What are its benefits vs. drawbacks?  What are your opinions on it?

    Artificial Intelligence is affecting the film industry as it is being used to supplement human input and labor. For example, A.I. can be used during the preproduction process to aid with the creative process by helping create ideas, create the plot, make storyboard illustrations, etc. During production, A.I. is capable of doing things like creating design elements such as posters or even creating its own footage. Where it's most used is in the post production stage; it can be used to create a variety of different visual effects such as de-aging actors, motion capture, generative fill, etc.

    The primary benefits and reasons for using A.I. in the production process is that it can save a lot of time and a lot of money. It is capable of performing a lot of menial and time consuming tasks in a considerably shorter amount of time with little to no human labor. It is also able to make difficult tasks much easier to accomplish. However, there are also a lot of drawbacks to the increasing use of A.I. in filmmaking. Many people fear that if A.I. is able to supplement human labor to such a high degree, it could potentially replace many jobs entirely, risking the livelihoods of many people. This is because of how cost-effective it can be. Additionally, another major point of contention is the morality of using A.I. for art. Artificial intelligence, namely generative A.I., cannot truly create something out of nothing; the way that it works is that it analyzes already existing mediums before compiling pieces and patterns into a product that fits the parameters of what is asked of it.

    As for my opinions of it, I believe that A.I. can have its uses and has a place as a tool; however, there's a point where I simply don't agree with the use of it. For example, especially in post-production, it is an incredibly useful tool that makes many things accessible for people. On the other hand, I don't agree with the use of it to supplement creativity and art nor do I agree with the way that money hungry business are already using it as an excuse to get rid of real human work on the basis that A.I. is cheaper. I am of the belief that you cannot completely replace human creativity nor input and that doing so will create a poor product. Additionally, there are massive environmental effects of the use of A.I., especially generative A.I., which adds another reason to not like it nor want to use it.

72 Hour Film Challenge Status

Looking back on your 72-Hour Filmmaking Challenge, what did you learn about yourself as a filmmaker and collaborator? What challenges did you face?  How did you respond to the challenges you faced, and what insights will you carry forward into your next project?

    I learned that, as a filmmaker, I am capable of taking on both crew and talent roles, mainly preferring to act. As a collaborator, I try my best to do my fair share of work and offer up what I can, i.e., transportation, acting, BTS footage, food, water, etc. I was sure to be willing to do whatever was asked of me as I knew that my role was considerably more minor compared to the others. During the challenge, we faced a few issues, namely regarding audio and the lav mics. In response to the difficulties, we troubleshooted then came up with different workarounds, such as using Lukas' personal lavs and booming scenes instead of using the lavs. Some insights that I will carry forward into my next project is to always check and test the equipment prior to checking them out and to always have a backup incase something doesn't work out.

Future Jobs

What will the work world of the near future look like?  What are the societal challenges that will come up in the coming machine age?  How will this change how we look for employment?  Take time to craft a 3 paragraph response to what you've learned about the future of work in this video.

    In the near future, the work world will be more and more supplemented with technology until, inevitably, many jobs will be replaced with automation. This change is practically guaranteed, as if you were to compare the way that labor looked like throughout the past century, you'd see drastic changes. Take a grocery store, with the addition technology such as computer, there are considerably less workers needed in store at all times as a lot of work have been massively supplemented with computers, scanners, near automatic cash registers, self-checkouts, cleaning robots, cameras, etc. This has happened to a lot of different industries and workplaces, meaning that there are much less jobs available to a huge population of people.

    The challenges which society is going to face in the coming machine age are a steadily shrinking middle class and larger wealth gap. With the issue of less work available, especially for uneducated people who relied on lower-leveled white-collared work and blue collared-work, the people who are in worse financial situations are losing out on jobs. This makes their standards of living much worse and aggravates other issues in their lives. However, this supplementation has largely left the upper middle class unaffected because their jobs often are more thinking-based and required human thought and education. Thus, they maintain their livelihoods and don't face more challenges in life because of their stable financial situations.

    As for employment, this change will lead to the loss of many jobs which will no longer need humans to do and thus make every opportunity more impacted and sought after. However, it may also lead to a boost for creative and thinking jobs as people will no longer have to do labor work. Unfortunately, with the current values and conflicts politically, most people will still suffer from a lack of work as they won't have any income to ensure that they will be able to live. The solution proposed in the video was to give everyone a set stable income that they could live off of; however, it opposes many values that a lot of Americans hold, which means that the solution would never get enough traction because of the massive opposition to it.

Professionalism

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/10-characteristics-professionalism-708.html 

Overall, how do each of these characteristics of professionalism apply to filmmaking?  How do they apply to your daily work in this class? Please select three characteristics to give real-life examples of how you can work toward improving them in this class.

Please write a complete paragraph on each of the three characteristics, along with an introduction paragraph.

    There are many important aspects for being a professional. Although having technical skills can be sought after and/or needed, soft skills are just as, if not more, important than technical knowledge. Overall, all of these characteristics of professionalism apply directly to the filmmaking process as they contribute to creating good connections with other professionals and making productions run smoothly with less issues.

    One of the characteristics that the article highlights is "Confident, not Cocky." What the article means is that having a confident demeanor improves your communication and how receptive the people you speak with will be to your intended message. Especially in leadership positions, having confidence helps people feel more comfortable following your lead. However, it is important to not be cocky as it can have the opposite effect; making people less likely to want to listen to you or work under you. Additionally, overconfidence can be the cause of a variety of issues so it is important to still be humble and cautious to some degree. In order to work towards improving this skill, I could be more intentional with my speech, using stronger word choices and presenting as having more self-assuredness. I can practice this simply by talking more and putting myself out there.

    Another characteristic is doing what you say you will. By demonstrating this in professional work places, it helps others see you as reliable. It is incredibly important to be perceived that way as reliable people are trusted to do more important work and people are going to want to work with you more. To help improve this skill, it is vital to be more aware and focused on elements that make up reliability, i.e., punctuality and responsibility. You can do this by getting all your work done, being sure to show up early, and taking on more work and completing it all.

    A third characteristic which is important to being professional is owning up to your mistakes. By accepting when you make a mistake, it shows people that you can be accountable for your actions and it increases their trust in you. When you own up to a mistake, that reveals more humility and people will often like you better and would want to work with you more. In order to improve in this skill, simply being open to the idea that you can and most likely will make a mistake is a great mindset to notice when you do make one and help you admit to it. If you need a place to start, apologizing and admitting to wrong-doing in small stakes such as accidentally bumping into or interrupting someone.

Tips for Student Leadership

http://blog.cengage.com/top_blog/tips-for-students-leadership-qualities-staying-on-target/

Considering how you behaved last year, select 3 of these leadership qualities that you are weak in.  How can you positively develop these leadership qualities going forward this year?  How could improving these aspects of your leadership make you a better class leader and filmmaker?

   Reflecting on my behavior of last year, the three leadership qualities which I am weakest in are courage, assertiveness, and self-confidence. I notice that I am capable of being outgoing and extroverted in positions of leadership; however, I tend to not act confident in my ideas or suggestions especially. In order to positively develop these leadership qualities going forwards, I am going to focus on my outward presentation and the confidence of my wording. It is important to demonstrate these qualities of self-assuredness as the people I am leading will be looking to me for guidance. If I don't appear to be sure in myself, they will have reasons to doubt my leadership and feel less sure of themselves. That is why it is important for me and the other advanced students to be stronger leaders as the beginners will be looking to us.

Production Assistant's Handbook

What are the key responsibilities of a production assistant on a film set, and how do these tasks contribute to the overall success of a production? Reflect on how you would approach the role of a production assistant, including any challenges you might anticipate and how you would overcome them.

   The key responsibilities of a production assistant on a film set is to do many tasks and errands to help keep the set running smoothly. They work under the assistant director and are primarily tasked with jobs such as locking up the set, moving stuff, going on runs, setting things up, cleaning, wrapping the set, and so on and so forth. These tasks contribute to the overall success of a production as they are important enough to be needed to be done, but no so important that it would necessitate someone at a higher level or skill to do. All of the tasks given to a PA are important to make the set run smoother, increasing the efficiency which saves time and thus money. I would approach the role of a production assistant with an open mind and prepared to work. As PAs are meant to do the dirty work, I expect to have to do a lot of the menial labor, tasks, and errands around set. I'll use the experience to learn more about professional sets and network with other people on set (when appropriate).

Movie Set Safety

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/06/1052357541/movie-sets-safety-hollywood-iatse-rust

After reading the article on film set safety, what do you think are the biggest reasons accidents still happen on movie sets today? Choose one example from the article (like long work hours, lack of safety rules, or low budgets) and explain how you think the film industry could fix this problem.  How can you relate this problem to all of your experiences in the beginning class last year?

   I think that the biggest reasons that accidents still happen on movie sets today are that people cut corners, disregard important health and safety concerns, and exhaustion. For instance, the death of Sarah Jones could have easily been prevented had the people responsible for securing the location gone through the necessary steps to have the railroad be closed for the shoot instead of shooting there without permission and while the track was still active. Unfortunately, they had not taken these measures and thus caused her death. A possible way for the film industry to fix this issue would be more advocate that are pushing for change. With increased awareness and agitation, it could encourage potential laws, rules, and/or resources to be instated to aid with the issue of set safety and accidents. Additionally, better education and training practices such as certification could help ensure that individual crew members are aware of how to run a set safely. I could relate this issue to my experiences from last year and I knew many people who had suffered from exhaustion due to overworking themselves for projects such as SkillsUSA.

Adv Goal Setting

What are your 3 filmmaking goals for the 2025-2026 school year?  Look back at your goals that you set in last years class.  Did you achieve them?  Why or why not?  How can you make steps to achieve these goals?  Where will you need to look to gather help or resources? Please write a complete paragraph on each of three goals, along with an introduction paragraph.

    It's time for a new school year, and with a new year comes a whole set of new experiences. Going in, I have a much clearer idea than I did last year, thus my current goals and ideas have been shaped by my past experience. For the 2025-2026 school year, my three filmmaking goals are to act in more films, create more personal projects, and further my knowledge and learn new skills.

    Acting is a key aspect of what I enjoy, in both film and theater; however, I felt that last year, I hadn't had the opportunity to act as much as I would've liked to. That is why, this year, I can try and take more steps towards furthering my acting experience by volunteering to act in more of my peers' projects and films. Ideally, I would like to have a much more substantial acting real and resume that I could use in the future and can show off much easier compared to my stage acting.

    Another area that I felt I had lacked in was the creation of projects that held more importance to me personally. Going into the year, I had many different ideas and concepts that I was excited to potentially create. Unfortunately, a lot of those never saw the light of day and I hadn't pursued any of them. This year, with my existing skills and the news ones that I will gain, I hope to be able to create more personal films, i.e., films that are based around my personal experiences, ones that I simple just want to make, and other fun ideas that I have. 

    My third goal is to further my knowledge and skills for filmmaking. Although I always include a goal such as this, it is applicable every time. I can always learn more and so I want to go into this year with that in mind. I expect to learn the advanced curriculum, which includes storytelling, cinematography, etc. Additionally, I will be open to learning more about things that I've learned from last year as well as I've not mastered anything yet and don't expect to.