LINKS TO FILM OPENING AND CCR'S

IT'S OVERRRRR:((((( 

Thank you so much for joining me on this insane journey, 

KBlog, till next time!!!!!

LINK TO FILM OPENING CATALYST:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-5ouqmmt5wF0lXr-tF1mWWC8ykz4iTsJ/view?usp=share_link

LINKS TO CCR'S:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DKhYfwZAk34upKYKIlxy0aFcNHCDrBXa/view?usp=share_link

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KB6a06TsrmIgpon3BS-tyGoUIFyFE5Tb/view?usp=share_link

First CCR video prep and script

 for my first CCR, i wanted to a carpool karaoke interview with someone interviewing me about the film while also singing carpool karaoke. I plan to answer question #1 and question #3 and would get a friend to interview me while they drive.

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

and 

How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

Basic script (this will not be exact but an outline for the conversation could go)

INTERVIEWER: Hello! Welcome back to carpool karaoke. Today, promoting her new film, Catalyst, it's creator Kamila Perdomo-Salazar!! Welcome Kamila!

KAMILA: Hi! thank you, so happy to be here today; I'm excited!

INTERVIEWER: Honestly i'm surprised you'd let me drive. After watching Catalyst,  I figured you'd be wary of car trips. I mean, we all saw that crash. The intensity? I'll be checking my mirrors every 5 seconds from now on!

KAMILA: (laughs) Don't worry! You're safe...for now. Kidding, but yeah the car crash is very much the heart of the film. It's the "catalyst" for everything that follows. It had to feel impactful because it's not just an accident, it's a moment that changes our protagonist, Adam, for good. 

INTERVIEWER: And you delivered. Now, i noticed the film's vibe is very...heavy. In a good way no doubt! It definitely makes you wanna turn your lights on when you watch it alone in your dark living room. How did you handle those genre conventions so we as an audience can feel all the intended emotions? Did you keep t classic, or did you flip the script a little?

KAMILA: So actually for Catalyst, I didn't want to go against any conventions. We tried to lean into the psychological drama and thriller staples., the slow-burn tension, symbolic mise-en-scene, and that lowkey lighting to keep the atmosphere very eerie. 

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, it definitely seemed very intentional.

KAMILA: Exactly. Our goal wasn't to make a "jump-scare" horror or a "cutesy" romance. We wanted to show how this traumatic event really transformed our protagonist. It's to show how Sarah is not just a character, but a symbol of grief and of how that pushes people over the edge. It's meant to explore how far someone will go when love is their primary motivation for revenge. 

INTERVIEWER: Very dark. And deep...and it's making me want to sing something very upbeat to feel better. You up for it?

(UPBEAT SONG PLAYS, THEY BOTH SING AND JAM OUT FOR A LITTLE WHILE)

INTERVIEWER: Okay, okay back to business. This film looks very polished and high-quality but i know the indie world is not easy. How did your production skills hold up during the shoot?

KAMILA: Honestly? This entire process taught me how to improvise and adapt more than anything else. Every project has its own deadlines and necessities, but this was by far the hardest one we’ve tackled. 

INTERVIEWER: What do you think made it so tough?

KAMILA: I have to admit I underestimated the difficulty of developing, filming, and editing a psychological piece like this. We had major challenges with resources. It became a massive lesson in working with what I have. I had to learn to be resourceful when the "ideal" version of a scene wasn't possible.

INTERVIEWER: Well, you had me fooled! It looks like a high budget piece! Speaking of high, can you hit these high notes in the chorus?

KAMILA: I can try!

Reflection and changes

 Almost over! This has been one of the hardest projects I've had in high school so far. But, that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. It taught me the valuable lesson that, more often than not, things don't always go as planned. And you always have to prepare for the worst. What seemed like a pretty lightweight project was the complete opposite. 

I will say I am so much more proud of my project than I thought I was going to be. When the time management started getting all sorts of messed up, I was ready to take the F. Between school, theatre shows I'm a part of, and really just life, a lot is an understatement. If I had to do ANYTHING different, it would definitely be just to plan ACCORDINGLY. I thought I had when I started this whole process, but I disregarded sooo much that I should've taken into consideration. Moving forward, I know now that communication and organization is absolutely key in processes like this. 

I'd like to thank Addison Edwards and Chase Broderick for being the best group members

As well as giving a shoutout to Samuel Matas for helping me by being in my Dashboard Duets CCR as my interviewer. 

And of course, thank you to Ms. Stoklosa. She has been such an amazing guide and so patient as she sets all of us students up for success. I'm so happy to have had her as a teacher this year although I did give her a hard time in some moments throughout the year, I truly am grateful.

So much work was put into this film opening and the CCR'S and I am so proud of not only the project, but also myself for pushing through even when it was hard and making it all the way to the finish line in one piece (barely). 

Now, to post everything!

KBlog, see you in a sec!

CCR prep

 Filming for the opening is almost done, so now it's time for a new challenge: the CCR. To be totally honest, I've been kind of nervous about this aspect of my portfolio project because if there's one thing I strive everyday to not be, it's boring. And this brainstorming process has made me realize that a brain that is both perfectionist and creative is a recipe for frustration and stress. I also have been really behind on production due to my 4 shows I'm performing in this week, so long story short, it's been a lot.

Before I pile up a bunch of ideas onto you, let's actually answer each CCR question. This isn't exactly how I'll answer them in my videos, but writing them down will make things like writing a script a little more clear and easy later on. 

Question #1: How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

Catalyst presents a variety of psychological drama and thriller genre conventions, such as slow burn tension rising throughout, symbolic rise-en-scene, and low-key lightning and coloring to give an eerie atmosphere. For this film, I didn't want to go against any conventions because I feel like the main purpose of the film isn't to be a scary horror or cutesy romance, it was meant to show how this traumatic event changed our protagonist and what prompted him to be the way he is now, how Sarah works as a character but also as a symbol of what pushes people over the edge and how far they'd go with love as motivation. 

Question #2: How does your project engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

The film engages with the audience by immediately opening with a long shot of a car, establishing the opening setting. Then, through Sarah and Adam's argument, their relationship is established. This will create empathy later on when Sarah dies in the car crash and Adam loses his mind. By establishing a romantic relationship between them immediately, it creates context for why Adam becomes to consumed with her death. This helps audiences follow the story, feel sympathy, and understand his motivations. By keeping a suspenseful tone, it also keeps the audience on their toes, waiting for what will come next. Adam is in a state where he's very unpredictable and impulsive, so having the audience unsure of what he'll do next and what he's even plotting is key to keeping them active and engaged in the story. As for distribution; I'm obviously not a world-renowned director so distribution will look a little different for me. I think starting off with submitting to some film festivals would be beneficial, which could catch the attention of distribution companies who may want to release in on their streaming platforms. If not, YouTube is always and option as well and could lead to the same result. That plus some social media promotion could work really well too. 

Question #3: How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

I'd say above anything else, this process has taught me how to improvise and adapt. Each production process is different, with different schedules, deadlines, necessities,  etc. I feel like this has been by far the hardest production project we've had and the one with the most challenges due to budget, resources, and ideas; making it a good lesson for how to work with what I have, especially considering I underestimated the difficulty of developing, filming, and editing this specific project. 

Question #4: How did you integrate technologies- softwares, hardware and online- in this project?

All of the project was filmed on me or my group members' iPhones, depending on the day and what we were filming, and Addie used clipchamp to edit the clips. I also bought a phone mount on Amazon which made it way easier to film the scenes both in and directly outside the car.

Group Meeting #2

For group meeting #2 I was paired up with Veronica, Luciana, Felipe, Srikara, and Raina. I was so excited to hear everyone's ideas so let's talk about them!

1. Veronica's blog URL: superdupercoolblogbymemacaroni.blogspot.com

Veronica’s film opening introduces the Treblemakers, a struggling band obsessed with fame, while establishing themes of jealousy, sabotage, and toxic ambition. Filmed at TC, the opening sequence shows the band performing poorly as a bored audience watches, immediately highlighting their lack of success. The characters’ personalities and relationships are revealed through both their actions and body language: the selfish, jealous frontman stands confidently in front, the bassist stays close beside him without trying to outshine him, the talented but fearful keyboardist hides behind the bassist due to frontman’s past sabotage, and the detached drummer lags behind, showing his disinterest. The bassist’s care for the keyboardist is shown when he carries the his instrument while he walks on crutches, reinforcing their friendship. Conflict builds when it is revealed the frontman stole the band’s instruments, leading to the keyboardist being beaten by the original owner after their performance, showing the consequences of the frontman’s selfishness. Each member’s dialogue reflects their personality, reinforcing their individual characterization. The title, A Major Flat, appears at the beginning with opening credits and the sound of instruments tuning, before transitioning into the first performance scene. I think this is a very creative idea that seemed very detail oriented as she explained it very throughly, which is always great. I’m curious to see how their group is going to play around with body language and their script to give each band member their own unique character identity. 

CCR idea: podcast or something else creative (podcast with her being the guest and the host is an animated figure (stickman))

2. Luciana's URL:  ana224bb.blogspot.com

Luciana’s film opening presents a tragic love story centered on a couple during a fight that escalates to the moment the boy hits the girl, exploring themes of love and emotional conflict. The sequence uses no dialogue, relying instead on three different types of music to guide the audience’s emotions: slow, sad music during the argument, happy music during flashbacks of their relationship, and neutral music at the end to create emotional neutrality after 2 very extreme sides of the emotional spectrum. Just before the moment of violence, the film cuts to a flashback showing the couple happy, emphasizing the contrast between their past and present and making the moment more impactful. The film ends with the girl receiving a message on her computer, leaving the resolution open-ended. Flashbacks will be distinguished through changes in lighting tone, color, and editing pace, such as softer lighting and slower pacing for happy memories and harsher lighting and faster pacing for the present. I think this is a very intense idea that, if done right, could be very powerful. Me and Luciana are both going to use differences in lighting and colors to signify change or time passing in our openings, so we shared different ideas we could both use (editing techniques, pacing, meanings behind colors, etc.)

CCR idea: interview/presentation

3. Felipe's URL: lipecouto.blogspot.com

Felipe's film opening of Shift Happens is a comedy/action sequence that follows Paulie, an overconfident car fan involved in underground car racing. The opening shows Paulie meeting a dealer, Mr. Clutch, in an alley to receive a rare car part, presenting a serious tone inspired by The Fast and the Furious films. Quick cuts of Paulie installing the part and driving to a car meet are influenced by the style of the Need for Speed games. The tone becomes comedic when Paulie meets his friend Jay at the race and exaggerates his car’s features with ridiculous fake parts, parodying car culture elements. The opening ends with Paulie confidently starting a race, only for his car to break down immediately, reinforcing the film’s humor. I read through the script as Felipe explained the story and I really liked it. I actually found myself smiling at some of the lines, meaning they did a good job on the comedy aspects, which is really hard to do. 

CCR idea: either a voiceover presentation or an in-character interview as Paulie

4. Srikara's URL: https://myportfolio-journal.blogspot.com/

Srikara's film opening is an action sequence where a drug deal turns into a kidnapping, introducing the main character as a drug dealer with a personal motive tied to his best friend’s death. The opening uses some dramatic visuals, like he mentioned a shot of the protagonist's eyes closed opening and a nighttime sky, to create tension and mystery. During the encounter, the kidnapped victim realizes he knows the dealer, revealing the reason behind the kidnapping and hinting at a deeper backstory and possible past crimes. The concept was inspired by the opening of Suits, where Mike Ross is introduced through a risky drug deal that changes his life, but this film challenges expectations by turning the deal into a hostage situation. to be totally honest, I was a little confused on the plot but I feel like this is one of those openings that read better visually rather than trying to explain it, so I'm excited to see how it develops as they go into production.

CCR Idea: an interview with the drug dealer; Veronica suggested it'd be cool to end it with his arrest for dramatic or comedic effect.

5. Raina's URL: Raistellar.blogspot.com

Raina's opening is titled Is He Breathing? and it's a drama/coming-of-age story that follows a girl struggling with grief after her boyfriend’s death by suicide right before high school graduation, focusing on themes of mental health, guilt, and hidden suffering. Dreamlike flashback sequences show their relationship as artificial and surreal, with bright, lush, earthy visuals emphasizing that these moments are memories rather than reality. These scenes highlight how he hid his pain, leaving her feeling responsible and emotionally lost. The opening uses the song Metamorphosis by Your Arms Are My Cocoon to enhance the emotional tone. Raina actually DM'ed/emailed a few different artists and she said about 3 of them responded with permission to use their songs, Raina just felt Metamorphosis fits the vibe the best,  and she thought using a real copyrighted song would make more sense as it feels more real and meaningful. And they're actually almost complete with filming. Out of all the films in this group meeting, this one was probably my personal favorite (shhhhh) because, as Raina mentioned, she took inspiration from the movie Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is one of my favorite movies ever. I love how real and raw she wants to make it and I think the style of the film seems like something she's very passionate and detailed about. I'm definitely gonna look for hers when its done :))))

CCR idea: either as a lighthearted interview with her dad to contrast the serious themes or as a voiceover presentation explaining the creative choices. 

6. Mine: https://kmediadiary.blogspot.com/2026/02/

I talked about my film opening and these were some tips my group members gave me:

- boyfriend being visited in jail interview possible CCR

- police interrogation video possible CCR

- use minimal dialogue after accident 

- add some matching jewelry to make girlfriend's outfit more recognizable too

Overall, it was a very successful meeting and it was very insightful to get some different outside perspectives!!!

KBlog, byeeeee!!!!

If It’s in the Frame, It Matters: Prop making

 For our film opening, there are many props that go into it, which gives us an insight to the minds and personalities of the characters. Let's talk about them!

1. Detective Board for room scene

To me, this was the most important prop in the opening, because it's the first impression of what Adam's had to go through in the year within the time skip that we imply. The key was in the details, showing exactly how off the rails he's gotten.

Obviously I had no access to real police files or evidence of a crime scene, so my mom had the most genius idea ever: my family loves a game night, and our favorite games in particular are actually the murder mystery games where you get sent a bunch of files and evidence and try to solve a murder using the evidence provided. It contains witness statements, police reports, pictures of potential suspects, maps, pictures of a crime scene, and they all look pretty legit. Since I have a whole drawer filled with some old mysteries me and my family solved, I thought using the papers from the game and having a little arts and crafts night to suit them to our accident would look super cool and real on camera. So, I went digging through a bunch of boxes and found some pictures I thought suited our car crash.

I found:

- a map of a town;  I wrote on it with red pen to show a "plan" forming (he's figuring out traffic patterns and best routes to take)

- several witness statement files

- pictures taken on a camera of a road with caution tape

- text message screenshots (I doodled on them to make it look like he was trying to find some sort of secret code on them)

- security camera footage of a road with a girl's body on the floor

- Newspaper I ripped into small sections (I doodled on these as well, as if he was finding clues in them)

- a note he would send to the people responsible for his girlfriends death (says something along the lines of "you will pay for what you did")

- a drawing of cars racing through street (like he's analyzing exactly how the crash occurred)

- a picture taken on a camera of the killer's keys (there's keychains on them and I doodled on some writing as if he's figuring out what each keychain means)

and several other small details to make it seem more naturally placed and like he did it himself. I also labeled each thing I put on the board with sticky notes, like he's trying to arrange his thoughts, and I took some red yarn and ran it throughout the board like he's trying to put all the pieces together like a puzzle. 

Addison's also going to print out a newspaper with her face on it since she's playing Sarah, and we're gonna stick it in the middle, to show that Sarah is the catalyst of Adam's whole mental breakdown and the reason he's doing all of this. 

here's a picture of how it ended up. I doodled and fixed them up and I think it looks really cool and once we put it on our set and play around with lighting and editing, I think it would be super creepy and unsettling to look at:

2. memorabilia of Sarah for room scene

For Adam I thought there needed to be an emotional detail of having many different elements of Sarah scattered throughout his room, to show the actual gap she's left him now that she's been gone. Not only memorabilia but also aspects to show how he's been living without her. 

memorabilia consists of:

- framed pictures of them together

- matching bracelets that is now only one on his nightstand

- her stuffed animals

- gifts she may have gotten him (baskets of stuff)

- love letters she wrote him

aspects to show his mental state: 

- glasses and dishes left around his room

- messy clothes on the floor

- pills on nightstand (maybe sleeping ones because he has trouble sleeping since that night)

Here are some things I'm gonna bring to fill the room:

3. Flowers and card for the car scene

This last one's really just a note to self, but I'm still gonna document to show my thought process. I want to get some flowers but kinda of wilt them a little and an anniversary card but try to rip it up a bit. I want to do this because in the car before they crash, Sarah and Adam are fighting. I wanna show how in their last moments together, rather that appreciate their love, they were angry at each other. This will add to Adam's breakdown later on as he feels some partial guilt for that being his last interaction with Sarah before she died. So, note to self; BUY THAT AND MAKE IT

some inspiration for what I want: 

OKAYYY now that that's been thought out, filming can begin! We are gonna start filming this week and hopefully be done within the next 2 weeks. 

KBlog, byeeee!!!

Behind the Outfit: Costumes

This is where the fun starts, costume design and creationnnn!!!!

Now that we figured out our characters and their background, time to dress them! We want to make the costuming very intentional with colors, patterns, and styles, so let's look for some options:

Sarah

For Sarah, we want to find a very recognizable outfit that she will wear throughout the opening (and rest of the hypothetical film). The best way to do this is to use easily recalled patterns that will be unique only to her. So something like a striped shirt would be perfect. The reason for the clothes to be easily recognized is because Sarah will be wearing this when they get into the car accident, and she will show up in Adam's mind to haunt him, and she will remain in the same clothes to convey that she is dead. These aren't the exact clothes she will wear but we will look through our closets to hopefully find something similar.

 Link to shirt and pants inspo:

PacSun. (n.d.). Nessie striped T-shirt. PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/edikted/nessie-striped-t-shirt-9584541.html

PacSun. (n.d.). Ultimate low rise baggy jeans tinted gray. PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/pacsun/ultimate-low-rise-baggy-jeans-tinted-gray-9491341.html

Adam

For Adam, he's going to go through a shift in clothing before vs. after Sarah's death. He will wear colors and fun styles when he is happy with her in the beginning, but after the accident and the time skip he will wear muted colors and bland outfits. This mixed with his change in hair and makeup as well will show how Sarah's death has sent him into a mental spiral. 

Before accident:

links: PacSun. (n.d.). Red terrain heavyweight hoodie. PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/pacsun/red-terrain-heavyweight-hoodie-0190522800128.html

PacSun. (n.d.). Dylan baggy jeans (light wash tinted). PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/pacsun/dylan-baggy-jeans-light-wash-tinted-0131454210044.html

After accident:

I had a fun little detail we can add, Whatever color Sarah's shirt is I want to use as a pop of color in whatever Adam wears after her death. Almost as a way of showing how she consumes his mind and stays haunting him as he searches for revenge for her killer. So, in this example I'm gonna use red because the inspo shirt for Sarah is red:

plinks: PacSun. (n.d.). Number One SRS full zip hoodie. PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/true-religion/number-one-srs-full-zip-hoodie-0190609780015.htmlPacSun. (n.d.). Bennett baggy flare jeans (faded black). PacSun. https://www.pacsun.com/pacsun/bennett-baggy-flare-jeans-faded-black-0131454210213.html

Okay yayyy costume ideas have been set, filming is starting soon, and I'll update more on the cast, the production process, and more soon!

KBlog, byeeeee!!