Project by: Nate Simon (11th Grade), Amouri Edwards (11th Grade), Lorenzo Perlmutter (11th Grade)
Project Advisor: Stephen MacGillivray
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Catherine (Jessica), Peter, Karyn

PROJECT UPDATE:

While we didn’t accomplish everything that we had planned to (there were many scheduling issues and just finding the time to shoot was difficult, especially considering homework and out of school obligations) we did shoot and animate the first few pages of the script.

Below is a clip of some of the animation:

Things We’ve Learned and Reflections:

We’ve learned that we shouldn’t get too invested in what we envision because, in actuality, it will change when we make it. What that means is that, over the summer when initially writing the screenplay, Amouri and I got really invested in everything that was happening in the story. But, as we started to shoot, we realized that there might be a few problems, mainly with scheduling, as it was/is a very ambitious project. We cut down on the amount of dialogue, actors, and visual flair, realizing that it would be too hard to shoot everything as it was listed (the shot list was very long.)

We also learned a very good lesson about patience. Throughout the trimester, we would often ask people for work/time to shoot, sometimes demanding it and not being very nice about it. While this is fair, as making a movie is very stressful, we learned that this isn’t the right way to go about it. When you demand things from people, they are more resistant to give it to you, but if you ask nicely and show patience, you’re more likely to get the work sooner and of a higher quality.

Below are some frames:

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PROJECT PROPOSAL:

Please write a description of the project you are proposing. Why do you want to take this on, and what do you hope to learn?

We are continuing our honors project from first trimester. The project is to shoot and animate a live-action short film based off of a script that Amouri and I (Nate) wrote over the summer. Lorenzo is starring in it and plays the main role. We want to take this on to practice our directing, acting, and animating skills. We hope to improve our skills and learn more about the struggles of making an actual movie instead of just thinking about it.

Critical thinking, creativity, citizenship and courage are essential LREI learning values. Explain how you’ll draw on at least one of these values to complete your proposed project?

We will draw on critical thinking, creativity, and courage to complete this project. We will draw on these three because to shoot this, we will need a lot of creativity, a lot of critical thinking (to overcome obstacles), and a lot of courage. It’s hard and very time-consuming to make a movie and it might not come out the way we want it to but it takes courage to try and make it anyway.

What is your proposed outcome? How will you be able to demonstrate successful completion of this Project? How do you plan to share your learnings with the larger LREI community (e.g., exhibit of work, poster of learnings, performance, etc.)?

Our proposed outcome will be to have a finished film, meaning edited, animated, with sound and music and credits. We could share it with the larger community by showing it during an Arts share or maybe by sending out a YouTube link.

Please provide a general outline that indicates your work plan for the trimester? What are some of the key project benchmarks (i.e., goals that will help to ensure that you finish the project)?

Our initial strategy was to shoot it all in trimester 1 and to animate and edit in trimester 2 but we encountered some timing issues. So, our new plan is to finish shooting by the end of January and to animate and edit for the rest of the trimester. If it takes longer, we can extend it to trimester 3, but we want to only be editing and animating.

When do you plan on meeting?
Tuesdays after school

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Please write a description of the project you are proposing. Why do you want to take this on, and what do you hope to learn?

Our project is to make a short film based off of a live-action animation script we collaborated on over the summer. We will use our friends as actors and crew members and Amouri will do all of the animations with Nate doing what he can to help. We hope to get some experience in both making short films and animation. We also hope to strengthen our teamwork skills as that is an essential key to filmmaking and, for that matter, anything collaborative.

In Trimester 1, we plan to shoot our film.
In Trimester 2, we plan to edit and animate the film and, if we need to, reshoot scenes.

What is your proposed outcome? How will you be able to demonstrate successful completion of this Project?

Our proposed outcome is to have a shot, edited, and animated short film. We can demonstrate successful completion of our project by showing off our film, maybe to the whole school.

When do you plan on meeting?
Tuesday after school