Introduction

I’ve always wanted to create a movie or film of some kind, because what peaked my interests about them was the shots and positions of the scenes as well as the effects added into it to help create a tone of emotion for the viewer. That’s why I decided to compete in the PA and Media Competition to go for Digital Movie to make a viable story, and in this blog, we’re going to be talking about the process and tribulations with the making of the movie

What is the PA and Media Competition?

In the words of the official PA and Media Competition of the purpose of this annual event:

The PA Media and Design Competition is an annual event that highlights Pennsylvania students’ application skills, creativity and knowledge. Students are able to unleash their creativity, learn how to convey information more dynamically, and enhance the learning process.

This event allows for any type of students to spread their creativity and craftsmanship to any project topic they are looking to work on. Some of the different categories that are displayed and can be competed in when signing up for this event are:

  • 3D Design
  • Animation
  • Digital Movie
  • Logo and Graphic Design
  • Programming
  • Web Page
annual event for digital movie

What topic did I choose for my project?

Like I said before, I had chosen Digital Movie because I liked the scenes and effects that set off the overall tone of the film. Trying to figure out a topic was a little difficult, because I didn’t know what type of tone I wanted to give off for the viewer, but I finally decided I wanted to make a film destined to create a message/theme for viewer. That topic was going to be how you shouldn’t take a loved one for granted, because one day, they can be take away from you. An example I use was the passing of my dad back in 2024 due to cancer, I made a sad, but sentimental movie contributing some of the memories and activities me and my dad had done together and enjoyed.

What the working process look like for the movie?

The actual working process of the film was very confusing, because developing a topic took longer than I had hoped for (I also got a little lazy). But last week as well as this weekend is when the process started, so let me take me through a schedule and timeline of how I created my own movie: If Only I Had Known:

  • Monday & Tuesday – Filling out the participation packet that will display the information of how I created my digital movie as well as some of the elements I used within the film
  • Wednesday – I had trouble figuring out a script for my film, so I used Perplexity AI to help brainstorm ideas as to what the overall will look and/or sound. Also, completed the participation packet.
  • Thursday – Gather all of the items and resources that I will need to make the film and proceed to start recording my scenes.
  • Friday & Saturday – Continue recording as well as upload the visual recordings into Premiere Pro in order to edit and adjust the segments in order to multi-tasks for the date
  • Sunday – Continue editing and obtain the music in order to use in the background
  • Monday (Morning) – Continue the process of editing the film as well as start recording my audio for lines during the memory scenes
  • Monday (Afternoon) – Adding the final touches to the project and transporting the video into Media Encoder
  • Monday (Evening) – Submit the film for the PA and Media Competition

My thoughts on the project

I feel like the overall project went okay, there are many things I would want to change within the movie to give it that sad and emotional tone to it, because in my opinion, I feel like there were other things I could do within the project. But at the same time, I had to keep some things limited because the movie had to be under 5 minutes long and if I had exceeded over 5 minutes, that would probably caused me to disqualified from the competition, but overall, my film came over at 4 minutes and 58 seconds. If you would like to see the video, here is the final result:

Conclusion

Creativity is a never-ending train of brainstorming ideas and developments that we all think about from time to time. The idea I had with creating the movie with the topic I came up with turned out to be a good outcome and I feel like it can be the same for you. Any type of creative spark or endeavor that you feel you want creating or you want to look more into, I believe that you should go for it and see how the final result will go. Just remember to plan accordingly, create a timeline of your project, and have a good and helpful mindset when going about the project. That’s the end of the blog, I hope you enjoy and I will see you next time.

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