Group Meeting #1

 Hey blog!!! It’s officially week 3 of working on my project. Today in class, my teacher set up group meetings where we shared our story ideas and gave each other feedback. I was put into a group with three classmates: Emma, Vicky, and Vicente.

The first person to share his story idea was Vicente. He is working on a culinary drama that draws inspiration from The Bear and The Menu. His idea is to demonstrate how to prepare a dish by first showing a flawless version and then showing a burnt, ruined version. He intends to use lighting to change from bright to dark tones as the mood changes, placing a lot of emphasis on mise-en-scene. Vicente still hasn't finished his plot, though. I advised him to keep the cook anonymous for the majority of the scene to create mystery and to use more close-ups of the food to let the food visually tell the story.

Vicky then went on to discuss her project. She is working on a thriller about a woman cooking a fancy dinner with Juan and Bella. The scene doesn't reveal the woman's face until the very end. Vicky intends to create a romantic ambiance with warm, bright lighting, but as the scene develops, the tension increases. There are hints of manslaughter and a mysterious man in the story. In order to give the instrumental music a more vintage feel, I suggested that she use sound effects from vinyl records. She should also think about including brief shots of the man's hands or possessions to heighten the tension.

Emma then moved on to her gymnastics-focused sports drama, which was influenced by Full Out, Toni Erdmann, and Rocky. In her story, a gymnast reflects on her early years in a flashback scene before moving into the present, where posters and memorabilia of well-known gymnasts adorn her room. I thought it was a great idea and advised her to use match cuts to link her past and present selves by using similar motions. In order to arouse nostalgia, I also suggested that she play mellow background music during the flashback.

All in all, this meeting was very beneficial. It was wonderful to discuss ideas with my classmates and learn about their viewpoints. The feedback gave me a lot of fresh ideas to share with my group, and I realized I'm on track for our timeline. We can't wait to share our latest developments!