Introduction
The narrative unit at Freestyle consists of learning many new skills through different applications, film techniques, and creative writing. This unit overall helped my creativity and work ethic as it pushed me outside my comfort zone. There were many assignments for this course that were specific to each class. I used imaginative techniques to write a flash fiction for English class. I then used digital media to record this essay, which allowed me to develop my narrative abilities. Pro Tools allowed me to edit the track in addition to adding sound effects. In the Freestyle recording studio, I also recorded a parody song, with my friend which I later edited in Pro Tools. I made “Game Over,” my first narrative film, in my film class. I had to create a storyboard, direct the actors, shoot the film, and then use Premiere Pro to finish editing it. I discovered that finishing this project required a lot of hard work due to things different complications that would occur. Though this unit took a lot of effort and work I am so happy how my projects turned out.
The narrative unit was really valuable to me because it gave me confidence when using Adobe products. It made a big difference in how well I could tell stories, come up with original ideas, and convey them. I had fun using this device, especially since I had never used software like Pro Tools before, and finding out how to use it was exciting. I enjoyed learning new editing techniques for my film, such as the “light up effect” that I used. All things considered, I worked on a number of fascinating projects in English, digital media, and cinema that improved my skills as a writer, filmmaker, and creative.
Story
In English, I decided to write about a teenage girl who lives on a farm with her father Pa. They owned a farm stand where they would make their money as the whole town supported them. Unexpectedly, a boy and his father show up and open a supermarket across the way. Soon a rivalry starts and romance sparks. She falls for the supermarket boy and their love needs to stay a secrete. After writing this story I recorded it in Protools and added music and sound. Enjoy it below!
Pro Tools File
This is the behind-the-scenes on how I created the story above. I was able to download copy-right music and add sound effects to help support my story.
It was cool to see how much the sound added to the story as I added ambient nature sounds and it helped paint more of a visual for my storyline.
English Flash Fiction
When writing this story I was able to learn more about character development, figurative language, and imagery. I got inspiration from watching Gilmore Girls as one of the characters Dean was an inspiration for the boy in my story. My first drafts of the story were a bit rough but with peer review and meetings with my teacher, I was able to improve it.
Enjoy!
Illustrations
Illustrator was a new Adobe application that we had to learn this semester. Multiple assignments This assignment was my first experience creating digital art, so it was exciting to see what Illustrator could do. Our first assignment was collaborative and made an exquisite corpse. For this assignment, each student in our class had to contribute and it was a lot of fun. The collaborative work was fun for me because it was interesting to see what the other group members had produced. Below is a picture of the beautiful corpse that my group created.
I decided for my illustrator project to create my own custom-designed sweatshirt.
I wanted a sweatshirt that reflects the values that I follow. There are a lot of numbers on my sweatshirt that have significant meaning in my life. 11:11 is a time of day when you make a wish I’ve been doing this since my freshman year and I just think it’s cute. I haven’t seen any designs on it so I decided I would incorporate that in. The 333 numbers came to me that month. I know of angel numbers such as 111,222, or 333. Each one of these numbers has a significant meaning and the number 333 kept reappearing in my daily schedule. I’d pass buildings and the address was 333, I would check the clock and it would be 333. From here I decided to search what it meant. The definition is: to personal strength be the guide; to trust yourself and put thought into your choices. I thought this resonated with me well as there are lots of choices being made as you grow up that can determine a lot and I just felt seeing these numbers randomly throughout my week was a reminder to trust my decisions and a reminder it’s going to all work out. Though I love how this sweatshirt came out when tapping on my art to the sweatshirt I accidentally overlapped them cutting off the other artwork presented which made it look not how I planned. Along with that if I could get rid of the blue-lined stains that the paper left after the hot press that would have been great. If I do attempt this project again I will ensure to keep those things in mind. This project has made me realize that vision can come true. Freestyle has been such a blessing to have as I have been able to put my thoughts into something real. I’ve always wanted to have a custom sweatshirt and I am so happy with how it turned out.
Music
Adobe Audition was an essential tool in the production of my parody. Specifically, I made a parody on the Adobe Audition platform with my friend. We spent hours trying to create creative lyrics that would match the audio and tempo of the song. We then performed it in the studio and then worked on adjusting it in Audition. We parodied the Travis Scott song “Goosebumps” to a song about homework. Overall, this song’s formatting was good and it was enjoyable to make. We used the equipment at the recording studio to record and edit the parody song.
Parody Lyrics
Yeah
12 am in the night, yeah
Ooh-ooh, ooh
I get homework every night, yeah, it piles up yeah,
It gets me stressed, it makes me want to cry yeah,
Worried ’bout those grades yeah, I’m way too tired yeah,
It’s way too dumb, yeah
I get that homework all the time, I don’t have time yeah
Throw that to the side, yeah
I get that homework every time, yeah, every single night (straight up)
When you throw that to the side, yeah (it’s lit)
I get that homework every time, yeah
8-4-0 through the 3-0-0, yeah I’m grinding
Why the pressure on me?
Why so many assignments? I’m failing low-key
I be trying low-key on my homework, busy busy
When I’m pullin’ up at my friends house,
Get my work done
When I text, I don’t get knowledge
Just tryna get into college i’m
Never off my grind
I fall through cycles, where my homework gets vital, yeah
I fall through cycles, where my homework gets vital, yeah
Oh no, I can’t deal with this at all, yeah
When I’m with my squad I can’t do nothing wrong, yeah
Stayin in the city, don’t worry , yeah
Yeah, we’re gonna breeze through things, no time to contemplate
Yeah, ’cause we from a place, a place you cannot stay
Oh, you can’t go, oh, I do know
No more homework (brrt, brrt, brrt)
I get homework every night, yeah, it piles up yeah,
It gets me stressed, it makes me want to cry yeah,
Worried ’bout those grades yeah, I’m way too tired yeah,
I get that homework all the time, I don’t have time yeah
Throw that to the side, yeah
I get that homework every time, yeah, every single night (straight up)
When you throw that to the side, yeah (it’s lit)
I get that homework every time, yeah
Film
The Film unit for film was by hard the hardest process of the unit. It consisted of a process that started in November of 2023 and ended in March of 2024. The first step to this process was pitched. We would have to create a rough draft of what we wanted film explaining the storyline characters and shots. The class would then provide feedback on what could make it better along with my film teacher giving constructive criticism. After hearing everyone’s ideas we got into groups based on whose idea was most interesting. My partner and I then discussed further about our idea and were asked to storyboard. A week later after drawing more than 200 cards, our rough story was completed. The work didn’t stop here after presenting this rough storyboard we realized this film idea would be a better fit for a senior-year narrative. From there we started the whole process again.
After hundreds of more cards, late nights, and frustration our final for film was to get a green light from our teacher. This process consisted of him going through the stack of drawn cards seeing if they made sense. He scrapped sense of 100 cards and would give advice that caused 100 plus more cards to be created. Though this process took lots of effort it was very helpful for the filming process.
The filming process took place at Hyperspace Arcade. My partner was lucky enough to have permission to be there as she works there. At first filming sessions would be four hours long as trying to get the hang of directing actors and the correct camera techniques was difficult. As time went on filming got easier and though lots of effort and work got put in the deadline to finish kept us going. Every week new dailes were expected to be shown in class where there would be feedback on what classmates liked and wanted to see more.
The editing process was the most tedious. Trying to incorporate all of the film rules such as the 180-degree rule, and Griffiths Pattern, and ensuring no jump cuts made this process long. When editing there were times where my partner and I realized we forgot to film a section so the clips didn’t match. Filming on different days meant different weather conditions so on some days there would be rain and others sometimes sunny. These complications made it hard to keep continuity but we tried our best. I was in charge of special effects so any flashes you see on the bracelet were done by me. This was one of the last edits done in post and I took a lens flare effect and used keyframes to move it onto the bracelet and the opacity to have it blink.
The film is about a girl who goes to the arcade and really wants the stuffed animal prize. She puts effort into trying to win this prize but when it comes for her to claim it two mean girls make her feel embarrassed about her choices. The mean girls are both wearing bracelets and the girl thinks if she gets a bracelet it will make her cooler. Little does she know this bracelet is cursed. Many unfortunate things will happen to this girl. What will happen? What will she do?
Synopsis
As mentioned before GAME OVER is a new idea so my synopsis wasn’t the same.
ACT I: The story opens with a girl having fun at an arcade. She is thrilled until she notices two rude girls whispering and silently making fun of her in the arcade. When the main character realizes this, she begins to doubt herself. As she peruses the rewards, she spots one that she truly desires: a stuffed animal. She plays every game with devotion after realizing that she has to earn a certain amount of tickets. When she finally makes it to the counter to select the stuffed animal, the mean girls are mocking her from behind the counter. This causes her to doubt her decisions. She notices that both girls have bracelets on and decides to get a bracelet. This bracelet however is cursed and will cause many unique experiences to happen.
ACT II: She experiences a string of unfortunate events. She’s going to damage her arm running into a pole. I she will buy a pizza, trip, and it will get all over her white shirt. With her shirt ruined she will be forced to change but the only shirt in her car is really ugly. After that, her car won’t start, she won’t have any gas left. Forced to walk on through her day a runner will bump into her, making her fall into bushes. With all of these events, her bracelet will have a “light-up effect” prior to every bad luck action, indicating when something unlucky is about to happen. In the end, she will come to understand that her bracelet is cursed because it keeps coming back onto her wrist no matter how hard she tries to remove it.
ACT III: When one of the final observations occurs where there it is only raining on top of her and an idea comes to mind. The protagonist discovers that returning the bracelet to the arcade is the best way to get rid of it. She sets out to return to the arcade, but there are obstacles in her way. She appears quite worn out and upset, and she nearly gets struck by a car and a shopping cart. Once she arrives, she doesn’t care that the mean girls are there criticizing her. She gives back the unlucky bracelet and receives the plush animal in exchange. The conclusion will demonstrate the genuine significance of remaining loyal to yourself and what you want without letting others sway your thoughts and wanting just to gain self-assurance.
This was a class exersize to undertand film language and show the “Griffiths Pattern”
