My Week of June 12, 2015

This week my film group started editing our third film. We ended up doing a PSA since we have always wanted to do one. We did not get to do a PSA at first because we were doing our first film on the talents of students in our community. Our second film, the music video, was a fun film to make because it was a genuine film capturing our moments. Thus, we all agree it'd be best to do a film about the drought, but with an added twist. I'm not so sure my film group would appreciate me spoiling the surprise. I'm also positive Mr. Lansdown reads my blogs so I don't want him knowing the surprise until he sees our film. I hope we finish in time so our film makes it to the afternoon film festival. We all agreed that the drought is a very serious issue right now. Of course, our climate has been an issue for a while now, but only until now are people realizing it.

My Week of June 5, 2015

This week really flew by. During the weekend that passed, a music video was recorded. My team and I finally finished our second film, a film about friends. The title of the film 'F is for Friend' follows the good times of friends who enjoy the company of each other. It entails the worry-free atmosphere within the friends and it shows good times in life. The beginning of the music video is a shot of me showering; I am remembering the good times I have had with my friends and the wonders we have all gone through together. Additionally, my team and I started talking abut our third film, a narrative film about spies and government agents. Originally, this was to be our second film, but we decided to leave it as our last film and do the music video before hand. It worked out perfect as our music video turned out to be really nice. The song we used was 'Ribs' by Lorde, a song that means so much to me as I can relate to it a great deal.

My Week of May 29, 2015

This week my film group got a fantastic idea. We switched our idea last minute and decided to do an action film. We will film tomorrow in Hollywood while we are visiting the Psychiatric Museum. The museum is so mysterious itself, and we can earn good footage when we're in Hollywood. The area itself will be an amazing place to shoot. The flashy place will make our film more believable. We will also be filming in sketchy parts. Our film consists of Spies and Russian Criminals who have stolen vital information the United States needs. Additionally, our film will be very edgy, but not too edgy to the point where it will be considered inappropriate. We will all be wearing the same style of clothes so it'll all look color coordinated, something that gives the film a more legitimate look. I am very excited to film this weekend, it'll be successful I can tell.

My Week of May 22nd, 2015

This week of May 22nd, 2015 my group and I have begun writing the script for our second film. Our second film consists about the drought we are currently facing in California. It's going to have a twist to it and I'm excited for Mr. Lansdown to see what we have up our sleeve. Moreover, we would like to start filming this weekend, however, I overheard Mr. Lansdown to Gabriela that there are no more cameras to checkout, so we would have to find another group to share the camera with. That's what our main goal right now is, to find a group who is willing to share a camera for this weekend. I hope we do find a group to share the camera with because the editing process, from what I have experienced doesn't take much time. I mean, of course it requires time, but it is more of a hassle to get the actual footage for the film done. None of us have any plans this weekend so it'd be ideal to film and finish filming this weekend.

My Week of May 15th, 2015

This past week on Sunday was the film festival at Little Tokyo. I did not get to go to the festival because I was in Nevada. My cousin is leaving for the army today, May 18th, 2015, and on Saturday there had been a gathering with family to say our last goodbyes. It was really sad seeing him go, and as we said goodbye to make our way back to California, a lot of tears were involved. I really don't like those emotional moments with family so I was very like "omg," but then I was like "omg" for another reason because I realized that it might have been the last time I see him for a good while. I mean, I did kind of not see him since I was in 7th grade. Additionally, my film group went to the film festival and their review about it was really good, so I imagine that all went well for others too. They told me one of Bell High's film won first place so that's good.

My Week of May 1st, 2015

Hello all, and to all, hello! I did not really accomplish a lot to be fairly honest. This week just consisted of me studying for my AP Tests that I started on May 4th, 2015, AP Psychology. In addition, I was preparing myself for prom which was May 2nd. Just in general, this week was very here and there, like there was really no progress. My team and I kept trying to think of an idea, but we really couldn't think  of one. We had one grip on an idea, but we couldn't agree. Oh in fact, this was the week that I got in an argument with my film  group and decided to go solo. I did not do this blog in time, but in the blog of May 8th, 2015, I explain the argument more thoroughly. Basically, I wanted to do a music video, but my ideas weren't what they wanted so I wanted to go solo and express my ideas somewhere else, by myself.

My Week of May 8th, 2015

This week I got together with my film group. Originally, I had opted to be by myself the second time around, but events with my then previous group changed my mind and I agreed to be in their film team. Additionally, the first film we made, made it to the film festival that will be hosted in the district known as "Little Tokyo." My team is so excited for it, and we will all most likely be carpooling. Another interesting event that happened was the "lights out" minimum day on Friday, May 8th, 2015. The rain on Thursday night was so rough, and a lightning bolt had struck the power line, thus resulting our school to not have light at all. Going back to our film production, we have our new idea, which has to be pitched, and our members from 5th period are already working on the script even though we haven't pitched our idea.

My Week of April 24, 2015

This week my production team, Amazon Productions, got our film to be as perfect as possible. We finished editing and we put finishing touches to make it stand out.  In addition, our film just needs to be seen by Mr. Lansdown. Lansdown if you're reading this, I am here writing as you watch other production films. This week overall though in film consisted of editing for the whole period. Yes, I had already mentioned before that we just put finishing touches, but the editing process was a bit difficult at times. Sometimes the audio would not be in the right place or the audio was doubles so the person who was talking or singing was heard twice at the same time; overlapping. Our other film mates from 5th period would sometimes change the audio or something because when we edited in class it was fine, but then the day after it was messed up. We also added this audio named 'Catwalk' and I ended up really liking the audio because it was so runway-like, very chic. It makes the beginning and ending of the film very spirited.

My Week of April 17, 2015

This week of April 17, 2015, my team and I updated our idea from a hilarious weather channel show to a film about the talents of people. Many of our interviewees were musically talented, something we weren't expecting. If it wasn't that their talent was singing, it was that their talent was [laying a musical instrument, or even both. We even got an interviewee who could rap. I feel that talents are very personal, and it is a gift that one has to hold on to master an later on share with the world. In addition, talents in a human being just proves how far the human's spirituality extends to. To reach that inner place in your heart, your soul, or wherever you feel your talent comes from, is a action worth taking. In he end, the change in our film came unanimously as we all agreed that this new film had way more potential than our original film.

My Week of April 10th, 2015

Hello all, this week has been hectic. To begin, it has been really stressful in my classes because it's one of those weeks where the teachers start handing out an abundance of homework, but it was not too much I could not handle. In my AP Statistics class, we finished our book and we are now studying for the AP Statistics exam. Additionally, in our English class, we finished reading two books, The Great Gatsby and The Color Purple. Both books were so good, and since I have already read The Great Gatsby, the second time around was a better read because I caught things i did not catch in the first read. In my Computer Science class I turned in a rubric that has been a constant assignment for about this whole semester. Our film is is going to be done by Saturday April 11th, 2015. We would start editing on Monday up until it is due on Friday.

What I Did the Week of April 3rd, 2015

This week I had a very productive week. yesterday actually, we started filming. My group, which consists of two girls from 5th period, and one from my film period, got together and got to work. Our film evolved so such from scene to scene as we were trying to go along with the script. For one scene we had to film in like an hour because we kept laughing and not getting serious. That bis what you get when your film is a comedy film. I have said too much as of nope and I do not want to discuss the top secret of my film. Oh! Additionally, my team and I came up with our name, "Amazon" productions, which I hope is not subject to change. In other news, today is Friday, which means test day. I am not ready for my AP Statistics test, I did not study because I was too busy with other classwork. That is all.

My Week of March 27th, 2015

This week was a basic week. It wasn't really a hard week, or a stressful week like other weeks I've had, but it also wasn't san easy week. I mean, I guess you can say it was a easy in a way because I really didn't have a lot to a stress about, but then aha=gain I'm always stressing so there's that. I had to take one online quiz this week, but that didn't take too much time. I had after-school practice for the variety show, which is on April 9th, 10th, and 11th (buy your 7$ tickets from me). Yesterday actually was a productive day because I went home early and slept at &:45 p.m. like that is unheard of. I usually go to sleep at midnight or 1 a.m., even 2. In regards to this week in film class, my group has four member including me, the first member is Monica Manzo, she is in my 2nd period class with me, but the other two are in 5th period, which happen to be Natalie Mora, and Areli Pacheco. Our film is a narrative film and it is in the "comedy" genre of movies. It is a news channel parody, and it is a film that will require green screen, a challenge to figure out, but with the help of Mr. Lansdown, I am sure we can get it done.

What Music Means to Me

Music is such a powerful art. Music is sex to my ears. It gives me escape and relif. When I am having such a horrible day, I turn to music because it gives me that release. When I'm feeling lonely, music gives me company. My favorite artists/bands is Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, The Killers, Paramore, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Michael Jackson. I have way more favorite artists, but for now I'm going to just list these. Lady Gaga is my biggest idol without a shadow of  doubt. She is so creative and is the true pop icon of this century. Let us be real, she has influenced so many artists today, and her impact on the music industry is crazy. She's become an icon at such an early age, and is really innovative, and although her outfits are seen "too crazy," I'm immune to it and can see past them for the true artistic pieces they are. My favorite song by Lady Gaga is Marry The Night, although I am beyond a fan, I can't really just choose one so I will list some. I love Just dance, Bad Romance, Poker Face, Born This Way, Telephone, Monster, So Happy I Could Die, Gypsy, Applause, G.U.Y., Boys Boys Boys Queen, Fashion of His Love, Judas, Highway Unicorn (Road To Love), The Edge of Glory, Mary Jane holland, Do What U Want, Schiebe, and the list can go on. Her discography just makes me feel like a complete human being.

Problems and Struggles

The biggest problem and struggle in Bell High is money alone. Financially, the school is poor, with the majority of the kids being in the lower class, with the exception of some middle class. We receive reduced/free lunch, and get prices reduced when it comes to things like paying for the AP tests. Usually, they cost $91, but here at Bell, we get them for $5, since we qualify for it. In addition to academics, the college process is a struggle as well. Most of us are first-generation upcoming college students, and so in turn, our parents can't help us with that process at all. It becomes our job to seek help on the outside, asking teachers, counselors, and academic advisors for assistance becomes normal where as students from other school's are 3rd or even 4th generation already, they have the access to help at home. Home, a place where homework assistance is not available unless you have an older sibling who has already taken and passed the class you are taking. Help at home is rare because in many cases, our parents don't understand the homework we get, and to add to that, many parents aren't fluent in English, so there isn't a way to help you with homework, unless it is translated into Spanish, then, there the problem is solved.

The Most Interesting Person in the World

The most interesting person in the world to me is my little brother. Many years younger than I, he is in the 4th grade and he is by far so much more mature than I was in that time of my life. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he is surrounded by adults, with the exemption of me. He's so into Minecraft and all those computer tech games that I can't even handle it. In many cases, the older siblings are the ones who teach the younger siblings a lesson, but in this case, he often teaches me a lesson. i think when we look at the young children of today, we can see how much more matured they have gotten over the years, with the advancement of technology, they are able to learn much more things via the internet. He's been able to give me advice without me asking for it, and he is blunt, very blunt that it's to the point that can considered for rudeness.

My Anti-Drug

My anti-drug is making short videos and sharing them with friends. Whenever I like having fun, I go out of my way to make the small short clips I make somewhat creative. I really do try to be the creative genius and make my videos worth watching. A few months back, I had uploaded a video of me reviewing one of my favorite books, Divergent, and I talked about it like I was a professional critic. I think the best way to describe my anti-drug is the word "Vlogist." Vlogist is a person who video blogs about what their interests are. When I record my videos, I thoroughly enjoy becoming a different person on purpose, alter-egos. These alter-egos allow me to express myself in a different light, maybe a light that is more or less accepted in today's normality. I often much vlog about anything that comes to mind. The application "Snapchat" has become of great use in my daily life now as I am always updating my whole day there via videos and it is the place I go to to rant about topics that really just irk me. It's a tool that allows me to vent with no boundaries.

What I Learned from An Inconvenient Truth

"An Inconvenient Truth" was a very informative movie that I'm sure raised awareness around the time of it's release and does even so today. Even more so, I have always been influenced by the awareness environmentalists. I believe the plant is a sacred place that we should humans should take more care of. Pollution and littering makes me so angry. Pollution, on one hand, is not the fault of those who drive the cars in my opinion because it is not up to them to choose what will fuel their vehicle. On the contrary, it is the fault of those big trusts who make gasoline the only means of fueling up the car and allowing it to run. Littering is the fault of human kind as they choose to throw their trash wherever they please when there are trash cans surrounding various places. In the film, the long term effect pollution would have on planet Earth really surprised me. Bottom parts of Florida would sink, and especially the land of the Netherlands would disappear for good due to the 20 feet increase in the ocean level. Personally, I have taken action and have been active in a club named "Communities for a Better Environment", which is a club dedicated to bettering the lives of those families under low-income communities as those families are usually the ones exposed too harsh pollutions. Communities like Maywood, Bell, Huntington Park, Cudahy, Commerce are all surrounded by factories that release too much pollution that in turn can cause health defects to pregnant mothers, people with weak immune systems, and the elderly. Not to mention that some of these factories knowingly continue to produce their products even after action by the people of the community have taken a stand, and the city itself have too. Also, I think glaciers are very pretty and should be kept around for more than we are letting them exist.