Film Club 12/15/09 and Creative Writing 12/15/09

There was no film club meeting last week, as there was a half day, and we had not planned on holding a meeting on the half day, and so there is nothing to report there. We are, however planning to begin to plan our movie this Friday, so we can begin to make it when we get back from break.

I was also unable to attend the Creative Writing meeting last Thursday, as I was working on my physics labs. I hope to actually get some of my story done soon in order to have something to give to the group.

Film Club 12/6/09

Due to the Drivers Education course I was taking, I missed the last 2 Film Club meetings and the week before that there was no meeting. This past Friday, we watched the new Star Trek, which we felt was well done. One effect they used in particular stood out; they used a glare effect that gave the movie a much more real feel, a feel that made it seem more compelling and gave it the feel of reality.
Throughout the course if Film Club I feel I've become more adept at identifying effects that filmmakers used in their movies and how those effects contributed positively or negatively to the movie. This has made me a potentially more adept contributor to the process of making a movie, but as of now we have not started the process of making the movie, thought we should start our planning soon.

Creative Writing 12/6/09

This past Thursday, we met and discussed a poem that a member of the group wrote, which I felt was well written, and though had been well formed, although there was room for improvement. Although we did not meet last week, the prior two weeks we met and discussed various works that members wrote. I have had to put my story on hold temporarily, but hope to start moving it and get it ready to bring in.
I feel that over the last few months I have been able to gain some experience in writing, and think I've been able to pick up a few things in the club, although I haven't received direct advisement yet, I hope to receive some soon. Throughout this time, I feel I've picked up some nuances of writing and hopefully soon I'll get some direct feedback.

Creative Writing Club

I will not be able to attend the creative writing club today, as I have a meeting with my college counselor today at lunch, and unfortunately not be able to attend the meeting as they take place at the same time. So the next possible meeting I can attend is next Thursday, a

My story is proceeding slowly, but it is beginning to take tentative form. I have found that I like to edit and rewrite things multiple times after the first time I put them down, and it seems that I sometimes spend more time on a page than I intend to. For example, I had written the beginning of this story down on paper, but then when I went to type it, I changed a big chunk. And this is only the first half page or so, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to increase the pace of writing the story so I can actually get the first couple of pages done. I feel that sometimes I take longer because I try to make it sound better, try to make it blend, and seem natural, and there are parts that I come to and they sound forced and sometimes seem awkward, so instead of coming back to those parts and continuing the story, I tend to stay at that spot and try and make it sound natural, sound normal, and keep it from sounding forced.

I do think that I have improved as a writer, and that I'm able to transfer my ideas more effectively than I could before I started Creative Writing Club, but there is definitely more room for improvement, as the improvement is slight, but noticeable, but there are still many areas in which I could use improvement. I also believe I am showing perseverance and commitment, because before this activity, if I ever started a story, I'd never even attempt finishing it, and now I've actually been able to start two stories, and, as of right now, I am keeping them both active and am continuing to edit them and expanding the story within them, though I still haven't completed one to bring into the meetings yet, so that is an area where I may be falling short, so I should start going about this with a greater focus.

Film Club

There was no film club this week, but last week we got into possible ideas for the movie we are supposed to be starting in January, as well as discussing the ideas from the movies we'd seen so far in the course of the club. We also discussed lighting of certain movies as it can very decisively make the movie seem realistic or not. One thing we hit on was the idea that you cannot have the lighting for nighttime to seem like broad daylight, as it will very quickly make the movie seem ridiculous, as the idea that the sun is shining in the middle of the night just seems ridiculous.

Creative Writing Club, October 22nd meeting

Last week I missed the meeting due to Group 4 presentations, and this week one of the group members brought in the first chapter of a book they were writing and I myself though it was a interesting idea, and had potential, but I felt it ran too fast, and the grammar could have been improved.
Also, the story I'm working on finally has an official beginning, and I have typed the first page, as I had brainstormed it, with a few minor changes. This way I feel it brings out the suspense better, and i eliminated a few of the ideas that I felt was flimsier, and hope to be able to present the first chapeter of the story by the week after the next.

Film Club October 9th meeting

This friday, we watched a silent movie from the 1920s, which was about Dracula, but it wasn't called Dracula. I can't remember the name of the movie. I had to leave early so I didn't see the whole thing. Considering the technical limitations of the time the film was pretty good. We didn't get to discuss much but hope to next time.

Film Club

We have a film club meeting later today. We were going to watch Freddy Kruger, but apparently we are watching something else, though I don't know the reason why, as for the entire week it's been Freddy Kruger, and now a last minute change. Well, whatever it is, we'll watch it.

Creative Writing Club

We had a meeting yesterday at lunch; but only three people showed up. We read a short story by one of the group members, which I felt had a really powerful ending. We discussed the story and ways that we felt it could be improved, and ways that we felt it really stood out and gave our feedback to the author.

Also yesterday on the bus I came up with a new story and actually began writing it. It is so far more compelling than the other one I've begun and so far I can't really get the other one going, but this one I feel is much more involved and so far I've been able to write, so far, the first half page or the whole first page in less than an hour. Hopefully I can maintain this story while at the same time starting and continuing the other story.

The overall story is still unclear, but it begins with a US Navy SEAL team going into a small town in the Midwest investigating the death of the entire town. Hopefully I can continue it and have a page or two completed over the weekend. I hope to be able to keep the feeling of suspense up until the big reveal. And I want to keep what there actually facing a mystery until I feel it would be prudent to be revealed.

Creative Writing Club

This week's meeting was cancelled so I was not abel to go; however I hope to begin my story this weekend and have a passage for the meeting thursday.

Film Club #3

This friday we finished the movie Poltiergeist, and after finishing, we watched the original Dracula. We had already discussed most of the features of Poltiergeist, so wet discussed a little more and then started Dracula.

Creative Writing Club- Story modification

I have currently entered a brainstorming phase for a new story I'm planning on starting. It may be a modified version of the story I was mentioning earlier, which I'd planned on finishing, though now that I look at it, the beginning doesn't feel right. It just throws you in. There's no buildup of tension. I think it'd be more effective if it started differently, which is why I'm going to trash the beginning I was working on and starting it afresh and very differently, because if you can't capture the audience at the beginning there's no way they'll finish the book unless there's nothing else to read at all. I know this myself, because there's been books I've started to read and the first pages don't draw me in, so I toss them aside and read something else. So, hopefully this change will help me draw the audience in and keep them interested. I thought the beginning I had was good, but after looking at it I realised that despite all the action in the first page, it comes of dry and shallow, almost transparent. So I've decided to change the beginning. What I'm going to change it into though, is as of yet, still unclear; unfourtuantly I have nothing to bring in this Thursday, but hopfully my revised beginning will be ready by the next meeting.

Film Club- Supervisor Change

As of the last meeting (Fri. Sept. 25) the supervisor has changed. Instead of Mr. Knittle our new supervisor is Mr. McDowell. This is for all upcoming meetings as well. Our next meeting is on Friday, and this time we will spend a great deal of discussing the movies we've seen up to this point instead of watching another. To date, we've watched Halloween (I was not able to make this one), Plan 9 from Outer Space, and Poltergeist.

Creative Writing 2

This week in the Creative club meeting there was a little more discussion, but it was mostly more housekeeping; more introductions, what we like to read and write and wrote our emails in. We discussed what we'd do if there was a meeting in which no one brough any work in, and talked about a poem someone brought in.

Film Club 2

This time I was able to stay for the whole meeting. During this meeting we watched the film Poltergeist, and discussed the various aspects of the film, the high points and the low points, what they had done well and what we thought they could improve on. Throughout this we reflected on various ways that the filmmakers enhanced the features of the film. The fact that the one who went missing was a little girl and the way the used their special features to enhance the terror. I think I may be gettting better at recognizing the feature used in film making but there is still tons of room for improvement.

Creative Writing #1

The introductory meeting to the Creative Writing Club took place Thursday, and we all got a feel for what it will be like. I already have a piece I'm working on though I'm not sure it's ready to be brought in to the club yet; it barely has a plot.

Film Club #1

The second meeting for film club was 2 days ago. I missed the first one because I was unaware that it was taking place. We watched Plan 9 from Outer Space, a movie from the 1950s, mainly to show how not to make a movie as it was bad all around; bad acting, bad effects, and bad directing. I had to leave halfway through but next week I'll be able to stay for the whole thing.