Podcast

      The following video is a podcast interview Taylor and I did with our special guest and close friend Julia Brilliant. Julia is a Adderall user for medial reasons and helps her ADHD. We conducted this interview to have a more personal perspective on the effects of Adrenal on the person in all aspects (physically, mentally, socially, etc.). Watch and listen to the following video for the entire 15 minute interview!

Your Love Is My DRUG

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     Taylor and I have been discussing plots and possible options on the more creative side of our film, and we have come to the conclusion that we will be utilizing a drug that has effected many close people to both of us. Adderall.

     Dictionary and science version Adderall is, "Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine are central nervous system stimulants that affect chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. Adderall is used to treat narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)." https://www.drugs.com/adderall.html


        And in human terms I can understand, this is a major drug that overstimulates the dopamine centers of the brain in order to allow those with learning disorders like ADHD to focus and be brought to homeostasis in the brain. However, I live in a world that does not utilize this drug in the way it has been intended for use.

       The synthetic drug problem at my school has become overwhelmingly bad in the past two years and I have lost a couple of friends due to this shift in the drugs at my school. Before I used to just have friends that would get stoned, but now I have friends addicted to these major drugs like Adderall, Cocaine, and LSD. Both Taylor and I have seen this major shift, and to make our film as close to real life as possible, we decided to study the drug we find is taking over our school which is Adderall.

        We have friends at school who obviously do not take Adderall for the right reasons, but why? Well, from personal experiences, we have found those that we know who take the drug take it for study reasons, to work all night without sleep with focus, for SAT/ACT study days and test days, and to just overall function because of dependency on the drug.


       I interviewed my therapist I see once a week, Dr. Alexandra Victoria (She's my homegirl I love her so much we have the best conversations), about the topic of Adderall abuse. She told me all about how adderall all effects the body. She says for the people that actually need the drug it is a blessing because it gives them the focus they need to be what is known as "normal focus." She then went into the people who use it for the wrong reasons. She said,
     "When the brain is overstimulated with this drug over long periods of time, it can result in the body forgetting how to make its own dopamine relating back to the emotional state of a person. With the overstimulation there are side effects of high anxiety, depression, and being irritable. Then when people try to get off of the drug they go through a withdrawal period where their body is reteaching itself to make its own dopamine which makes the drug so addictive when used improperly. Adderall is a amphetamine just like Meth which people don't realize. People on and recovering from Adderall tend to like I said be very easily triggered due to their anxiety or irritable state and tend to be robotic in a way because their emotions are all mixed up. Neurotransmitters are directly linked to emotions so it all is connected."


      After that interview I did a little more research on the drug my own with Taylor.

Here are some facts I found from some other sources:

http://www.amphetaminerisks.com/how-amphetamine-use-can-affect-emotional-health
"Possible mental and emotional health issues that may develop with amphetamine use include the following:

• Panic
• Paranoia
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Hallucinations
• Aggression
• Psychotic disorders (being “out of touch” with reality)
• Anxiety
• Suicidal tendencies
• Violent behaviors

In addition to these mental health issues, amphetamine use may cause chronic sleep deprivation with all its obstructing emotional effects, leading to problems at work, school or in relationships."

     Also, because of the fact I that Taylor and I are not legally owners of the name Adderall, we cannot use the drug's trademarked name in our trailers/project. So I took the liberty of searching what the street names of Adderall are... and to my surprise Indiana University already had a page on Adderall listing its alternate/street names.

Indiana University Study: On the street Adderall^® is known as beans, black beauties, dexies, pep pills, speed, and uppers. 

     Taylor and I then proceeded to look up peoples personal experiences with the drug. This way when we develop our character we have a better idea of how we can have our actor/actress act and behave with our creative directions we see.

Here are some of the personal stories we found from http://adderalladdictionsupport.com/adderall-addiction-stories/

1) I would stay up until 4-5am and then go to work at 9am – then on the weekends i’d literally sleep ALL day bcuz my body was so worn out from going to bed so late, but i’d still stay up til 4am every night (even weekends).

Anyways, i was a mess. I lost like 35lbs (miss that part of it), fought with everyone (which i never did before), became terribly depressed, angry all the time. Basically was at the lowest point i’d ever been.

2) …my current state of withdrawal has me like a zombie, headaches, puking, almost constantly sleeping or being tired, lack of motivation and energy, fever, being angry and snappish, and lack of any other emotion.

!!!!This One Is The Most Impactful To Our Trailer/Movie Ideas!!!

3) I have never regretted something so much in my life. I ended a two year relationship that had potential before I went away to college after graduating high school. I almost ruined another relationship with an amazing guy because of my stupid addiction to this drug. It sucked the personality/life right out of me and made me ‘not me’. I stopped giving a **** about relationships and only wanted to focus on myself and my grades and my future. My goofy, loving, upbeat, bubbly and compassionate personality turned into a stone wall. I would do anything to take this back…I think about what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been abusing this drug.

Overall, Taylor and I feel like we can now do a better job portraying the drug and its effects with all of the extensive research we have done.

Until Next Time,

-Asher

Bring On The Drama

The title says it all... lets get into it 😁

No not that kind of drama silly! I'm talking the genre of Drama seen in many current movies today. Taylor and I decided we wanted to do some movie package would be related to the drama genre, however, we are not looking to be your stereotypical drama mama film.

There are so many types of subsections of drama, and here in the blog I will be talking about some of the ones my partner and I are most interested in utilizing the conventions of those subsections. But first we have to look at drama itself.

What is Drama?

"Drama Films are serious presentations or stories with settings or life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with either themselves, others, or forces of nature. A dramatic film shows us human beings at their best, their worst, and everything in-between."

   So dramas essentially are a realistic dramatization of the real world and showcase its characters in a more exaggerated story but still more toward the realistic side. I also found this really cute chart that also mentions some of the basic conventions of the drama genre from this url (http://bca2media2013group14.blogspot.com/2012/09/conventions-of-drama-genre.html) 

Now that we have a basic understanding of what drama is, now lets delve into the subgenera I am interested in studying.

1. Social Realism/Melodrama

So under these categories, we get movies such as The Edge of 17 and Before I Fall.

     In my case I will be focusing more on the movie Before I Fall (2017). Before I fall is a great example of a good teen drama movie. The movie mixed the genres of realistic drama and mystery (honestly this movie kind of makes me angry because I think it is just a copy of Groundhogs Day but whatever 😕), and the trailer itself embodies the vibe that Taylor and I are going for. It has the intense instrumental music in the background, the trailers plot is a bit confusing and leaves the consumer a bit confused what the movie is actually about, the shots are both slowed down with beautifully and ascetically pleasing shots and then sped up with fast paced editing and stings for fast paced intense/emotional scenes, and all come together in what can be labeled as a great trailer for a teen drama movie.

     What Taylor and I love so much is that the movie does not seem like the stereotypical drama all about love and relationships. Its about real life and portrays realistic characters put into stranger situations all leading to intense scenes of confusion and drama (sorry I couldn't find a better word but yeah we are looking for intense drama).

     Millennials and Gen Z especially love this subsection of the genre because it all appeals to the raw emotional feelings and experiences of the characters, leading to a more relatable content in which the trust and connection to these hard to connect audiences best vibe with. 

       2. Thriller/Drama

Ohhh this one is super spicy! This one is common where it mixes the intensity of the thriller genre while adding the deep emotional appeal of the drama genre creating a beautiful Thriller Drama Baby. Taylor and I feel in love with the thriller drama trailer and film for the 2016 production of Nocturnal Animals. 

(I just got chills everywhere OMG SO GOOD)

Okay, so this movie is defiantly not your average drama as it has so many of the conventional elements of a thriller like the extreme confusion during the movie, the high intensity to almost scary scenes, and like dramas the extreme dramatic music in the background. In the trailer, unlike Before I Fall where the viewer had at least an idea of what was going on, we have no freaking idea of what is going on in Nocturnal Animals... but who even cares because it just looks so cool!

      Taylor and I loved the extreme close up shots of the eyes that slowed down the trailer at the beginning and end while the entire middle of the trailer was covered with a mix and match of clashing scenes out of chronological order which barley gave the consumer any clue to the movies actual plot.

THE GOAL

Now my goal and Taylor's goal as well is to utilize the conventions of a social realistic drama, a melodrama (teen movie), and the thriller genre to produce something that would be kind of like a hybrid between Before I Fall and Nocturnal Animals.

We love the extreme fast paced editing, the dramatic music, the keeping the viewer guessing, and the beautiful slow down scenes which add emotional appeal. If Taylor and I can combine this all together, we can create what I believe will be a pretty unique and fascinating trailer for a movie.


         Now this is all I have for you now, in the next few posts I will be doing some more creative storyboarding and plot brainstorming that relates to the genre research I have done now.

Here is a little glimpse/clue into the future for the ideas for our film though... they involve drugs 😱😯🙀😉😈
     

 -Asher

A Little Welcome Back :)

   

  Well, hello world! It's been a little while since we've talked, but trust me... I'm back and fiercer than ever.

And I've come back with a couple more traits under my arsenal. Here is a little life update:

1.  For one thing, I am a senior in high school now coming down with a chronic to severe case of senioritis.
2. I have learned much more being in my AICE Media Studies A Level course and I'm excited to begin a new grand project to show you all!
3. I have experienced a lot since last year, and I feel ready and pumped with lots of creative juices  to produce something epic for you all!
4. Life seems to keep of passing me by so fast, so I'm hoping as my senior year comes to what seems to be an abrupt end I can use this project in the future as a glimpse back into my last year of high school. This project probably means more to me than anyone will ever realize because it will become a time capsule for me to look back into my angsty past.

     I will be working on this project with my best friend Taylor Miragliotta, a freaking awesome creative consultant and director and friend I come to with all my problems and life stuffs, so expect to see a lot of her beautiful face on this blog because this entire process is going to be a collaborative baby created by us crazy people.

    Being that this is A Level, I have changed up my blog a bit to fit my new project that I will be producing so that it fits my film opening I created last year "Red Room" and well as my to be determined project for this year.

   As of now I am keeping most of our creative ideas for later (sorry such a tease I know...), but don't worry because just like last time I will be documenting the whole thing.

    The only thing I can tell you about is the actual project I am going to be creating. I have decided to create a film promotional package which includes the developing of two different trailers for a film meant to cater to two different audiences, a website, and a film poster/card. This project combines all of my film, PR, and research skills I have developed over the past two years of study. I know it is going to be a lot and take a lot of effort, but trust me, I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE READY!!! I"M LITERALLY SO EXCITED I CAN'T CONTAIN MYSELF THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO BE LIT!

     So just like last time, this project is going to need a lot of research to get it started, so in my next post or two you will see a lot of me researching genres and genre conventions for what I am thinking of doing more my trailer package.

    Taylor and I are so excited to show you what we have in-store, so stay tuned because we have a of awesomeness to do in a little bit of time!!!!

-Asher

Creative Critical Reflection

Click Here To View My Creative Critical Reflection

Final Project

Here is the video and link to my video of my film opening Red Room created by Asher Michelson

(Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/L2AVKuAZaYs)

Target Audience and Some Thanks

     I'm running out of ways to say hello... so I'll just start this blog posting with...

     To complement my film poster, I decided I'd explain to you my target audience I would try to reach with my film opening. Obviously, through reading previous posts, I have researched and created a horror/psychological thriller film opening; thus, this would make my film automatically target an older audience group due to the nature of the genre. I decided I would give my film a rating of R(Restricted 17+) because the way I see my film going I know that the subject matter is going to be very intense and won't be suitable to a younger viewing audience (with themes of rape, torture, stalking, etc.). It is not necessarily that I see my film being gory and gross in that aspect, but I think the topics in the movie are not appropriate for a 13+ audience.

     The fact that the current generations are all about the movement of technology would aid my film greatly, because my film opening is combining the two things people love the most: videos on the Internet and technology all tied up with a bow under the horror genre.

     I'd also like to use this post as a chance to thank all the people who have aided me with producing this project which has been quite the amazing feat for me.

Jordanne Cantrill: The actress staring in my film opening. Cantrill was so much fun to work with, for one second I'd be filming her screaming in fear and the next we'd be on the ground rolling in laughter. I am truly so blessed to have had the chance to work with her again (we've done other projects together in the past). She is such an incredible actress, and I can't wait for the chance to work with her again one day.

Mom and Dad: Thanks for letting me use the garage even though you didn't want me to... you pulled through.

Sebastian Rios: Sebastian I have also worked with in the past, and even though he had a minor roll in my film opening, he would've been the actual film's protagonist if I continued to film further. He's really nice and chill, and I'm glad I managed to get him in my production.

My Dog Riley: For all the emotion support you lend to me, all the carrots in the world could not repay you.

My Media Studies Teacher Mrs. Stoklosa: I owe literally everything to this woman. She has given me all the tools I needed to succeed and I have never felt so confident going into a major project because this amazing human being has blessed me with her knowledge of media awesomeness. Seriously though, she is probably one of the best teachers I've ever had and I because of her I am now not just a regular consumer, I am an active and alert one who can make boss films, and it's all because of her.

Well, I'll TTYL!

XOXO

-A