Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

          I didn't realize how dedicated I was to film up until these last few weeks.

          These weeks have also made me realize how much I really need a car. Before this project, my dad was able to pick me up at any time, because he didn't really have a steady work. During spring break, he got a steady job and is currently working in Downtown L.A. Because of this, I don't exactly have a ride home. Honestly, I've been like a freaking nomad. I've been hitching rides from everybody. It's not exactly the best to do. But hey, it's necessary. Plus, I still get home somehow.

          I've been going home really, really, really late. Along with Daisy, I've been staying inside Lemos' room trying to edit the heck out of this project. Right now, my eyes are begging me to sleep, but I can't. Because of this project, I haven't exactly had the time to do anything else. I have my SAT subject tests to worry about this Saturday, and I haven't even studied for them yet! At this point, I think I'm probably going to do horrible on the test.

          Despite all the obstacles I've gone through, I still dedicated my time to this project. I skipped 4th, 5th, and 6th period today! Plus, I spent my lunch and whole after school filming and editing. Let's just say that I spent half of my day today just doing film. When I left Lemos' room today, I felt satisfied with myself and my group. Our film turned out fantastic, considering we were still filming today.

          That's another thing, my group was at such a disadvantage because everyone else was already done filming. We barely filmed our principal scene today, and that's the most important scene out of the whole film. It's not only the beginning, but it's also the end of our film. All things considered, we got everything we needed to get done. Admittedly, we still have a few things to do tomorrow, but we can easily get them done.

          For the first time, I'm going to address some group issues. I've tried to avoid them before, but I cannot hold it in anymore. I have gone through so much frustration, tears, and stress for this project only to give credit to those who do not deserve it. Basically, half of our group never showed up to any filming/editing days. I'm not naming names, because I'm pretty sure Lemos knows who they are already. I understand that everyone has things to do. I get it. I have things to do too. So does Alexa. So does Jose. So does Daisy. And so does Mark. But either way, we still choose to set aside our own time to work on this project. I resigned my job, for Pete's sake! I mean, there's absolutely no excuse.

          They work during class time, but that's not enough. I'm not going to say that they haven't done anything all, because they've done some stuff. Some. Not a lot. They're probably gonna read this blog post. They're probably gonna hate me. They're probably never going to talk to me. But hey, I'm only speaking the truth. And you know what? Sometimes the truth hurts. Deal with it.

          I read Erika's post and saw her apology. Honestly, I have to apologize to her too. She couldn't exactly do her job as producer because I didn't help her as much as I should have. As director, I should have told her the exact locations and times we would film. And really, we were just going along with the flow. We really didn't have any set times to do anything. Whenever we did plan something, things never went according to plan. The schedule always had to be rearranged. Even for Erika, that's a lot of work. So I make my apologies to her.

          I'm only giving credit where credit is due. It's not fair for me to be expected to give credit to those who do not deserve it as much as others. I watched everyone, some of them my friends, struggle, get depressed, cry, and break down because of this project. But there were also some people who didn't have a care in the world. They could eat and sleep at night, while some others couldn't because this project consumed them. Making it worse, those people had the audacity to complain. If they wanted things done, then they should have showed up.

          Because they didn't show up, several members of our group had to take over other jobs. Honestly, despite being given specific jobs, we were actually all over the place. The microphone was always being held by different people. Sound design became more of a group effort. We refused to let the group suffer simply because one person didn't show up to do the job. I love our group. We supported each other all throughout this project. I couldn't have done it without them.

          I'm not gonna say what time I left Lemos' room today. Let's just say it was really late. I promised myself that I wouldn't leave until I knew that we were in a good place. And I really think that we are. Whatever we need to finish tomorrow will get done. Finally, this project is coming to an end. Can't say that I'm not happy, because I am. Oh God, am I glad that we're done with this project by 3rd period tomorrow! At the same time, my group and I are not quite done yet. Our project will go places. It will be turned in to multiple film festivals. Hopefully, it will win some too :)