Blogception

So I have been thinking about what my website will look like. I don't think I've ever seen a website dedicated to one specific short film. So I googled "short film websites" and I found this blog with a bunch of links to different websites with short films in them.

I clicked on all the links, and I guess the only one that I found to be most appealing was shortoftheweek.com!

I really liked the very dynamic and graphic aesthetic it had. Here's a screen recording!!

I also thought if the website for mid90s. I happened to do a case study for it last year, and the website design really stuck to me. I thought the split screen idea looked really cool. Here's another screen recording.

From what I found, here's a few conventions that film websites have, that I would like to include in mine:

• Dynamic
• Images that cover large portion of screen
• Very minimalist
• Usually link social media or streaming services where one could watch

I've never been THAT into website design, and I do admit it is something I would really like to master lol. I asked in the media group chat which website design services they suggested, and Luis HIGHLY recommended Wix. He said it was easy to use and had really nice designs so I followed his advice. I found the perfect template by looking up "film" on the template page:

This is the homepage!!!! It's perfect!!!! I think I will be going for this one. I have it all set. I just need:

1. content
2. a title

The title of this film has been making me lose sleep at night. I have no clue what to name it. I guess I'll come up with it at one point. It'll spark out of nowhere. That's usually how it happens for me. I guess I can listen to songs and come up with it??? Yeah, idk. I'll keep you updated on that.

Arts n crafts n goldfish

It's filming day 1!!

So I decided I would start off by filming the monologue scenes today, or as many of them as I could.

So I don't know if I mentioned this, but I do own a goldfish, and his name is actually Sushi. My sister won it as a price on a carnival she went in November, and somehow it is still alive and thriving and swimming around. The name was also her idea btw. A little cruel, I know. It's like naming your cow Stew or Burger.

I shot the fishbowl from different angles (experimental much) to see what would look best and just to play around really. Look at her experimenting and all:



I still don't know if I will 100% include these shots because my original idea was to simply show a decorated shoe box as the little "fish coffin" if you will, as I would speak about my goldfish dying.

But I did get crafty and turned this:

Into this:

I am now the queen of crafts. And it was also a nice therapeutic thing to do. You see that purple glitter heart in the corner? That was a mess. The little glitter container exploded when I tried to open it and I had to vacuum everywhere. Very really great stuff, I know.

I kinda felt like the worst human ever because I was making his fake coffin thing right in front of him. While he was alive and swimming and probably watching.

So because I had fish and art in my mind. I remembered this piece:
This is one of my favorite pieces from the 250 AP Art History pieces that I've studied throughout the year. It's called The Goldfish by Henri Matisse. It's just so nice to look at. It's so serene but lively at the same time.

And I was thinking that another option could be for my postcard to have fish in it??? 

I did this little concept doodle to figure things out a little. It's kinda like the symbol of the whole film. it embodies it which I like. I also think it shows a little more consistency in branding than my previous idea with the "Greetings from heaven". I still have to think about it a bit more. But I think it's a good idea.

So yeah! I got a bunch of footage for the monologue part, but I still have to put it together and fill in some parts. There will be more on these soon. As for the other scenes, my mom hasn't been feeling well these past couple of days and has stayed in bed because of a migraine (no, she doesn't have corona lol) so I can't really film the part where there's dialogue with her. So I am a little behind schedule, but I still have plenty of time. I have already started working on some of the CCR questions, and I will make a blogpost about those soon. 

Embracing Mr. Death

Just got off the meeting with Tina! In other words: we have answers.

We're sticking to loss. And I'm happy I am!!

The story will be the same, but here's some of the changes I'm making (or here's how we're fixing the little tingz):

1. The shots will be way more symbolic, experimental, tight, and detail oriented—show them as all the little parts of one whole piece. 
2. ^this applies to all of it, but more on the monologue—as I do not have a child actor, I will be making the visuals way less literal than I had planned. I plan to record the monologue first and then see what images would fit into it. Kinda like building a puzzle little by little. 
3. As for the old wrinkly hands, I could "share" footage with my classmates. Mariana happens to live with her step grandmother, so I could ask her to shoot something for me. Another option is to go for makeup?? I could play around with eyeshadows and shade my mother's hand?? Maybe?? Could work. We'll see. 
4. Transform individual grief (my own) to what the whole family is experiencing. Focus on mom and dad, brother and sister.

Tina really liked the idea of me shooting random things around the house. It is a way of building a story gradually, with no thought out goal. I will definitely get some really nice content out of doing this, so we will keep it going :)

We are embracing loss!!!!!!! And we are happy we are!!!! 

Talking about hugging death, remember that music video by The Strokes I mentioned a few blogposts ago? I looked up the artist on Instagram and he happened to post this scene that was cut off from the music video. This is what he captioned it: 

🎶🔛My favorite shot of the video, cut at the last moment because it was too sad. Kind of fitting for a video about loss. What do you think? Too sad or jussss right?

Yes Mr. Burakoff, my heart was torn but I also felt incredible warmth. Creativity is scary. 

This shot was so beautiful and I would've loved to see it in the video, but I do agree it might've been to profound for a song by The Strokes. I'm obsessed with it though. It's just so beautiful. And hey..."Kind of fitting for a video about loss". I am a fan of synchronicity.

Here's a link to the post!  His art is really cool. He also made the music video of When You Die by MGMT. (Warning: very really trippy)

We are really now on track. For real this time. I plan to shoot everything and edit this week (I have pleeeenty of time) and I will also be working on the CCR questions in the meantime. I have already started looking into platforms for the promotional website, and we'll also discuss those later :))

x

Uncertainty

I feel like this is the general theme of life right now. For everyone. Everything is uncertain. Even more than it was before. So I was thinking...should I make my short film about this? 

I kind of thought of a title as I was just making myself a cup of tea. I rushed to my room just so I could write about this. 

Subject to Change

Sounds good right? I feel like it would make a good title. And it would be very symbolic as well. Am I onto something??? Is this going somewhere? Maybe. I feel like a story with a title like this could be very experimental. But how would I develop a beginning, middle and end?

To be continued. (I set up a meeting with Tstok tomorrow, so things will definitely be clearer)

I went on a little walk around vista park with my boyfriend the other day (because I'm only allowed to leave the house if I go outdoors). It was a way of appreciating nature and getting a bit of inspiration. I took random footage of the things I saw around me, once again.

Here's what I collected:

Ok yes pretty nature footage and all but???? Short film potential?? Does it tell a story?? Relevant? Useful? ??? ???? so many questions. Also, my indecisive nature is no good. I question things a lot, which is a good thing and it is something that should be practiced. But with that also comes indecisiveness. I think things way too much. This whole project will be an exploration of...well an exploration of an exploration??? Things are uncertain. But I will hopefully have some answers tomorrow. 

I truly believe that not having answers and being a little all over the place is part of the process. I am okay with not knowing anything.

CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES (turn and face the strange)

Cheesy title, I know. But appropriate.

So we just concluded our Totally Normal Online Meeting with Tina. In summary this is what's going on:

• 3rd quarter isn't over, there will still be more grades put up
• Online school starts March 30th
• We might have to change things up a little on this project

Basically we have two options:

a) Stick to the loss idea but change it up a little

b) completely scratch loss idea and make new idea

Do we have a preference? Yes. Ideally, I would like to stick to the loss idea, maybe change things up a little and replace a few scenes. I am kinda upset because that flashback scene with the wrinkly hands would have created the spine of the entire film. And now I cannot have wrinkly hand :(((((((

I am definitely going to be thinking this through more. For now, I will talk to my peers on what they advise I should do, and also email Tina for help. I will also be watching experimental films and get some inspo.

I have a feeling this project will turn out to be some kind of life lesson. Adaptation is so important, and it is a general theme I have found within my 18 years of life. This is a great opportunity to improvise a little and be able to adapt to this whole situation. 

I was also thinking, I will most likely be filming random clips as well as recording audio. Just so I gather content and hopefully create something with it. The other day I randomly recorded my parents from upstairs as they were drinking wine in the backyard. This is what came out:

My pupper was also there 🥺

A little off topic but: blog people, meet Kai, a 10 month Shih-Tzu (he's the cutest boi ever)

This is him when he was more of a baby!!!!

This is him more recently. A whole TWEEN.

So yeah lol that was my dog. But in regards to the clip of my parents. I feel like there was something so honest about their interaction. Idk, I just thought it was sweet and nice. That word "nice". Yeah it was just nice. I think I might be onto something. I will definitely post these random little snippets of the quarantine life I will be recording. For now, it's brainstorming time. And there will be a whole lot of it. 

Oops (and also good news)

Just realized the link for the script doesn't work.
Here it is!!!!!








I had to take screenshots of the pdf lol. It's the only way I could make it work.

-------

HI HELLO UPDATE:

SOME GOOD NEWS AMIDST THIS WHOLE CRISIS:

I GOT INTO EMERSON FOR MEDIA ARTS PRODUCTION!!!!! I also got a scholarship which I am very happy about :))) I really needed to hear this.

I am not sure if I will be going there yet, as the tuition is very expensive. But I'm happy to finally be accepted somewhere!

Call me Tentin Quarantino

Here is the script!!!

I decided to only script the parts that have actual dialogue, instead of describing every scene. This is all of course subject to change!! I could edit a few things while filming, it all depends on what sounds better. 

So update on this whole epidemic thing. The world is still ending. All I see in the media is related to coronavirus and I am very much sick of it. I just want everything to go back to the way it was. I wish the world wasn't on hold and I wish people would't have died. It's crazy how this is creating this huge ripple effect. I never would've thought that it would affect the production of this project, not only for me but for a lot of my classmates. I am thankful my piece has only one filming location (which is my house) but, I have two issues:

a) I need a female child actor AND a woman with wrinkly hands (so an old lady)

b) I (and a lot of my classmates) needed equipment from Becon TV but it's closed :((

I have my mic that I bought last year for my film opening, but it really isn't very good for dialogue. 

Also. My mom is being super strict about me leaving the house (which I kind of understand). But it means that I might not be able to act in any of my friends' projects, which I am very worried about because it isn't fair :( I know it's not my fault, but I feel bad lol. 

I guess this whole situation means that I have to cast myself as me?? It is more accessible and easier, and I can get help from my family or if any friend would want to come over and help. I still have to figure this out.

I guess I could start filming some scenes that have no dialogue. I could work on the "preparing tea cup as an act of rebellion" scene aka "grand finale". I could do the flashback scene with the wrinkly hands BUT I have no old lady and I don't think I can obtain one anytime soon (they are very prone to gettin corona). So yeah this whole situation is scary and I'm very worried about this project. I'm gonna have to figure out a way to pull all this off. 

We were all joking about doing documentaries instead and basically documenting our experiences while being in quarantine. Which would be kinda funny but I don't think the Cambridge people would find pleasing. You know, just a bunch of teenagers gradually going insane.

In summary, this is what I will do for now:

• Shoot teacup rebellion scene
• Stay inside and cry
• Watch movies to get inspired 
• Worst case scenario: spend $$ on mic equipment through Amazon
• Stay inside and cry a little 
• Contact old lady and little girl during times of quarantine (risky)

In the meantime: frick u times 100, Corona :') 

The world is ending! ❤️

This week has been rough for me and I haven't written in here as much as I would've liked to. I don't know if I should go in depth because I have recently had a lot of random views on this blog and I don't wanna get too personal LOL (hi strangers! I know some of u aren't, but still.)

But basically, yesterday was my grandmother's funeral. You could say I popped my funeral cherry (should I be joking??? idk). But it was tough and I was extremely anxious the night before. I was scared it would hit me even harder. And it did. It was a weird kind of sorrow. It didn't feel dramatic. It felt more static?? I guess I could use that word. It makes sense. The atmosphere was just off. It was a beautiful service, don't get me wrong. I felt a lot of union between family and friends which was very heartwarming. But it was just. Weird. I can't think of another word.

It was so mentally draining that I felt physically sick, and it kinda changed my whole idea of loss that I had before. I thought a lot about the comedic side in the beginning, but I didn't really think about that emptiness that is felt once it hits you. The good thing is that I now have a more clear perception of the feeling I want to end my film with—"further reflecting". I don't think I will accept this loss anytime soon.

Even though Wednesday and yesterday were both relatively dark days for me, I feel okay now I guess. It's a process. To be completely honest, I was scared that I would lose all motivation to continue creating this short film because of the effects on my mental health. But I am okay. I had a nice talk with my dad amidst my crisis and he helped me a lot. I don't think anyone else could make me feel better. Mariana also gave me a lot of good advice which I deeply appreciated and am currently following. Shoutout to u luv, you're a star and I'm thankful for our friendship🥺

But yeah moving on. School is cancelled until further notice because of the virus. I am quite scared. Not of the disease itself but more because it is putting the entire world on hold. It's putting a pause to our everyday lives, intervening with our routines. It almost feels apocalyptical. It's just crazy how this is happening right now. It's one more thing to worry about. I don't wanna sound dramatic and skeptical and all but it feels like the end of the world. I feel like we're being tested.

But yeah school is cancelled which does suck because it is interrupting our education and I will most likely feel useless in the next few weeks. BUT: yay for more time to work on this wonderful project and yay for self care???? School has just felt overwhelming and toxic over the past few weeks. This quarter has done me dirty. I am not happy it's cancelled because it is a horrible situation. But I guess there is a bright side??? idk

I am glad I get to work on myself for a little and concentrate on doing what I love—I will have full focus on this film which I am happy about :)

I have a little bit of hope.

In regards to this portfolio project, (wow, about time to talk about it) I am still finalizing the script and then I'd be ready to go! I will start filming once I get equipment, which will be next week. Ana, Jonathan, Mariana, and I will be renting stuff together which I am excited about! I really want to focus a lot on good audio quality, because it is something that my project lacked last year. I haven't really thought of making a storyboard yet because I definitely want to experiment with angles and composition during the making. But I am making a shot list, which I will talk more about soon.

In the meantime, here's a song that gives me a sense of hope. I love The Strokes, but I didn't really like this song when I first heard it. But I loved it when I watched the music video. It's very different from what they usually do (it's animated!!!!!) but it is so beautiful. What I get from it, is that life isn't fair to anyone, and everyone fights a different battle. But in the end, it all works out somehow.

Here's a few of my favorite frames from it:

^this is probably my #1 favorite one

Auditions

No, I'm not planning on holding any auditions. I'm just mad at the fact that:

a) there's basically no time for me to do so
b) I can't contact Emma Mackey to play "me"

(Hi ily queen🥺)

But that's okay, this is an around $7 budget production. So, so far, my mom will be playing my mom, my dad will be playing my dad, and my brother will be playing my brother. Can they act? No. Well, I'm not sure, but we'll figure it out. I will need my inner director to do its job and do it well. I still need to cast someone to: 

a) play my younger self and
b) play "me"

I know my brother has a friend around his age who is actually an actress (how convenient right), so I might ask her! BUT...
I don't know who to cast as me. See, last year, I casted myself. I acted on my film opening. But this is completely different. My main character will be interacting with other characters. There will be actual dialogue. It won't be a monologue (basically) like it was last year. So this will definitely be tougher. So I have two options:

a) cast myself and have a fellow classmate help me out with filming some scenes
b) cast someone else and have a lot more control over the camera

I will have to think about this more thoroughly and ask around for opinions. As you can tell, I suck at making decisions (this is one thing I would very much like to change about myself lol). But yea!!!!!

ALSO! Random and exciting update!! Now that we're talking about acting and casting, I'm excited to announce that I'll be acting for Yejin and Joey's short film AND my friend Annika's film opening!!
😗✌️
I'm not a professional actress but I definitely do enjoy it a lot. I've loved acting all my life and I feel like it can be considered an important skill when writing for a film. My acting ideas come from being observant of the little idiosyncrasies. You know, the stuffs Tarantino said :)) So yea I'm excited!! Hi Tina, looks like you'll see me on your screen a few more times this year. Sorry if this sounded creepy LOL.

Also. I discovered I can use emojis on here which is kinda cool. Yay for ways of visualizing my facial expressions while writing stuffs in here!! (excuse my gen-z ness. At least I'm not consumed by TikTok (no shade))

Charts r cool 😎

I think I may have my first draft of the monologue ready:

I came up with this format which helps a lot!! Ok I probably didn't invent it. It most definitely already does exists (probably) because it is so convenient. One column describes the monologue (or narration), while the other describes the audiovisual aspects, as in the actual footage.

I will probably end up editing some parts out because it does seem a bit too extensive. If anything I'll remove the part when she starts tapping the sink, so it will be a bit more concise. I definitely want to keep the part about checking pulse and the fish dying.

Also! The narration is very brief because I aim to show more onscreen on the actual scenes. I'll definitely ask around for areas where I can improve it. I feel like it's missing something but I'm not really sure.

I have already written both the melatonin scene and the argument scene between the mother and daughter. BUT, Celtx is being annoying and asking for my credit card information for a trial ksdksjdghs

So I've written everything in a Google doc. It doesn't look pretty or professional, but it still works. Either way I definitely want to fix this so I can have a nice and cute and pretty script :))))

I will giving more details on the writing on the next few posts. Hopefully I can start shooting next week!

It's all coming together (I am sure)

UPDATE alasjhdajlkfljfljf

I KNOW MY ENDING!!!

Okay so I currently have it all planned out and visualized in my mind and it's hard for me to put it into words but basically here's how it will go:

After the flashback scene, the main character will find her grandmother's teacup on the drying rack with all the dishes and have an argument with her mother about it. She's triggered because it is something very special, almost sacred to her.

After she argument, as an act of "venting" she will come downstairs and prepare the cup of tea. BUT,,,,, she will not drink from it. She'll just stare at it as she sits.

I feel like this will very much act as the "symbolic representation of further reflecting".

I also want to end with a little dedication to my grandmother :)

Me right now, very satisfied with my idea:

We're on track my dudes
xx

Negative Space

We have an outline boiz (kinda sorta). I finally know how I am arranging the clutter of scenes I had in mind!!!

1. monologue (about 30-45 seconds)
2. scene recreating conversation with my mom and brother about the whole melatonin thing
3. scene where main character is told to "come say goodbye"
4. flashback scene with grandmother while drinking tea (show hands only)
5. scenarios of main character interacting with teacup showing different stages of grief
6. ending????? 

And I still have no clue how I will end it exactly. Once I'm done shooting all these parts, I am sure I will come up with something great.

This is an experimental film, which means I am experimenting. So, I will start shooting what I am already sure of, like the melatonin scene or the flashback with the teacup. We just be figuring stuffs out along the way, which makes this very exciting. I am currently writing up the monologue and thinking of the scenes I will shoot while the voiceover is heard. I'm excited for this little Amélie-esque type scene.

Also, I've been really into watching random animated shorts on YouTube for some reason. I came across this one which had themes of loss. It was also Oscar nominated!!! It was so simple yet so poetic without trying to. It was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. It felt extremely sincere, and the animation was just lovely. AAAAAAAA It was just perfect.

Here's a few stills:

Look how friggen pwetty^^^^

I am obsessed and I've been thinking about this film a lot. And it's also 5 minutes!!! It gave me a lot of inspiration on how to work with the theme, and the use of color in it is also very pleasing.

So yeah, I will keep you updated with the monologue and post my drafts soon :)))

My grandmother is a teacup (Fly high, Chip)

First of all I would like to make the following statement:
brainstorming by typing<<<<<<<<<<<<<brainstorming on paper

Everything just flows better man. Exhibit a:
(That last word that was cut off says "pondering" btw. I like that word a lot.)

I made this outline of my short film with two different options to what would come right after the opening monologue. I still can't make up my mind. Either way, the teacup scenes WILL appear withing the film, but I still don't know if I should state loss to then continue with them, or show them immediately, which will definitely be more symbolic. What I know for sure, is that my film will be an exploration of loss, and not about death. It's more about what comes after—the whole grieving process. So yeah, I'm still split between these two.

Also, during the class discussion we had when we had the change to talk about my ideas, people suggested that I have some sort of symbol that will serve as the spine for the entire film. This will be a teacup (which I thought was perfect because my grandmother's "thing" was drinking tea with milk in the mornings. I wasn't a fan of it personally. Tea should be drank with no milk. But it's okay I guess lol). So I was also thinking that, yes, the teacup could be the symbol. BUT what if at some point in the film, the lost loved one BECOMES the teacup? You know, the main character starts interacting with it a lot, and starts having conversations with it, using it as some sort of coping mechanism.  This would definitely be an interesting take and it would make it experimental. Which is what I'm looking for. I also thought of that Op Doc we watched in the beginning on the year. It represented a story of loss through the use of random objects, but it still managed to be incredibly profound and sincere. It really stuck to me a lot. Here it is: I Think This Is the Closest to How the Footage Looked. It's beautiful, and I will be watching it again for inspiration.

I also brainstormed on the main character (exhibit b):

I was thinking: this is my first time ever coping with a big loss—the first time ever I feel real grief. BUT I have experienced loss before. With a hamster and a chicken. Like a baby chick.

I just Googled images of the word "chick" for the heck of it and this is how it shows up:

In conclusion:
a) we live in a cruel world
b) capitalism = bad

Anyways, yeah a chick I won as a party favor gift type thing died after 2 days. I think it was hypothermia. Because we did feed him, if I remember correctly. RIP Chip, you're missed I guess.
So yeah the point is, I have experienced loss before with a chicken, but it does not compare to losing my grandmother. I was thinking the main character could mention in the monologue, how they lost a small pet, but they had no perception of what death was. They were told the chicken "went to heaven". So the point is, with this, I would explain how one can never really recover from losing someone. It will always hurt. Which is why I wrote: "Does time heal??". My film will end in a symbolic representation of further reflecting which kind of embodies the whole "does time heal?" thing.

I love writing on paper. This all flowed well.

Also, my mom had the idea of hanging chimes on a tree on our backyard to remember my grandmother. I hung them up today during golden hour and it was the most beautiful thing. The sound of it converted the backyard into some kind of etherial palace. I tried to upload a video of it but it didn't work :////
But it was so beautiful, my heart is full.

This is weird and random, but we will be doing a service for her March 12, which is exactly one month before the deadline of this project. I think somehow I was meant to do this, which makes me very happy. 

It's all coming together (I think)

I just had a group discussion about my short film. Here are my notes. It's a very messy and has a quite vague collection of words but it worked for me.

In summary, this is what I will be incorporating:

• My short film will be experimental
• It will be an exploration (crucial word) of loss and grief
• It won't necessarily have something that the audience can "learn", it will just be a very sincere portrayal of grief
• ^If anything, it will provide an insight of what children feel towards death (with the intoductory monologue)
• I might be showing my culture and reflecting my French and Peruvian roots through symbolism
• It will be introduced with a comedic monologue on how my main character perceived death as a child
• I will include a symbol to act as a "spine", probably be a tradition between the main character and the loved one who passed away
• This could be drinking tea
• The symbol will be the cup
• It won't have a resolved ending, you know, when the character moves on. It will end in a "symbolic representation of further reflecting" (these are Tstok's words).
• I want to show as many aspects of grief I can, but from my own perspective, so none of that "five stages of grief" stuff
• ^more than anything, it will embody confusion. One not knowing what should be felt.

So yes!! I will start screenwriting soon. I already have a more exact outline in my head so I will be writing everything based on that.

The gist of it all

I have yet to participate on the group meting (i am the last one lol) and I will be doing so tomorrow.

So this is what I will explain:

• This whole project will be an exploration of grief and loss. 
• This is my first time ever losing a loved one 
• I am using art as a way of overcoming
• my own perspective/experience with grief
• producing this as I am going through/experiencing it

So far I have a very rough idea of how my short film will be structured

1. Opening monologue showing "montage" of main character as a little girl (past)
2. It is revealed that she lost someone (present)
3. Her moving onto the future; looking at life after death

Things I would like to incorporate:

• Symbolism
• orchids were my grandmother's favorite flowers
• video game/computer game "losing lives"
• dry humor - death can be funny
• how children perceive death
• what they are told
• euphemisms
• very heartfelt and sincere

I have already started writing the monologue! I will be talking more about it soon!!
I have yet to have the class discussion so I will definitely have more things figured out.

Greetings from Heaven (it's great up here!!)

While I was trying to fall asleep last night, I came up with a genius idea for the promotional postcard. So my first thoughts on the postcard were to basically make a mini poster with the key art that I would eventually produce for the short film. But I thought of something even better. I was inspired by this:

And came up with this:

This is the basic sketch of it. I drew it on the back of an envelope with a pen so I wouldn't forget.

I think it's a great way to promote the humorous aspect of the film, and it will definitely hint the themes. I was thinking that the back would have that little rectangle space where the stamp would go AND sdkjvhkjfh wait for it kjdsnfj I'm a genius akjfnkdj

There would be some instructions in the back that would say (for example): head to theatre #12 at 2:30pm to collect your stamp.

Which is basically the time and place the short film would be screened in the film festival, and it would definitely engage the audience because they would be going on this little "scavenger hunt" if you will.