Editing (for reals??) day 2.

 finally feeling like my opening has some sort of structure, I feel absolutely relieved. That's a picture of my sister up above that I took of her in my room against a grey wall, I figured it be a great way to replicate a yearbook photo. I'm gonna make a quick blog that gives a rundown on my CCR progress, and I will be wrapping everything up TOMORROW!

I did take some Inspo from this film H.A.G.S short !!!

EDITING! (for reals)

 I used this website free pik to download the polaroid frame that I'm using for the snapshots!!!

You can already see that the story is coming along much better, I think having it told through the years is necessary because it nods to some of the conventions of the typical 'Coming of Age' trope but the music bends the genre conventions a little bit, it takes the story into a Drama as well which I absolutely LOVE.

I filmed the rest today. I am so proud of myself for taking that risk and the more that I've practiced I feel like I understood the assignment more and more.

this is a clip I took from the editing, showing baby nat creating and the previous creations on the side to give the viewers context.

So... what's plan B?

PLAN B.

Filming today. 

I got some shots yesterday but I plan on getting the rest today and the baby shots tomorrow... this blog post is going to cover everything! Update on script, shot list, music, genre, because there's not much time to do it all. 

Ideas

I went on short verse and found this really cool yearbook video that I thought might give me some inspiration...

H.A.G.S short

Script

My issue with the last script was that there was so much dialogue, and as I begun the process of editing with that last storyline,  it was lacking in emotion and honestly, it felt kind of corny. Since this film opening can only be at max 2 minutes, I didn't want it to start off that way, I thought about taking the direction of show don't tell. 

"Her" as in Natalie 😅 That one line with the parent I'm thinking of changing it to "what are you now so afraid of nat?" 

SHOT LIST

My issue last time was... there was no shot list! I mean yes there was a storyboard, but I think that having the shot list helps to organize the ideas quite a bit as well, I want to do a storyboard for the shots I'm filming tomorrow, but it's difficult since it's gonna be at another house, and it's hard to visualize just how competent the baby will be... but we're gonna try LOL!

INT. HOUSE-- (consists of cutaways and inserts)

The main purpose of the shots in the old house are to create nostalgia, and show that the baby has always been happy creating.

1) Wide (WS): Baby walking against the window smiling (SINGLE, EYE-LEVEL) -5 secs

2) Medium (MS): Baby drawing, focused; adult hand guiding her in the corner (TWO-PERSON, SHOULDER) 

3) Close Up (CU): Baby hand, taking new colored pencils and drawing (OVERHEAD)

4) Medium (MS): Playing with dog, hugging and comforting each other

5) Medium: (MS): Baby in the closet finding clothes to wear, fashionable (HIGH LEVEL)

6) Long Shot (LS): Baby dancing in the mirror, posing with purse in hand (HIGH LEVEL)

7) Medium Close Up (MCU): Polaroid camera snapping a picture (GROUND/SHOULDER LEVEL)

EXT-- NEW HOUSE (consists of cutaways and inserts)

8) Flip book of shots of Natalie growing up 

9) Establishing (ES): Pulling luggage into the new house

10) Snapshot of Natalie with boxes moving in to room

Tied to Strings Title Graphic Appears on screen

INT. THE ROOM (still 12 year old Natalie)

11) Wide (WS): Grabs light blanket flowing in air 

12) Worm's eye view: Natalie pulling blanket over to make the bed

13)  Close Up (CU): Natalie putting up lights to film

14) Medium (MS): Natalie setting up go pro, recording video

15) Go pro image shown (Natalie singing with microphone)

16) Medium Close Up (MCU) Natalie snapshots with polaroid and friend

EXT. BACKYARD (16 year old Nat)

17) Long Shot (LS): Natalie jumping in the pool (Back view) -- go pro

18) Long Shot (LS): Shot of Natalie from inside the pool, swimming in (go pro)

18) Wide Shot (WS): Natalie swimming inside pool (go pro)

19) Wide Shot (WS): Natalie swimming inside pool (Sony)

Music

Okay so I use a site called envato elements and that's usually where I find the music I'm going to use, it's not free... but I know there are some assets there that you can download without a subscription. I made a folder with some of the sounds I plan on using. 

I found the right music!!!! I wanted to find something nostalgic, I ended up not going with any of the ones in my collection and choosing a sound that I found just now on envato! It's upbeat, nostalgic, and doesn't sound so corporate, it holds some mystery but it's still playful just enough. 

Taking a risk: is it worth it?

Yes.

I'm gonna be honest I've been feeling a little bit awkward with the direction this project has taken because it didn't really feel like there was much meaning to the storytelling, and the message wasn't direct enough.

I've had lots of experience with all facets of production yet I don't have much experience with screenwriting... I've practiced making commercials, all sorts of promos, and music videos, but I've never actually practiced making films before. I have to admit, I had lots of trouble with writing this opening, it was frustrating and I almost got discouraged... but everyone has got to start somewhere and I still have time to fix it!! So instead of lingering on in those emotions of stress, I looked for solutions and answers.

Back to the roots

To fix my issue with the storytelling, I went back to the overall theme and purpose of the story, which was to eventually show that the character found success as a creative and grew less and less fearful of rejection. This character was almost living like a double life and realized she had to choose between fitting in, and being her true self, but then took full ownership of who she is!

Researching

I thought I would go back in and do some extra research... this video made some really great points and proposed different ways in which a film may start, some pretty neat structures!!

I am thinking about still using some of what I filmed but I'm going to shift the way it's told, I will overlay some of the audio that I got 

What have I been up to: everything.

Editing!!

I chose to edit using Premiere Pro since I'm already familiar with the program and thought it would make the process a whole lot easier.

  I started by editing the flashbacks so that I could nest them and focus on the sequence where the character is older and creating. Once I'm done with the line edit I will be adding the titles!!! Thankfully I've chosen the name of the film.

There's not much to uncover here as I'm just adding the clips and making sure the pacing of the video and conversations is good and not awkward... once I get into graphics I will have to explain a lot more!!! 

What Problems have I ran into??

For the sake of time, I don't think I will be able to include the last portion that is in my script, I wrote more than I could actually fit... so I think I'm just going to roll with the flashbacks and establish the character before all else. 

Also the audio in this one clip has an annoying tap noise that I can't get rid of... I'm gonna find a different take to see if it works better because it's really bothering me.

 

After editing the flashbacks, I needed to start on the real bulk of the editing and that's when I knew I'd be heavily reliant on the music to drive the emotion forward.

My favorite part is you guessed it; EDITING. I'm an editor first and I always will be above all aspects of production, it just brings me absolute joy. it all just comes together and it's my way to experiment with the style and the flow. 

An idea arose!!!

For context: When I was shooting these shots I was in the garage, and there's a mirror that was in front of where I had set up the tent... you follow me??

***Pic for reference

So when I had the lights out, my camera was practically incognito, you couldn't see anything but the fairy lights that illuminated the tent, but then a funny thing happened, the tent went out of focus and thats when I got the glorious shot of BOKEHHHHHHH. I immediately knew after that, I was going to abuse tf out of this bokeh shot to enhance the lighting in my videos. This wasn't a shot I meant to get, but I'm really happy it happened because it wasn't my initial thought to include bokeh!!


So this was my result!!!! (with no vfx needed, simply practical)
But how did I remove the black??? Let me explain.


After uploading the footage into the software, I tapped on "Effect Controls" there's an option below the opacity called "Blend Mode," which allows for a different stylized appearance of the video, adding more dimension. I chose the Screen blend mode.

The End Result!!!!

Look what I got just from NOTICING THE ENVIRONMENT!!!!! Yay. Yay. Yay. 

Film opening title????

 I thought of the name Tied to Strings...

For some context, I took inspiration from this saying, and I thought it would work amazingly well in representing the film opening as a whole. I thought of this because the character of the story feels so influenced by the commentary provided by others of a certain significance in her life, that she withdraws from her own full potential. I like that the title is a metaphor and is relevant to the story without giving too much away.  I also love having the repetition of the consonant "t" which makes it more memorable, killing two birds with one stone!

So that brings me to my next question... what type font will I choose??

I found an article highlighting the evolution of Typefonts, which gave a brief history from Bauhaus to the post-digital era. The font style that intrigued me the most was much more minimalist, and I can imagine that will correlate best with the title strings. I like serifs, I'm still looking into it but once I'm done filming then I will finalize my choice.

This is a motion graphic video sample I found on YouTube of kinetic typography. I just looooooove the beginning of this sequence, it's super captivating and since the title card will occur at the beginning, I need it to set the tone for what the storyline of the film might entail.

filming day 2!

 

 So we just finished filming the first flashback with the young characters!! They're dressed in the white polos and I printed it out the scene with the lines highlighted for them to reference from the script while I got to set up the equipment and props.

Here are some of my fav stills!! (raw footage that I have yet to color grade)

This scene took some time to film but I was super grateful that my sister's friend was able to portray the boy in the film opening, I decided to treat them to a well deserved Menchie's!!

In the next blog I'll be sure to detail the title of my film opening and its placement!!!

Update on filming

 I'm back on here for another blog! I'm filming the younger kids flashback of Natalie and the boy working on the project TODAY! I got my sister and her friend to be my actors, and I will be filming the car flashback sometime later this week as well. 

This week has been BOOKED with school work, I've had to turn in quite a few assignments recently assigned before the quarter ended. I've also had a lot of my friends ask me to act in their film openings as well and I just couldn't say no to them. I loved helping my friend Mariana and working with her as an actress to help convey the message of her film :))

Here's a cute little BTS from her filming process (I'm the girl in red)

 This week however, I can finally set my energy towards finishing this project! I'm pretty passionate about this one so I'm getting ambitious with my choices in order to fully immerse the viewers. I'm so thankful for all of this time during the break that I have to really work on it!!!

Script Scene Change Update

I'm gonna need to fix this part of the storyline because we could not get it to be filmed in a classroom setting, however, I'm going to allude that these kids were working on it after school and so that is why it's going to take place outside of Natalie's house!

Mis-En-Scene elements will include several crafting tools such as acrylics and cardboard to further support the fact that she is working on the artistic aspect of the project!!!

Here's a close look at the outside of the house:

I really want to take advantage of this space because it's so beautiful and calming, I thought it'd be a nice spot for two little kids to be working on a fun project!!!

DAY 1 OF FILMING!!

The first day of filming honestly made me feel much more relieved, and I got to experiment with shots a lot without stressing over being on a time crunch.

I got to experiment with the light source I mentioned in the earlier blog, and I took my shot from this:

to this:


I used the piece of the piano as an object in the foreground, and lit it with the lamp on the side which gave me that subtle leak that added some dimension to the shot, and changed the tone and feel of it overall. I personally prefer it over the first one, it's much more elaborate.



I started to include polaroids as well that would serve as little childhood remnants, however I know that I'm missing a significant piece which is the pictures of Natalie in school setting and with her friends making the project... as that would be the ideal transition from these scenes to the flashbacks.

***note to self to include some extra mis-en-scene elements after filming the flashback!!!

I was super productive as well in making sure that I got some BTS photos for my CCR😉😉

I also got to experiment a lot with shot composition with these as well, which is awesome! I'm going to be at a rehearsal from 9am-3pm but I plan to continue working on this once I get back. I had implemented this tent shot into my opening because I thought it was a different way of expressing creativity and the light and ideas powered inside, hidden in almost like a little hub. 

I plan to add a shot of light creaking in, and having the door open with some small dialogue from Aunt Lucy and then cut to flashback!!! I think editing definitely helps to see where there could've been minor errors in the script or to change around something that might work better. I love having that creative liberty to make these choices and learn what works!!!

3/16 was a successful day of filming, but I realized I wanted to give myself more time to develop this scenes and truly pay close attention to what I put in front of the viewers eyes. I need more than just a weekend to get all of this knocked out, so I'm going to allocate some time during this week to get on with filming.

Lighting + set update

   Alright!! I had planned to look into some lighting equipment but it may not arrive on time so I'm going to have to save it for the next project. However,  I wanted to figure out some DIY's so I could get around some of my issues with equipment.

**** one thing to keep in mind for editing, I will most likely start off with the first shot being in the interior room and then cutting to "the tent" 

Both scenes mentioned will include the rolling credits and titles!!! No dialogue at this moment.

1. The Interior room shot

I wanted to attain some nice lighting in these particular shots, so I thought about making good use of practical lighting, and the natural light coming from the windows on the side. I had a lamp that I could add in to include a streak of golden lighting to imply positivity and virtue.

Here's a small little clip of BTS of me bringing in this huge lamp (its much heavier than it looks) 

I've done some research that showed just how having that source of lighting in the background and little accents can really boost the dimensions of a shot and elevate its quality.

2. The Tent

For this I want to utilize some nice fairy lights I've had for quite a bit, they're not exactly small bulbs but they're purple, which is refreshing because I do want to mix in that feeling of mental stability while the character is enjoying some alone time creating.

I'm going to use a microphone stand to serve as the base of the tent as well, that way it'll part in half, I'll be detailing the first day of filming in the next blog!! 

CCR reflection learning

    Soooo in class on Monday we had a lesson on the creative critical reflection where we learned how to structure it, and what information to include. The lesson came at perfect timing as there are several aspects of the reflection that coincide with the process. 

    For example, I'm going to make sure I have someone to take pictures as I'm in the filming process so I can include it in the reflection. 

(I realized this may take longer than a weekend, as I want to spend a long time making sure that the quality of each scene is profound and meaningful)

    Our media teacher also explained to us that we should express our personality through the reflection creatively, by doing the CCR in a location that's pertinent to ourselves, as part of creating a unique approach.

She threw in some suggestions for the two media products that we're required to produce, such as a talk show, director commentary, and presentation with VoiceOver. 

    

    There were several question stems, so it was emphasized to the class how important it is to stay on topic and make sure you're answering the questions appropriately.

    Now that I'm coming towards the end of my pre-production, I figured I'd include some highlights of the process!!

Pre-Production

   I definitely wanted my pieces to be almost like a testament to humanity, a film opening that highlights the beautiful parts of human creativity, and how it's okay to be different and that these skills deserve to be shared rather than restricted. 

   My initial thoughts were to make it almost like a realization for the character Natalie and going through that self-actualization to help the character feel empowered by her growth and proud of what she's accomplished by the end of the film. The beginning aids in establishing the insecurity that comes with her unique qualities, and all the adventures and lessons she will face along the way are flashed with subtle hints from the distinct character personalities that help her shift her perspective and change her reality.  The film opening was inspired by animated films like Soul, that tells a similar story of finding purpose and value in their life.

   

   The beginning strives to set up character and representation of people in society and it strives to condemn conventional beliefs and societal norms. I definitely feel that this project was a challenge at the beginning, to start off a film opening you think about addressing the larger points of the film when truly, you only have 2-3 minutes to highlight certain parts.

Logistics in pre!!!

I will continue to develop mis-en-scene elements, but I wanted to update on the filming schedule as well. I know that there were some clear cut deadlines in the previous schedule, but I couldn't adhere to them due to outer conflicts between school, and work. However, I made a vow to myself that I would be in the process of preparation for filming this week, so that I can get to filming.

Not much schoolwork has been assigned so this would be the perfect time for me to start on the process.

3/11-3/17

Polish pre-production and get filming 3/15

CAST LIST

Natalie: Martina R

Young Nat: TBD

Young friend: TBD

Andy: TBD

Aunt Lucy: Nubia 

Kid: Gabriel

EQUIPMENT

Sony Alpha 7 IV: Full Frame Mirrorless 

As far as audio, I feel like that aspect of production is forgotten although it is an integral part of storytelling. I wanted to invest in more audio gear for filmmaking, so I did a bit of research and I ended up a few options but I'm still looking. 

LOCATIONS

Scene 1: Office room/garage

This is the video I will be referencing for the first scene!! I love how clear and concise it is, and I will more than likely have enough space in my garage to do this.

Flashback 1: Interior of a large car (buick) 

Flashback 2: Outside of my house, on the sidewalk

Flashback 3: (Teacher) I will make the a room in my house look like a part of a school.

This video has some great options and ideas for how to transform a room into a lively classroom, since it's just a flashback with a piece of dialogue, I dont have to decorate the entire room... but I can still make that one corner of the house look believable.

this is a wall that I have available to make into a "classroom" I already have that cart full of colored pencils and utilities that might work, I will keep updating this as I prepare the locations for filming.

Scene 2: In my room

3/11-3/15 

These next few days I will be prepping for the filming stage as I dress these locations and make them into mini sets!! 

 

Storyboard

Storyboard time!!!

So I wanted to talk a bit about the visuals because I know the images look a bit disoriented, but I for starters want to clarify that the very first shot has an astrics ** on it because it is out of order, that shot will take place after the car drive flashback.  

The very first scene features the girl Natalie and another friend, inside the tent doing a series of creative activities and just having a good time. I may add a few b-roll shots in between the shot of the barbie doll and piano. 

NOTE: That sequence in the tent will feature younger girls

THEN, when it displays the shot of the piano Natalie will be older, and wearing the yellow top as she's in her zone

When she sings I wanted to include a match cut of her feeling like she is performing, and super enthralled in the art

Flashback

CONTINUING, the flashback to the little girl school project, she is going to be outside a house working on the project with her friend.

The doorbell ring SFX will serve as a sound bridge to connect the two segments.

Finally, I was thinking about cutting off the film opening at the start of scene 2, but I may continue it depending on how long the segment already is.

Costume Design!

   Okay soooo I'm back!! We did a visual analysis practice in class and I wanted to come on here and highlight some of the specifics of the mis-en-scene. I know I was going to rewrite the script and add a storyboard, but I'm gonna leave that to the other blogs after I include some important information to note about these characters.

COSTUMES

Natalie:

INT. Bright Room- Yellow/Orange- These colors are intended to evoke the emotion of innovation, and optimism, when the character is alone in a spotlight hard at work.

INT. School Carpool (inside car)-- Purple/Grey- Evoke emotions of creativity and innovation yet also displaying some restraint... she may have a hair clip. 

Natalie:

AUNT LUCY: Blue blouse (brown cardigan acceptable) Represents wisdom and peacefulness, yet she is still assertive. Aunt Lucy will only be present for that one flashback, but I want it to be noted 

INT. School- School clothes; (YOUNG NATALIE) attire, and classmates; the kid in the carpool scene will also be dressed in preppy clothing

SCENE 2

NATALIE: White once again, to revert to the characters purity in the school flashback, and how her passions for art are unchanged. She is working hard on making a good impression on others but forgets to be true to herself, she is trying to reinvent herself even though she has always known who she was. 

ANDY: Green sweater--growth; Andy will be an important character to the story, so it's important that he gives the audience a good impression. I think I'd be pretty flexible with the clothing for this character, but I don't want it to be very sporty or neon but more down to earth.

TEACHER: Red that represents aggression, makeup with eyeliner slightly under the eyes

The teacher is a figure in Natalie's life that chips her off her path, so there needs to be a contrast between the two besides the age gap.

The reason I wanted to focus on costumes to bring out each of the character's personalities, and I also wanted to ensure that they would really pop on camera and be distinguished. 

Location for filming

OKAYYYY so I unfortunately could not film as you may know but I didn't want to let that stop me from making some meaningful progress on the opening, and tackling a very fair question--where am I going to film??

So I started thinking about how I could possibly make a house into a school setting... and thinking about potential places I could film... so here are some tentative locations for different spots:

INT. Bright Room- I can take some things from my crafts room and make an artistic space. I love all the neutral colors that were incorporated into this scene to make the vibe feel calm and serene, the little trickle of light entering from the window is just absolutely gorgeous, I know that my space may be different to this one but I definitely want to try and encapsulate that calmness.

I'm going to try and give my studio room a makeover, I will be trying to achieve that hopefully sometime before this weekend and keep this blog posted! 

This is the room before makeover, the little room on the table was a previous craft I made for my sister that I could utilize in dressing the set, I definitely want to clear some of the books on the piano and maybe arrange the bookshelf with different colors? There's also a window on the right that will bring in a nice cinematic look.

INT. School Carpool (inside car)-I looked up some tutorials for this next one because I didn't want to resort to handheld when filming in such a tight space like a car, but I also didn't want to spend time looking for rigs that lead to an extensive building process. I found this video that shows how to film some nice effective shots in a car.

I think I will film in my mother's Buick, since it is almost like a van and has enough space to include a tripod to film, I would love to pair this with a telephoto lens, so that I can get a wider view of what's happening and have the choice to catch some real close up shots of the mirrors to get certain facial expressions of the characters, such as Aunt Lucy,

INT. Dark Room-- The room will be similar to the previous one, except in much more confined, private looking lighting... just like in the movie Soul where the pianist is in his element. 

Although this was an animated movie, it was actually a gorgeous representation of an artist in his element and I definitely want to take some inspiration from that and take into my own interpretation, with some tedious editing. But first, I want to take it one step at a time and look at some mis-en-scene!''

Further Research Mis-en-scene Elements

 Okay so... there has been an alteration of the schedule because unfortunately this week has been more busy than I'd imagined so I'm going to push for the filming of the opening to occur next week, March 9-11

As far as actors, so far I believe I am acting in the film... but I still haven't found actors available next week... I will come back on here as soon as I have an update on that!

Character Analysis

Natalie: High schooler; a creative who is observant and feels like she needs to be socially accepted--doesn't really understand herself and sometimes feels ashamed. Often times finds herself living two lives to fit in

Aunt Lucy: In her 50s; very religious and holds true to her traditional values. Doesn't quite understand Natalie's gifts

Andy: Childhood friend of Natalie's who is also in high school, similar to her except he's not afraid to be himself. He is successful and a hustler 

Nico(kid): 7-8 years old; Natalie's cousin  

Teacher: In her 20s-30s, viewed as the "cool" teacher

Another suggestion I got from the group meetings was to add some tension between the two characters (Natalie and Andy), as that can be used as another incentive to keep people watching. However, I don't want the focus of this story to be a romance, it's more based as a coming of age but I definitely could see how that may help and I'm still considering it...

Mis-En-Scene

I found this video of a guy that makes Adventure short films... and he really explains how to get that cinematic look through lighting and props. He explains how he was able to quickly transform an office room and make it cinematic. He took a lot of practicals and found various solutions to the problems he encountered such as a TV he was unable to remove. The video also makes a huge emphasis on contrast in lighting, and how important it is to create mood and visual interest in a shot.

This video gives some good tips on lighting, talks about working with the light and using the simplest tools like white fabric, silver or aluminum foil. I would probably want to use some of this knowledge to incorporate into the shot list, and apply lighting. I'm going to do a quick search for lighting tools that I can use and do some DIY's.

I definitely want to come up with some pictures like this one to map out the lighting and make it a priority, to achieve a more cinematic and potent look. I also really want to focus on using more controllable lighting, and restrain myself from using a grid so that the lighting is more flexible and hits more areas of the face. I would probably use this technique at a point in the beginning where Natalie is enthralled in her creative discipline. 

Next time I come on here, I would like to address some changes in the script so that I can then add my storyboard!