Bedroom Scene Brainstorming -
Still on the search for a new female lead, we decided to focus our energy on the scene in Michael's bedroom. I referred back to the storyboard i started to draw up last week, and i began to write up the dialogue between the two friends based off of what i had envisioned before. I wanted the dialogue to be genuine but again i incorporated a sense of separation and disconnect between the two characters, so far as to even draw them on opposite sides of the room. Throughout the entirety of the conversation, i planned for both boys to be focused on their phones.
To further along that sense of disconnect, Michael came up with a great idea for a shot during the scene that captured our two characters on either side of the room with a very silent wide angle, intended to produce discomfort in the audience. We feel the awkwardness experienced by the viewers will perfectly portray how unnatural the entire process on-screen actually is.
Another important thing to note is the frequent use of close up shots throughout this scene. We found it necessary to include what we did because not only did we want to engage our audience in the dialogue being spoken back and forth, but the tone of the short film begins to shift in a more romantic direction during this scene, so we wanted to begin implementing romance movie tropes. The one technique we chose to utilize was the close up shot because it allowed us to navigate through this relatable situation of texting a cute girl, while also generating an emotional appeal through facial acting. I'm really excited to shoot this scene, and we have a lot planned, so stop by again next week.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Week Six - 2
Website Brainstorming -
Since Michael and I now have to spend some time searching for a new lead actress, i though that this week proposed the bet opportunity to get started on the website. As Michael began to notice how much footage we'd be collecting and how much editing needed done, he backed down from the task of spearheading the website and left it up to me. Before i even began to imagine what the webpage would look like, i started by thinking of techniques i could implement into the little details of my product, such as fonts and colors. I feel that we also stuck to the genre motifs very well and implemented common techniques, such as romantic close ups or dystopian settings, efficiently into our film. The props that we used also helped to enhance the futuristic essence of our project, but overall we made great use of dramatic cinematography.
For the fonts, I knew i needed to maintain the modern aesthetic that our film provides, and i kept it a point to not go too far in the sci fi direction. To obtain this effect i used a sans-serif font called "Roboto" on all of the headers, and many of the letters even had spaces in between them to retain and exaggerate the sense of "disconnect" we commented on. As for the color pallet i wanted to maintain a pretty bland aurora, however i didn't want the website to come out visually unappealing. I instead planned to use very scenic shots from the date in order to provide the page with some color and appeal to a larger selection of audiences. One audience we felt this decision would help draw in especially well was the 13-18 year old female viewers. Using romantic imagery strongly reinforces the romance elements of our short films genre, and so young girls are more prone to checking it out.
Lastly i started to think about the different pages i wanted the website to include, probably located along the top on a hot bar. I obviously deemed it necessary to include a summary page, ass well as a page that introduces people to the cast. Another good inclusion i suggested to Michael was a frequently asked questions (FAQ) tab, which would ask things such as the origin of our films idea. This would provide our audience with a sense of insight into the makings and success of our story, and it would be an efficient marketing tool in attracting new viewers.
Since Michael and I now have to spend some time searching for a new lead actress, i though that this week proposed the bet opportunity to get started on the website. As Michael began to notice how much footage we'd be collecting and how much editing needed done, he backed down from the task of spearheading the website and left it up to me. Before i even began to imagine what the webpage would look like, i started by thinking of techniques i could implement into the little details of my product, such as fonts and colors. I feel that we also stuck to the genre motifs very well and implemented common techniques, such as romantic close ups or dystopian settings, efficiently into our film. The props that we used also helped to enhance the futuristic essence of our project, but overall we made great use of dramatic cinematography.
For the fonts, I knew i needed to maintain the modern aesthetic that our film provides, and i kept it a point to not go too far in the sci fi direction. To obtain this effect i used a sans-serif font called "Roboto" on all of the headers, and many of the letters even had spaces in between them to retain and exaggerate the sense of "disconnect" we commented on. As for the color pallet i wanted to maintain a pretty bland aurora, however i didn't want the website to come out visually unappealing. I instead planned to use very scenic shots from the date in order to provide the page with some color and appeal to a larger selection of audiences. One audience we felt this decision would help draw in especially well was the 13-18 year old female viewers. Using romantic imagery strongly reinforces the romance elements of our short films genre, and so young girls are more prone to checking it out.
Lastly i started to think about the different pages i wanted the website to include, probably located along the top on a hot bar. I obviously deemed it necessary to include a summary page, ass well as a page that introduces people to the cast. Another good inclusion i suggested to Michael was a frequently asked questions (FAQ) tab, which would ask things such as the origin of our films idea. This would provide our audience with a sense of insight into the makings and success of our story, and it would be an efficient marketing tool in attracting new viewers.
Week Six - 1
Horrible News -
I'm very sad to bring up that my girlfriend and I are no longer seeing each other, and this also means that the authentic connection that our two actors had would be lost. This would pose as a challenge moving forward. For good reason, we also decided that we must begin searching for a new female lead, and this required that Michael and I ask around to anyone and everyone we know.
It became necessary that we conducted even more research focusing on the techniques and tropes of romance movies, but particularly romantic short films. Unfortunately, my father took my little brother and I to Disney World and i'm left with little to no time, so Michael agreed to get researching and he is going to be getting back to me tomorrow. I also arrive home tomorrow, so were going to be in touch in order to discuss how we will begin filming the bedroom scene at his house. Thanks for reading along, ill be getting back to you all with some good news soon :)
I'm very sad to bring up that my girlfriend and I are no longer seeing each other, and this also means that the authentic connection that our two actors had would be lost. This would pose as a challenge moving forward. For good reason, we also decided that we must begin searching for a new female lead, and this required that Michael and I ask around to anyone and everyone we know.
It became necessary that we conducted even more research focusing on the techniques and tropes of romance movies, but particularly romantic short films. Unfortunately, my father took my little brother and I to Disney World and i'm left with little to no time, so Michael agreed to get researching and he is going to be getting back to me tomorrow. I also arrive home tomorrow, so were going to be in touch in order to discuss how we will begin filming the bedroom scene at his house. Thanks for reading along, ill be getting back to you all with some good news soon :)
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Week Five - 3
Scheduling in Advance -
This weekend Michael and I had no time at all to get together and make progress on our short film, and we would normally have plenty of time on our hands with spring break coming up, however the both of us are going on vacation with our families. We are going to need to efficiently schedule our time in the upcoming weeks so that we are left with enough time post-filming to edit our footage and work on the digital components to our project.
Over the weekend i did mention to Michael that we were going to be spending class time next week working on the lines spoken between the main character and his friend when they arrive home from school. In preparation for when we film he reached out to his friend Dylan to coordinate a date that works for all three of us. We haven't decided on an exact date yet, but we have come to the consensus of two weekends from today, and this is because we are going to be filming the date scene next weekend.
Other than that there isn't much more to be said. Like i mentioned, this weekend wasn't a super productive one to say the least. Stay tuned though, because there is a lot planned for the upcoming weeks, i am really starting to get excited over how this is going to turn out.
This weekend Michael and I had no time at all to get together and make progress on our short film, and we would normally have plenty of time on our hands with spring break coming up, however the both of us are going on vacation with our families. We are going to need to efficiently schedule our time in the upcoming weeks so that we are left with enough time post-filming to edit our footage and work on the digital components to our project.
Over the weekend i did mention to Michael that we were going to be spending class time next week working on the lines spoken between the main character and his friend when they arrive home from school. In preparation for when we film he reached out to his friend Dylan to coordinate a date that works for all three of us. We haven't decided on an exact date yet, but we have come to the consensus of two weekends from today, and this is because we are going to be filming the date scene next weekend.
Other than that there isn't much more to be said. Like i mentioned, this weekend wasn't a super productive one to say the least. Stay tuned though, because there is a lot planned for the upcoming weeks, i am really starting to get excited over how this is going to turn out.
Friday, March 22, 2019
Week Five - 2
Storyboard -
So today with Michael back in class, we sat down together and collaborated on the storyboard. Im artistically inclined with a paper and pencil and Michael is good behind a camera and with cinematography, so collaborating with each other was beneficial both ways. As Michael watched me chalk up an image he was describing, he would smile in agreement and move onto the next shot. I was learning a lot of technicality with the way he was describing each shot in detail and their intended effect. I walked away from this class period more than satisfied.
I also had the opportunity to construct the plot further in a way that was genuine for my character, and for me. We got enough done on the storyboard and had time to begin creating a finalized script for the bedroom scene. Deciding how a conversation about a girl would go between two boys of exactly our age was a fun challenge, and required us to look at ourselves from a third person perspective. While Michael was typing everything up, I hopped on a laptop and stumbled upon an interesting royalty free music site that had some cool sounds. Its called purple-planet.com and even the name has those futuristic vibes were looking for :)
So today with Michael back in class, we sat down together and collaborated on the storyboard. Im artistically inclined with a paper and pencil and Michael is good behind a camera and with cinematography, so collaborating with each other was beneficial both ways. As Michael watched me chalk up an image he was describing, he would smile in agreement and move onto the next shot. I was learning a lot of technicality with the way he was describing each shot in detail and their intended effect. I walked away from this class period more than satisfied.
I also had the opportunity to construct the plot further in a way that was genuine for my character, and for me. We got enough done on the storyboard and had time to begin creating a finalized script for the bedroom scene. Deciding how a conversation about a girl would go between two boys of exactly our age was a fun challenge, and required us to look at ourselves from a third person perspective. While Michael was typing everything up, I hopped on a laptop and stumbled upon an interesting royalty free music site that had some cool sounds. Its called purple-planet.com and even the name has those futuristic vibes were looking for :)
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Week Five - 1
Romance Research -
Today my partner was not in class so in order to remain productive i decided to get informed on the commonly used techniques in romance movies.
The first frequently utilized romance motif is close up shots, specifically ones that focus on facial expressions. This has a powerful effect in which it forces the viewer to at least witness the emotion making one susceptible to feeling it second-hand. It can be used efficiently in a negative way, to portray and produce feelings of anxiety or terror, or even sadness. Luckily for everybody our short film would be implementing many of those in a cheerful, loving way in order to reinforce the romantic essence of our film.
Another powerful tool in creating romance in movies is sound editing, but more specifically music. After watching a few clips of some heartfelt movies, I began to realize the importance of music, and how much it actually adds to the air in a scene. Not only did i plan to use cheerful music on the date, but i want to include music that anticipates a text back, or even just "what might happen next" throughout the bedroom scene. I will try to make sure that the music is fading in and out between segments of conversation in order to fill the dullness. Keep in mind though, i wouldn't want too much of that dullness filled, because dull is the tone created by this dystopian society we are envisioning. I spent a majority of class time researching so i feel now that i am equipped to create a real emotional performance, and I even had a bit of time towards the end of class to draw up a storyboard i can work with tomorrow.
Today my partner was not in class so in order to remain productive i decided to get informed on the commonly used techniques in romance movies.
The first frequently utilized romance motif is close up shots, specifically ones that focus on facial expressions. This has a powerful effect in which it forces the viewer to at least witness the emotion making one susceptible to feeling it second-hand. It can be used efficiently in a negative way, to portray and produce feelings of anxiety or terror, or even sadness. Luckily for everybody our short film would be implementing many of those in a cheerful, loving way in order to reinforce the romantic essence of our film.
Another powerful tool in creating romance in movies is sound editing, but more specifically music. After watching a few clips of some heartfelt movies, I began to realize the importance of music, and how much it actually adds to the air in a scene. Not only did i plan to use cheerful music on the date, but i want to include music that anticipates a text back, or even just "what might happen next" throughout the bedroom scene. I will try to make sure that the music is fading in and out between segments of conversation in order to fill the dullness. Keep in mind though, i wouldn't want too much of that dullness filled, because dull is the tone created by this dystopian society we are envisioning. I spent a majority of class time researching so i feel now that i am equipped to create a real emotional performance, and I even had a bit of time towards the end of class to draw up a storyboard i can work with tomorrow.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Week Four - 4
Filming Drawback -
So after reviewing the footage on his Macbook back at home, Michael reached out to me over a FaceTime call and shared with me some frustrating news. He told me that the majority of the shots were shaky and did not capture the focus well, and he felt that we should schedule a date to re-shoot. Since we already had to reschedule filming once before, I wasn't adamant about having to do it again, but Michael was insistent.
One mistake we feel we've made was approaching this scene with too little planning. Its only kind of important to plan out what the characters are going to be doing but truthfully the most important aspect of this scene is going to be the cinematography. Since its a montage style scene, music is going to eliminate the need for sound editing. Another thing we felt would help us produce higher quality images would be renting a tripod. These decisions we feel will help improve both the efficiency and quality of our end work.
So after reviewing the footage on his Macbook back at home, Michael reached out to me over a FaceTime call and shared with me some frustrating news. He told me that the majority of the shots were shaky and did not capture the focus well, and he felt that we should schedule a date to re-shoot. Since we already had to reschedule filming once before, I wasn't adamant about having to do it again, but Michael was insistent.
One mistake we feel we've made was approaching this scene with too little planning. Its only kind of important to plan out what the characters are going to be doing but truthfully the most important aspect of this scene is going to be the cinematography. Since its a montage style scene, music is going to eliminate the need for sound editing. Another thing we felt would help us produce higher quality images would be renting a tripod. These decisions we feel will help improve both the efficiency and quality of our end work.
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Week Four - 3
Filming Day 1 -
Today I met Michael over at Vista View park along with my girlfriend so that we can film the virtual date scene. We spent the first half an hour searching for scenic spots to shoot. It didn't take long before we stumbled upon some pretty cool locations. We decided that because of the off-screen connection that my girlfriend and I shared, on-screen it would come off a lot more believable. It took us about two and a half hours to film the scene.
This entire shoot went by very smoothly and my girlfriend and I actually enjoyed our time acting as the couple we really are. It was especially easy because this entire scene has no dialogue, and all the footage consisted only of us skipping around and having fun. In post, we were going to overlay playful music to create somewhat of a montage.
Today I met Michael over at Vista View park along with my girlfriend so that we can film the virtual date scene. We spent the first half an hour searching for scenic spots to shoot. It didn't take long before we stumbled upon some pretty cool locations. We decided that because of the off-screen connection that my girlfriend and I shared, on-screen it would come off a lot more believable. It took us about two and a half hours to film the scene.
This entire shoot went by very smoothly and my girlfriend and I actually enjoyed our time acting as the couple we really are. It was especially easy because this entire scene has no dialogue, and all the footage consisted only of us skipping around and having fun. In post, we were going to overlay playful music to create somewhat of a montage.
Week Four - 2
Script-writing -
We spent today working on the script together. Before diving in, we decided to do some research on how to go about formulating a movie script properly, and so we stumbled upon the website Writersstore.com. It provided an article on how to write a screenplay altogether, titled "Scriptwriting examples and screenwriting tips." After reading through, we learned how to properly format the script using indentations and headers, and this helped make the process a lot easier on us. As of now, we have not come up with the characters names so we just put Boy 1 (Main character), Boy 2 (Friend), and Girl.
As much as I'd love to share the script on my blog, I do feel as if that would spoil the short film. Sorry guys :( I do recommend you checkout the website Writersstore.com though, especially if you are interested in screenwriting or if you would like to try something new.
We spent today working on the script together. Before diving in, we decided to do some research on how to go about formulating a movie script properly, and so we stumbled upon the website Writersstore.com. It provided an article on how to write a screenplay altogether, titled "Scriptwriting examples and screenwriting tips." After reading through, we learned how to properly format the script using indentations and headers, and this helped make the process a lot easier on us. As of now, we have not come up with the characters names so we just put Boy 1 (Main character), Boy 2 (Friend), and Girl.
As much as I'd love to share the script on my blog, I do feel as if that would spoil the short film. Sorry guys :( I do recommend you checkout the website Writersstore.com though, especially if you are interested in screenwriting or if you would like to try something new.
Friday, March 15, 2019
Week Four - 1
Location Scouting -
Today, My girlfriend, Martina, and I went down to Miami Beach and enjoyed the day, however I did have work in mind in the process. Since Michael and I planned on using an urban city setting for our short film in order to reinforce the futuristic time period, I kept on the lookout for spectacular skylines or scrapers that we can implement into the short film. My girlfriend mentioned to me that her brother has a friend who lives in Miami and is a filmmaker. We reached out to him and asked if we could film a scene in his flat within the city, and we felt this was also a good idea to sit down with somebody in the field who may be able to help us out.
In the upcoming week, Michael and I will be focusing our attention onto our script. Since the school quarter is closing out, we have come to the consensus to finish filming during spring break, when we are both a little less stressed.
Today, My girlfriend, Martina, and I went down to Miami Beach and enjoyed the day, however I did have work in mind in the process. Since Michael and I planned on using an urban city setting for our short film in order to reinforce the futuristic time period, I kept on the lookout for spectacular skylines or scrapers that we can implement into the short film. My girlfriend mentioned to me that her brother has a friend who lives in Miami and is a filmmaker. We reached out to him and asked if we could film a scene in his flat within the city, and we felt this was also a good idea to sit down with somebody in the field who may be able to help us out.
In the upcoming week, Michael and I will be focusing our attention onto our script. Since the school quarter is closing out, we have come to the consensus to finish filming during spring break, when we are both a little less stressed.
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Week Three - 4
Website and Postcard -
Hello again!
Today, Michael and I met up for a short hour before his family event in order to discuss the other two components to our portfolio project, the website and the postcard. We quickly decided that I would obtain the bulk of the responsibility when it came to the postcard because I am more artistically capable and have some programs on my home desktop that would make the process easy. Michael would be focused on the website, however I am going to be providing as much assistance as I possibly can because I am an aspiring musician in my free time and hope to create a great website for myself some day.
We've decided that using wix.com to create our website would prove most efficient, and on top of that, Michael had previous experience working on Wix, so he understood the interface very well. We discussed some themes for the page but are yet to make a solid decision, however we have finally completed working on the script. Id like to mention that the website we used to write our script was Celtx.com, and this worked well for me since I was familiar with the site and already had an account from when I took a film course a couple years back.
I am going to be spending the upcoming week studying my script and brainstorming ideas for the website, and I am expecting to begin work on the postcard once the film has been shot, since I am going to want to use images from our footage.
Hello again!
Today, Michael and I met up for a short hour before his family event in order to discuss the other two components to our portfolio project, the website and the postcard. We quickly decided that I would obtain the bulk of the responsibility when it came to the postcard because I am more artistically capable and have some programs on my home desktop that would make the process easy. Michael would be focused on the website, however I am going to be providing as much assistance as I possibly can because I am an aspiring musician in my free time and hope to create a great website for myself some day.
We've decided that using wix.com to create our website would prove most efficient, and on top of that, Michael had previous experience working on Wix, so he understood the interface very well. We discussed some themes for the page but are yet to make a solid decision, however we have finally completed working on the script. Id like to mention that the website we used to write our script was Celtx.com, and this worked well for me since I was familiar with the site and already had an account from when I took a film course a couple years back.
I am going to be spending the upcoming week studying my script and brainstorming ideas for the website, and I am expecting to begin work on the postcard once the film has been shot, since I am going to want to use images from our footage.
Week Three - 3
Filming Postponed -
Hey everyone!
Yes, like mentioned in the title we had to postpone the filming of the date scene due to the fact that Michael's family was getting together today since his sister is home from college. We didn't allow this to discourage us, however, and instead took this as an opportunity to go back and perfect the script that we had been working hard on.
This rescheduling also allowed my girlfriend and myself more time to get acquainted with the script, and in the final construction process I even had time to sit down with her in order to discuss how we could enliven her character in a way that connects well with the audience. Martina helped by emphasizing many of the positive, playful characteristics that she exhibits naturally and stated that incorporating these traits into the female protagonist would not only produce the most authentic performance, but it would also heighten the ethereal tone of the virtual world that the boy protagonist enters into. Thanks to her help we were able to create a much more relatable character, and Martina even got to include some of her own dialogue in the script.
In the end we decided to record a week from today, and this time around we made sure that there wouldn't be any interruptions. Stay tuned, thanks again for reading.
Hey everyone!
Yes, like mentioned in the title we had to postpone the filming of the date scene due to the fact that Michael's family was getting together today since his sister is home from college. We didn't allow this to discourage us, however, and instead took this as an opportunity to go back and perfect the script that we had been working hard on.
This rescheduling also allowed my girlfriend and myself more time to get acquainted with the script, and in the final construction process I even had time to sit down with her in order to discuss how we could enliven her character in a way that connects well with the audience. Martina helped by emphasizing many of the positive, playful characteristics that she exhibits naturally and stated that incorporating these traits into the female protagonist would not only produce the most authentic performance, but it would also heighten the ethereal tone of the virtual world that the boy protagonist enters into. Thanks to her help we were able to create a much more relatable character, and Martina even got to include some of her own dialogue in the script.
In the end we decided to record a week from today, and this time around we made sure that there wouldn't be any interruptions. Stay tuned, thanks again for reading.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Week Three - 2
Outline -
So yesterday evening Michael and I video chatted and discussed the formulated plot in its entirety. While we did so, Michael typed an outline down on his computer so we had something tangible to work with in class and when filming. We also began brainstorming a title, but without further - a - do, here is our (rough) outline to our short film.
Title: * Disconnected *
Scene 1: *At school*
Main character and friend notice pretty girl in hall
Dialogue between main character and friend
School bell rings and they disperse
Scene 2: *In City*
Walking home talking with friend about how main character wants to ask out girl
Dialogue between friend and main character
Scene 3: *Bedroom*
Both walk in
Main character lays on bed and friend lays on couch
Girl text message pops up on screen
Guy freaks out and friend jumps on bed
Scene 5: * Bedroom*
Main character starts getting ready for date
Puts on a suit
Sits on bed and puts on virtual headset
Scene 6 - Date: *Vista View Park*
Montage of happy date
No audio of them talking
Just moving mouth and music in background
*Date ends*
Scene 7- *Bedroom*
Takes off goggles and smiles
Scene 8- *In city
Main character is walking on the sidewalk on his phone
Female main character is also walking on the sidewalk on her phone
Both walk passed one another and don't notice each other
*Scene ends*
We still have some refining to do towards the very end of the outline, since we are not very sure if
our message is delivered clearly. We want to highlight the everlasting disconnect created by this
technologically advanced world, and by showing the two characters stroll past each other without
noticing as if they were strangers really just emphasizes the disconnect from reality.
Thanks guys!
So yesterday evening Michael and I video chatted and discussed the formulated plot in its entirety. While we did so, Michael typed an outline down on his computer so we had something tangible to work with in class and when filming. We also began brainstorming a title, but without further - a - do, here is our (rough) outline to our short film.
Title: * Disconnected *
Scene 1: *At school*
Main character and friend notice pretty girl in hall
Dialogue between main character and friend
School bell rings and they disperse
Scene 2: *In City*
Walking home talking with friend about how main character wants to ask out girl
Dialogue between friend and main character
Scene 3: *Bedroom*
Both walk in
Main character lays on bed and friend lays on couch
Girl text message pops up on screen
Guy freaks out and friend jumps on bed
Scene 4: * Bedroom*
Main character texts girl back and starts conversation
Friend helps main character text girl
Conversation continues until guy asks out girl and she says yes
Main character texts girl back and starts conversation
Friend helps main character text girl
Conversation continues until guy asks out girl and she says yes
Scene 5: * Bedroom*
Main character starts getting ready for date
Puts on a suit
Sits on bed and puts on virtual headset
Scene 6 - Date: *Vista View Park*
Montage of happy date
No audio of them talking
Just moving mouth and music in background
*Date ends*
Scene 7- *Bedroom*
Takes off goggles and smiles
Scene 8- *In city
Main character is walking on the sidewalk on his phone
Female main character is also walking on the sidewalk on her phone
Both walk passed one another and don't notice each other
*Scene ends*
We still have some refining to do towards the very end of the outline, since we are not very sure if
our message is delivered clearly. We want to highlight the everlasting disconnect created by this
technologically advanced world, and by showing the two characters stroll past each other without
noticing as if they were strangers really just emphasizes the disconnect from reality.
Thanks guys!
Friday, March 8, 2019
Week Three - 1
Location, Cast, and Equipment -
Today in class Michael and I particularly focused on developing the ending, which would consist mostly of a virtual date. I explained to him how I envisioned the first segment of our short film to have a dull color pallet and dim lighting, and how I wanted those stylistic choices to be juxtaposed within the virtual reality by bright lighting and colors. In order to really enhance the coloring of our environment, we needed to decide on a location that provided us with very dazzling eye candy, such as a beautiful park. Together, we decided on a nearby park with many hills and plenty sunlight. It is called Vista View Park, and you can see it on google maps here.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=26.07025700000003%2C-80.33834000000002&spn=0.009059%2C0.013733&t=h&z=16&mid=1du7HA0fwWmZhSrpPznf_LmSNREI
Like I previously mentioned in my recent blog posts, Michael and I decided to record on his IPhone XR, and we also are going to be using IMovie on his Macbook to edit the short film when its all filmed. Since he is familiar with the hardware we are going to be using, we've decided that he is going to play the role of the man behind the camera. Michael will be the cinematographer, however he will try to recreate shots I have already drawn up in a storyboard I am currently working on.
I will be acting in the short film as the main character, and since I am developing the majority of my own script, I believe I will be adept at performing the plot and at improvising slightly to make use of the genre techniques I have gathered throughout my research. We asked around to see if any of our lady friends wanted to play the role of the protagonists' love interest, but ultimately decided on my girlfriend. I am happy with this decision, for good reason. I believe that because I really do feel emotions towards my girlfriend that I am going to be able to perpetuate them on camera that more persuasively. Martina, my girlfriend, also has a background in musical theater and drama. She took AMT classes all throughout middle school and even attended a drama camp over the summer, so she was definitely up for the challenge.
Today in class Michael and I particularly focused on developing the ending, which would consist mostly of a virtual date. I explained to him how I envisioned the first segment of our short film to have a dull color pallet and dim lighting, and how I wanted those stylistic choices to be juxtaposed within the virtual reality by bright lighting and colors. In order to really enhance the coloring of our environment, we needed to decide on a location that provided us with very dazzling eye candy, such as a beautiful park. Together, we decided on a nearby park with many hills and plenty sunlight. It is called Vista View Park, and you can see it on google maps here.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=26.07025700000003%2C-80.33834000000002&spn=0.009059%2C0.013733&t=h&z=16&mid=1du7HA0fwWmZhSrpPznf_LmSNREI
Like I previously mentioned in my recent blog posts, Michael and I decided to record on his IPhone XR, and we also are going to be using IMovie on his Macbook to edit the short film when its all filmed. Since he is familiar with the hardware we are going to be using, we've decided that he is going to play the role of the man behind the camera. Michael will be the cinematographer, however he will try to recreate shots I have already drawn up in a storyboard I am currently working on.
I will be acting in the short film as the main character, and since I am developing the majority of my own script, I believe I will be adept at performing the plot and at improvising slightly to make use of the genre techniques I have gathered throughout my research. We asked around to see if any of our lady friends wanted to play the role of the protagonists' love interest, but ultimately decided on my girlfriend. I am happy with this decision, for good reason. I believe that because I really do feel emotions towards my girlfriend that I am going to be able to perpetuate them on camera that more persuasively. Martina, my girlfriend, also has a background in musical theater and drama. She took AMT classes all throughout middle school and even attended a drama camp over the summer, so she was definitely up for the challenge.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Week Two - 4
Filming -
Recently I went back and re watched the movie "Her" and this time around paid attention to two things, the environment, and how the camera captures that environment. In essence, i focused on the misc en scene and the cinematography, and this got me thinking about ideas for when Michael and I were going to be filming. I reached out to him and we discussed a date to film, and together we decided on a week from today, next Sunday. Since we required such a limited cast and set, we knew we should get started right away.
We decided the film will take place at Michael's house, since it looks more modern, and honestly more expensive (technologically advanced.) We are yet to decide on the exact outfits but it will remain consistent to the rest of our misc en scene and the overall monotone color pallet. We've decided to film the movie on Michael's IPhone, which is the newest XR model. It has an outstanding microphone and the picture quality is beautiful. We also decided that other than the animation, the editing of our short film will be done on IMovie. More decisions will be made in the upcoming week when we meet again, and i'll be keeping you guys posted. :)
Recently I went back and re watched the movie "Her" and this time around paid attention to two things, the environment, and how the camera captures that environment. In essence, i focused on the misc en scene and the cinematography, and this got me thinking about ideas for when Michael and I were going to be filming. I reached out to him and we discussed a date to film, and together we decided on a week from today, next Sunday. Since we required such a limited cast and set, we knew we should get started right away.
We decided the film will take place at Michael's house, since it looks more modern, and honestly more expensive (technologically advanced.) We are yet to decide on the exact outfits but it will remain consistent to the rest of our misc en scene and the overall monotone color pallet. We've decided to film the movie on Michael's IPhone, which is the newest XR model. It has an outstanding microphone and the picture quality is beautiful. We also decided that other than the animation, the editing of our short film will be done on IMovie. More decisions will be made in the upcoming week when we meet again, and i'll be keeping you guys posted. :)
Week Two - 3
Animation -
Although my partner, Michael, and I have made effective progress throughout the week, we decided to re-address the SFX and animation required in order to fulfill our vision. In specific, we knew from the very early moments of the development of our plot that we wanted to display the text messages across the screen over footage of the main characters. We felt this was a visually interactive way to involve the audience in the ever progressing conversation that serves as the main conflict of our short film. Since the both of us had had no prior experience in animation, we decided to run the idea by our teacher and find out what she felt the best way to approach the problem was.
She was able to provide us with a helpful link actually, so my group member hopped onto his laptop and breezed through an article that discussed on screen animation, and the link informed us that a program known as After Effect could get the job done. Sadly, After Effect inst free, and neither me nor my group member even knows how to work the program effectively, so buying it would most likely prove to be a waste of time and money. Luckily, however, Michael is familiar with somebody named Jeremy who owns After Effect on his laptop at home, and since he has a basic understanding of how the program functions, Michael agreed to reach out to him to ask for help with our animation problem.
Although my partner, Michael, and I have made effective progress throughout the week, we decided to re-address the SFX and animation required in order to fulfill our vision. In specific, we knew from the very early moments of the development of our plot that we wanted to display the text messages across the screen over footage of the main characters. We felt this was a visually interactive way to involve the audience in the ever progressing conversation that serves as the main conflict of our short film. Since the both of us had had no prior experience in animation, we decided to run the idea by our teacher and find out what she felt the best way to approach the problem was.
She was able to provide us with a helpful link actually, so my group member hopped onto his laptop and breezed through an article that discussed on screen animation, and the link informed us that a program known as After Effect could get the job done. Sadly, After Effect inst free, and neither me nor my group member even knows how to work the program effectively, so buying it would most likely prove to be a waste of time and money. Luckily, however, Michael is familiar with somebody named Jeremy who owns After Effect on his laptop at home, and since he has a basic understanding of how the program functions, Michael agreed to reach out to him to ask for help with our animation problem.
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Week Two - 2
Genre Research -
When discussing our short films genre, my group member Michael and i knew that it would be grouped into the sci-fi genre, however we were aware that the overarching plot existed in a genre much simpler than that. The conflict being presented seemed to fit under the genre of Drama, however it also included some elements of Mystery as well, so this is where we focused our research.
In order to create an interactive and immersive setting, we studied other dystopian pieces such as the movie Her, and we focused our attention solely on postmodern work for our case studies. "Her" was able to provide us with techniques in order to advance our melodrama, and it also opened us up to a world of possibilities as for props and location choices. Spike Jonze released "Her" in 2013, back before the release of airpods and before AI was an accepted reality, however he was able to accomplish his vision. Through selective location choices and articulate use of props and effects, we would also be able to effectively create a sci-fi setting that captivates an audience.
Capturing the viewers attention is only the first step, however, and so we began to research drama techniques that would be able to keep an audience interested. In order to generate an appropriate amount of emotion, i suggested to Michael that the cinematography and the editing should be somewhat "animated" and by that i referenced the very dramatic nature of Japanese animation, or anime. Extreme close up shots, sound edits used to intensify inner monologues or portray emotion, quick cuts creating anxiety, Japanese anime is chalk-full of these motifs, and i thought it would be creative to use these techniques in order to create our emotional appeal throughout the dialogue.
When discussing our short films genre, my group member Michael and i knew that it would be grouped into the sci-fi genre, however we were aware that the overarching plot existed in a genre much simpler than that. The conflict being presented seemed to fit under the genre of Drama, however it also included some elements of Mystery as well, so this is where we focused our research.
In order to create an interactive and immersive setting, we studied other dystopian pieces such as the movie Her, and we focused our attention solely on postmodern work for our case studies. "Her" was able to provide us with techniques in order to advance our melodrama, and it also opened us up to a world of possibilities as for props and location choices. Spike Jonze released "Her" in 2013, back before the release of airpods and before AI was an accepted reality, however he was able to accomplish his vision. Through selective location choices and articulate use of props and effects, we would also be able to effectively create a sci-fi setting that captivates an audience.
Capturing the viewers attention is only the first step, however, and so we began to research drama techniques that would be able to keep an audience interested. In order to generate an appropriate amount of emotion, i suggested to Michael that the cinematography and the editing should be somewhat "animated" and by that i referenced the very dramatic nature of Japanese animation, or anime. Extreme close up shots, sound edits used to intensify inner monologues or portray emotion, quick cuts creating anxiety, Japanese anime is chalk-full of these motifs, and i thought it would be creative to use these techniques in order to create our emotional appeal throughout the dialogue.
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Week Eight - 4
Creative Critical Reflection - Hey guys i stumbled upon a segment of a never before seen interview with the star of our short film, check ...
