Pre-Editing

        Throughout the week, prior to our final film day, we thought of what tools we could use to edit our footage. On our last project together, I remember that we used iMovie to edit, since the program was already included on my Mac. So, for this project, I decided we could use the same program since it included music and audio effects that aren't copyrighted. Also, I've been using the same program all year therefore I'm more familiar with how to use it. So, in terms of editing, I thought we could plan how we would edit our footage.
     
       To start off, I used storyboards to plan out each and every shot. This helped organize the filming process that we did prior. So, I went ahead and started playing around with iMovie, to find any professional techniques that I could incorporate in the editing process. Moreover, Gaby, Isa, and I thought it would be best to edit together, therefore we can use all of our knowledge in terms of editing. I thought this would be essential in creating the best film opening possible! Also, we could decide smaller details like font style and size, filters, enhancement (in lighting), and editing techniques like jump cuts, graphic match, reverse cuts, and eye line match.

       In addition, I also looked for other editing softwares that we could also consider for this project on the application store in our film opening. I found applications like Final Cut Pro, Capto, Motion, and Cinema Effects. However, all needed to be purchased! So, my scavenger hunt for applications was cut short. Anyway, by Monday of next week, we should be starting our editing process in class. Since we would be doing the editing together, I thought we could use a computer and my camera's memory card. This way, we could work on the project in class. I hope to finish early so we can enjoy Spring Break.

   

Music

          Our film dilemma continues. Isabel and I suggested that we could film on Sunday around 7 P.M. At first we wanted to film at 8 but we thought we wouldn't have enough light for our shots. Since, I don't have any light equipment, we agreed it'd be best to start earlier. So, with that in mind, I decide to look at some songs we could use in our film introduction. In class, we critiqued each others blog posts, and we got a lot of suggestions to use a "happy" soundtrack to show an ironic contrast from the actual content.
          So, I began my search for some "creepy" songs for inspiration. On my web search, I came across this article. It gave me a list of songs that had lyrics that differed from it's sound. In other words, most songs made you want to get up and dance but actually had depressing stories behind the lyrics. One of the artists mentioned in the video were The Monkees and their song "Last Train of Clarksville." Which then reminded me of a couple songs from the 1960s that might have a good fit for our footage.

Here are a few songs from the 60s that I found:

•  Happy Together - The Turtles
• The House of Rising Sun - The Animals 
• Time of The Season - Zombies 
• She's Not There - Zombies
•  You Don't Own Me - Lesley Gore

   
      Hopefully, with these songs I found, I can discuss with my group on what sound we are going for. As for now, I realized that if we want to use a copyrighted song, we should know how to ask for permission. Here, I found the basic steps on using copyrighted material. It seems as if we should decide on a song as soon as possible .. if not, we can use music that is not copyrighted. On the bright side, we'll be finished with the filming part this weekend.

citations:

• Stim, Richard, and ="image" / Rich StimAttorney at Law, Nolo Legal Editor, Blogger - Dear Rich: Nolo's Patent, Copyright and Trademark Blog, Author, Nolo Press WebsiteTwitterFacebookGoogle+Posts. "The Basics of Getting Permission." Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center. N.p., 23 Mar. 2017. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

• BroBible. "10 Creepy Songs That Everyone Thinks Are Actually ’Happy’." BroBible. N.p., 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

Frustration

    Throughout this week, Isabel, Gaby, and I had told Carlos that we would need him on Saturday night to film our last few parts that we were missing from our film opening. He agreed and we all waited until then. So, until Saturday, I reviewed some shots that I wanted to include. We wanted a shot of Carlos catching his breath with his hands on his knees to be our very first clip for the audience to see. This shot would make the audience wonder ..

• why is he tired?
• why does he look scared?
• why is it so late at night?
• who is he hiding from?

  When Mrs. Marchetti (our teacher) showed us a TED talk on film making and the importance of story, I took it into consideration. In that video it talked about how important your story is in order to have a successful film. They also stressed the significance of letting the audience figure out what is going on. This creates anticipation and makes the viewer wonder what is going on. So, we did just that. We thought showing Carlos hiding and out of breath would make our viewers curious.  

Here was the video we were shown in class.

   Unfortunately, the night that we were supposed to film it rained and thundered all night! Annoyed, I didn't know what to do.. obviously, we couldn't film even if we tried because it would damage my camera. Devastated we had to reschedule yet again! But, this week for sure we should have all the footage we need to start the editing process.


citations:

• Stanton, Andrew. "The Clues to a Great Story." Andrew Stanton: The Clues to a Great Story | TED Talk | TED.com. TED, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.

The Outcome of Improvising

       Last Tuesday, before I went to SAT class, Gaby, Isa, and I, thought we should get a head start on film time. From my last post you saw the process involved on things we planned, like the candid photos of Carlos, computers, low lighting, and office supplies. For example, consider the shots below.

As shown above, there are shots that we had talked about and planned in class. For example, the handheld movement and pan movement of Carlos's social media, and another handheld + pan movement of the physical prints of the photos. But, what I wanted to address in this post exactly was the sudden sparks of creativity. When we had finished the planned footage, we wanted to see if we could add more shots that could relate to the story. So I thought, "Why don't we check in my garage and see if we find any creepy things!" We looked around, and Gaby found some of my mom's gardening tools (a garden peak and a pair of gloves). Isa, also spotted my dad's little "workshop" where he builds and fixes things. He had hammers, screwdrivers, scissors, nails, and screws which we thought could be used as some sort of weapon. Gaby then pointed out that my dad had a small lamp. So she suggested we should turn off, the garage's main light, and leave the small one on. As soon as we turned off the main garage light, and left the workshop one on, we were intrigued by how scary is really looked. I then remembered how lighting played a role in establishing moods and theme in film making like I mentioned in one of my older posts.  

Here's a photo to give you a better idea on what I mean on the lighting we had just created. 

   In the photo attached, you can see how our only light source is coming from my Dad's workshop. This focuses the viewer's attention on strictly all of his tools. We also, moved all of the photos of Carlos to show that we were still "stalking" him. We thought including this footage could give a stronger approach to our story. 

    Another unplanned shot we ended up really liking was this extreme close-up of Isa's hand writing notes about Carlos on the sticky note. We thought that the depth of field and the close-up itself gave a new perspective on what Carlos's stalker was writing about. At first, I told Gaby she could write her the notes but Gaby's handwriting was too feminine and I thought it wouldn't look good paired with the mood we were going for. So, I remembered how my Dad's handwriting looked like, so I pulled out an old notebook of his and showed Gaby and Isa what I had in mind. Isa immediately said she could try and write like him so we decided to use Isa instead of Gaby to write messages on the note pad.  

Here is a photo of my Dad's handwriting.

Here is the final product of the shot we improvised. 

This weekend, we planned to shoot the few shots we had left with Carlos, I hope we will be able to!

Film Time!

     Since last week we couldn't film due to complications with our families and other plans, we decided it was best to start filming with or without Carlos. So, Isabel and Gaby suggested that we could begin filming our "headquarters scene" at my house. There, there's a specific room where my parents work, and since my father is a computer engineer, we thought it represented a good "stalking" environment for Carlos's chaser.  We began by printing some photos of our friend including some candid ones we took of him at school. After we printed several copies, we added some sticky notes reading things like "Spotted at Cypress @ 3PM." After making all of our notes and printed photos of Carlos we also opened up his social media onto the computers. Lastly, for our props, we decided on laying some pens and an open notebook to add to the mystery.

     As you can see, from the photo shown above, I was cutting some yarn because Gaby thought it could chow how we followed him throughout his day at school. So, after I cut some pieces of yarn that I had already had from previous projects, I taped them from each photo of Carlos, to another. You can also see from the photo that we had already added sticky notes, a book, and some pens scattered on the table creating an "office" look. Since I take photos as a hobby, I already had a decent camera that my group could use. So, to film, we used the Nikon D3100 for most of our opening shots. Here's where our props came to play. 

    As you can see, we decided to play around with angles. I suggested that we could do a bird's eye view so the audience can see the photos of Carlos and office supplies. However, since I don't have professional equipment, the shot came out with a handheld style. Luckily, on iMovie, which will be the software we'll use to edit, there's an option that can correct the jerkiness. As for now, I think my group and I are on track! 

Post-Poned

      From the title, I am pretty sure you know my group and I had gone through a lack of communication for the shoot we planned. Unfortunately, we all knew we wanted to shoot our film opening this weekend yet we didn't establish an exact time or even checked in with our main character. However, aside from our time mix-up we were all busy with other family events.

     Luckily, we have a three day weekend coming up and we thought it'd be perfect to film then. So, in this blog post I thought I'd talk about the importance of time management. The reason why I think it's important specifically for this project, is because the film opening isn't something you can do over night. It is a process! Whether it's in the planning, the research, or the editing. It all has to be done correctly, and to do things correctly, you must have enough time to do so. Thankfully, it was a mutual decision to move our filming time, so none of were really disappointed, but now we have to catch up with the class. Also, this extra time we have, doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, now we have more time to perfect anything we were unsure about.

    For example, Gaby suggested on Thursday that we should start planning out our film opening shot by shot on the story board templates we were given in class. Isabel and I agreed and did so, but, we started having ideas pop up in the middle of our planning, leaving our story board out of order. One of those ideas was adding in a close up shot of Carlos's chaser's hand on the mouse of the computer because we thought it would intrigue our audience. Unwelcomely, it left us confused on where to squeeze in that idea since we had already established the beginning. So now, we had to start over our storyboard.

    So, on Monday, we should be able to all agree and build our film opening with a final draft. Then, it would make the film process incredibly simple. We would just have to follow the guide we constructed together. Hopefully, we won't have to make any changes, but most likely there will be. Maybe the location might alter a couple of our shots. We''ll have to see until then.


citations:

• Sasson, Remez. "Remez Sasson." Success Consciousness Blog on Self Improvement and Achieving Success. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Planning

          Last class, it seems as if Isa, Gaby, and I started to really plan out what our story would be about, which is great! For now, we wanted to get into detail on exactly how we would shoot it.
Anyway, today (Thursday) we all decided it would be ideal to really reflect on the camera techniques we were taught all year. To start off, we brainstormed so ways we could emphasize mystery. Immediately I thought of the hand-held movement and how it could be used in the part where we wanted Carlos to be chased. Gaby and Isabel agreed and thought it could help show the movement and feel that Carlos was feeling. So, we began writing down each detail that came to mind with each shot.
          For the scene with the headquarters of his "chaser," we wanted several candid photos of Carlos hung up all over the room. In order for our audience to have a clearer view and understanding that the photos all are of Carlos, we settled for several jump cuts of different pictures. Along with the jump cuts, we would pair the hand held movement again to add suspense. Another detail that we considered in our planning process would be lighting. According to this article, light can determine the mood of your film. Which makes sense, the brighter, the happier. In most horror films, for example, we never see a murder scene in a bright, well-lit area, in fact, this is where lighting plays a role.

For example notice  the comparison below.

    From the diagram above, when we look at the "high-key" side of the actor, we can see that the lighting is nice and bright making it look inviting and clear. However, on the "low-key" side the lighting is limited, enforcing shadow play, making the actor look mysterious and gloomy. So, based off of the diagram and my research, I applied it to the film opening we wanted to do. For our headquarters scene, we decided that our only source of light should only come from the computer screens and maybe a lamp for extra light that wouldn't be seen. Until then, we'll see how things work out!

citations: 

• "Importance of Lighting in Video Production." Knice Creative. N.p., 03 June 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.
• "HIGH KEY, LOW KEY, LIGHTING, CONTRAST Free Cinematography Tutorial VIDEO PRODUCTION Film School Online, FilmSchoolOnline.com, Online Film School, Lou LaVolpe, Louis La Volpe." HIGH KEY, LOW KEY, LIGHTING, CONTRAST Free Cinematography Tutorial VIDEO PRODUCTION Film School Online, FilmSchoolOnline.com, Online Film School, Lou LaVolpe, Louis La Volpe. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Inspiration Has Struck

          Today I had a little moment of clarity. In my past posts, I have been struggling to find out what exactly my story would be about. However, today in my english class I was inspired. For about a week now, we have been reading a book called, "Kindred" by Octavia Butler. So far, the book is about the main character (Dana) having the ability to travel through time. We specifically read a part in the book where Dana is explaining where she comes from to her great grandfather who is twelve. She time travels to the year 1815 whenever her great grandfather (Rufus) is in trouble.

          Anyway, as she's explaining that people of color can marry whites and that slaves are free, he says that she's crazy and that it's 1815 everywhere. I immediately was interested on how Dana began to explain future presidents and when states became part of the United States. So, then an idea sparked in me! What if the story I was looking for was about time travel? But instead of the 1800s, maybe the 1960s? Or any era really.. I'd have to discuss that with my group.

         To really deepen my understanding on the topic of time travel, I thought it'd be appropriate to do some research. According to this article, time travel has been a popular topic in science fiction. Apparently, it's possible but it's beyond our current technical abilities. The same article discusses the concept of time and how it works. For example, the text states how time works and how scientists like Albert Einstein claimed that time was just an illusion.

         However, Gaby, Isabel, and I decided that in order to film time travel effects, we would need advanced technology. So, we went back to where we started.. with the topic of mystery. We began to brainstorm some way that we could interest our audience. We thought of parties, crime, low lighting, and other techniques that could spark anticipation. Finally, I came up with the concept of someone being chased, in camera angles like bird's eye and mid shots. I also thought that combining a hand held movement would let the audience feel as if they were being chased too.

       So, we thought... okay, so one of our friends is being chased.. but by who and why? That's when Isa brought up an office located in my house. It's small, and full of computers, since my father is a computer engineer. She thought that we could use my parents' office as an HQ for our main character's "chaser." Gaby then mentioned that we could use all the computers to have our main character's social media open along with several photos him being printed on the walls. I mentioned contacting a friend of ours named Carlos Leon to play our main character.

     To organize our ideas, we took some storyboard templates that our teacher provided us with, to plan out every single shot that we had in mind along with a small description. Then we thought, when should we shoot this and where? Eventually, we all decided to go to Ft. Lauderdale in the afternoon, this Saturday to begin our filming process along with our friend. I hope things go as planned!



citations:

• Contributor, Elizabeth Howell Space.com. "Time Travel: Theories, Paradoxes & Possibilities."Space.com. N.p., 21 June 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

     

Thought Process II

       As for now, I still didn't know quite where to start. So, I decided to do some research on how to plan a film. According to this article, the first few sentences talk about how your story must be clear.. which was exactly what I was expecting. The author also states that if your incapable of writing out your story in a couple sentences then maybe you should go back and try to revise it.

     I went further into my research and went ahead and found an article about storytelling. "Why must you tell THIS story?" "What's the belief in you that this story feeds off of?" are a few questions that are stated in this article. What's specifically interesting about this article is that the advice come from Pixar Animation Studios. An animation studio affiliated with Disney! And of course, everyone has seen at least one Disney movie. My point is, that's exactly what Disney/Pixar does. Their movies are memorable and unique.

    So then I came up with a couple of topics my story could address.

• religion
• politics
• history
• gender equality
• culture
• pollution
• technology
• racism 

With these topics in mind, I also thought it was appropriate to think of location as well.

• the ocean
• New York City
• a nightclub
• a meadow
• a mall
• Disney World (amusement park)
• carnival
• school

Overall, I think my group and I should be on track, and by the end of this week, I believe we'll come up with a strong story in class. 

citations:

• Bernstein, Paula. "Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling Presented with Film Stills from Pixar Films."IndieWire. N.p., 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
• Barrance, Tom. "Planning Your Film." Learn about Film. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
• Sharma, Enakshi. "5 Storytelling Techniques From Films To Make Your Brand Remarkable."Brandanew: Content Marketing & Branding Services. N.p., 02 July 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.

     

Thought Process

    The search continues.. it seems as if my group and I have decided on a few genres. But .. today I thought it'd be necessary to find out more about how story and character (plot) help develop a movie. As stated in this article, "The objective of Pixar is to combine creative talent and proprietary technology to create computer animated films with heartwarming and memorable stories and characters." From this, we can infer that the whole purpose of film making is to tell a story along with characters that draw the audience in. Without a story, there is no point in shots, angles, mise-en-scene, and sound. So, I thought of some interesting personalities I could incorporate in my "mysterious" genre. 

        1) An old homeless Vietnam veteran who enjoys reading old books
        2) A teenage prostitue 
        3) An African-American man in his mid-thirties who works professionally in the city but parties at night 


    Sadly, neither of these are sparking any inspiration in me. Maybe, I should think of location first? Where will this story take place? Perhaps in the city of Ft. Lauderdale or Miami? Or it could take place in the subarbs of Weston or Pembroke Pines. According to this article, the author claims that after your script has been approved one should be careful in choosing a film location. It also says that your location MUST match your script in order to bring your story to life! So, I began to think ... well before I even chose a location I need to brainstorm some topics that then lead to stories. 
       Moreover, I always have a hard time beginnning a big project. In order to understand the small details, I should get the big picture. What exactly am I doing? Well... I'm making a film opening with the techniques I've learned all year. Now, how exactly will I make this film opening? 

Citations:

•  Resources, FMF. "For Filmmakers: Keep In Mind These Six Things Before Choosing A Film Location." Filmmakers Fans. N.p., 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.
• "Importance." PIXAR. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.
• Empire, Team. "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters." Empire. Bauer Media Group., 06 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

The Beginning

           Since I chose to do the film opening for my project, I decided it was best to do some research on popular genres used in movies today. According to this article, it seems as if the top five genres are action, adventure, comedy, crime, and drama. This suggests that the most common genres (in North America) are genres that mostly any age group can watch. I also found that technology takes on a huge role in film making. Technology today has allowed us to film in higher definition, better animation technology, and use advanced editing software. In other words, new tech devices have made the film making process faster and easier as stated in this article. Moreover, the film making process wasn't the only task that was made easier. The actual distribution, editing, and cost benefit as well.

            As of now, what interests me the most for a genre is mystery and possibly historical fiction. The problem with historical fiction is that I'd have to keep in mind about mise-en-scene, make up, and location. And, as of now, I don't think there are major events that took place near me (South Florida). Anyway, we first thought that historical fiction that we could do something based off the mystery of Amelia Earhart, but soon realized we aren't allowed to base our movie on an event that really happened. So, we then thought of WWII movies or the movie Titanic where the movie is based on a real event but the main story is made-up.
     
            We then discussed our other genre of interest — mystery. We came up with a party setting, where students were drinking and having fun. To make it more "mysterious" we thought of even adding a young girl being drugged with several jump cuts between the girl and the party. But, we then decided it might have been too inappropriate for school.

            Furthermore, for a "mysterious" vibe I considered the American Television series, American Horror Story's first season introduction as shown above. I liked the way Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk used low lighting and flickers of light to add suspense. I also thought it was interesting how simple the soundtrack was to the introduction was. As of now, my group members and I remain undecided with what our film will be about, however, we have decided on two major genres.
         



citations:

• Dirks, Tim. "Main Film Genres." Main Film Genres. AMC, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

• Matthau, Charles. "How Tech Has Shaped Film Making: The Film vs. Digital Debate Is Put to Rest." Wired. Conde Nast, 06 Aug. 2015. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

• All Products Require an Annual Contract.    Prices Do Not Include Sales Tax    (New York Residents Only). The Reduced Price / Month Applies to. "Movie Genres by Box Office Revenue in North America 2017 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

• Moore, Rose. "15 Things You Didn't Know About Titanic." Screen Rant. N.p., 06 Apr. 2016. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.

• ""Amelia"." The Official Website of Amelia Earhart. Family of Amelia Earhart, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2017.