Byrdie baby!

The time has finally come. Without further ado, here's Byrdie:
https://vimeo.com/407450605
password: byrdiefilmopening

reflection time

Since I'm coming close to the end now, I figured it was time for a little reflection. The very first realization that comes to mind is that working within the space where I'm going to be shooting is extremely helpful, at least for me. The shot ideas that I came up with while I was on the set were easier to realize because I knew how much space I had and could test it out with the camera. I feel like that might some sort of backwards logic, location first then shot lists, but it ended up working for me. I think it works that way because since I don't have a huge budget I just have to work with the room and resources I have. Anyway, the point is I now know to keep the space I'm working with in mind when planning a scene. I also realized that I love working with music. Like love. The part I was most excited about when I was editing was the beginning where Byrdie's movements and the cuts sync up with the music. It's so satisfying I'm definitely going to keep doing it. Another thing I learned is that plans always change. And I'm not saying this because of corona; actually, looking back I think my film opening would've changed even if both of my actresses had been able to act. I've realized that there's just always another way to do things and even if change is kind of anxiety-inducing sometimes it's for the best. This is probably a good reason for why I need to work on time management and have back-up plans ready, to be more prepared. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

making changes💥

Hello, I am a crazy person who changes plans like five days before her project is due. Okay, let me explain. So I was thinking about how the opening ends and I decided that having Byrdie go back to her studio, try to work on her painting, and ultimately stopping doesn't make sense. I feel like that sort of level of frustration or lack of inspiration wouldn't make sense in a film so early on. It also puts a downer on the whole scene and doesn't really entice people to keep watching. Plus, it introduces the character as someone who gives up easily which is not who I want Byrdie to be. So my solution is to go back to my old house for the third time and record a different ending. I've already edited about a minute and forty seconds and I have the timing planned out so I think making this change won't be that hard. I'm going to go shoot footage tomorrow so updates then!

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Wait I just realized I forgot to explain the change. Basically I'm going to have the main character talk to herself in the mirror after social media, saying something along the lines of "Paint something great." It'll be longer than that, of course, but the idea's that she puts pressure on herself after comparing herself to people online. So to be clear, Byrdie paints to the music, goes to the bathroom, spends time on social media, talks to herself in the mirror, and walks out the bathroom. Okay, now I say updates tomorrow.

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Heyyy, it's the next day. I recorded the ending and now it's time to edit it in. It took me longer than I expected but that's mostly because I kept re-watching the footage I had already edited and nit picking. Then, I sat in the bathroom tub thinking about whether or not my opening was even good after getting tired of trying to find the right position for my tripod. But I finished. It might not be the absolute best but I took a lot of takes so hopefully some of them will work. Now I just have to finish editing all the main things and send the video to the music publishers. They've signed off on me using the song since it's going to be password-protected on vimeo but they just need to make sure nothing insane happens. Anyway, next time I'm on here I'll probably be reflecting and then I'll be posting my official film opening!

another update/filming day 2

I don't really know what to call these posts anymore. Everything is just an update since it's only really editing and CCR stuff from here on out. Today I went back to get some more footage and it went pretty smoothly but I don't feel satisfied and I don't know why. But there's a stay-at-home order that becomes effective tonight so this could be the last time I get footage. I feel unsure of this project and I don't really know why. I think I just need to finish and get constructive criticism. On a brighter note, I've decided to change the way I'm editing the part of my opening where Byrdie's on her phone. In Eighth Grade there's this scene where Kayla's on her phone and videos of what's on her screen are layered over close-ups of her. I thought this was a really great way to show visually how submerged Kayla is in social media while clearly displaying the content on her phone so I think I'm going to try something similar. I found a song to play in the background for that part, too. It's copyright free but it's not from the youtube library because I couldn't find anything I liked on there. Instead I signed up on Artlist for free and downloaded a song called Blanket. Since I'm using the free version of Artlist the song is interrupted every ten seconds with an automated voice promoting Artlist but I can edit that out. Oh, and I forgot to mention this on my post about filming day one but I found a video that gives instructions on how to achieve a "cinematic look" with your camera settings so I'll link that here.

update:)

Hello it's a Wednesday night and I'm currently editing the film opening. I like the way the painting montage is coming along and seeing all the shots cut to the beat of the music is especially satisfying but every time I play it back I feel like the timing is slightly off. I might just be over thinking it so I'm going to send it to someone else who can judge it for me. Speaking of sending things, I have to send the final product to the music publishing company soon so they can approve of the content but I think this mean's I'm getting the rights to the Vampire Weekend song! Also I feel like there's some shots that need to be redone so I'm going back tomorrow to re-do them.

Anyways, here are some stills that haven't been color-graded yet. To be honest I've played around with it and I don't really know what I'm going to do as far as color grading or if I'll even do it at all.

(I plan on adding the words "Directed by Sara Moreno" 

on this shot once the lense is totally covered in paint)

revamp

I went back to my old house today to try to reorganize the set and figure the shots out. I realized that the space was too tight to be able to work in because there was all this stuff on the floor to give it that "messy studio look" but since the camera doesn't really capture what's on the floor it excluded half of the set. At first I didn't know how to fix that since I didn't have any sort of table. So I went down stairs to snoop around and see what I could figure out and I came across three old yellow kitchen chairs in the backyard, which worked out pretty well since yellow's my main character's color. So I cleaned them, took them inside, and used them to prop up all the things I had lying on the ground (artist briefcase, a basket, a painting, etc.) Then I took a small stool I had borrowed from my mom and used it to elevate the paintings so I could get them in the shot. Lastly, the walls were pretty empty so I brought some posters and magazine pages to put up and add to the look.

Next was figuring out my shot list. Again. Getting pretty used to making those but I don't mind. I decided to make a clear shot list for the painting scene because, even though I had a good idea of what I wanted from when I storyboarded the scene with the Grizzly song, I figured I needed to be organized for the next time I film. I also wanted to figure out what shots were possible with the space and equipment I had so I tested out a couple camera positions/movements as I thought of them. I think planning things within the space I was going to be working in was probably one of my best decisions. Not only did it help me stay focused but it helped me figure out shots more quickly and keep them realistic. I did the same with shot listing the part of the film opening after my painting montage, the part where Byrdie goes into the bathroom and scrolls through social media before attempting to paint again. I don't really know why I split it into two different shot lists but it just sort of makes sense in my brain.

Anyway, the bathroom shots were pretty simple to come up with but I realized that the lighting didn't look that great so I think I'm going to bring in some colored plastic sheets to use as gels. I'm thinking of using green since it could be interpreted as envy (Byrdie getting jealous at others while on social media) but I don't have that much green and it usually comes out as this sort of ugly looking yellow so I'm not sure. I could also try out magenta or purple because I have a lot of that color. I know pinks and purples aren't really associated with negativity but I'll look cool and moody paired with the current light bulbs. I just want there to be a contrast between the bright art studio and the bathroom because that's where her internal struggle comes into play.

I'm tired. But I'm happy I got a lot done today, it makes me feel calmer about having to change my film opening. Ending this post with pictures of the shot lists as well as the new and improved set:

(sorry the shot lists are messy and don't really make sense but not that sorry because I can still understand them :) )

filming day 1

Today was a bust. We got to the house around 1pm but then I spent about an hour adding things to the set and painting the blank canvas. Then I started teaching my dad how I wanted the camera to move but it took a while to properly explain. Plus, I discovered that if I don't give him specific instructions on what to do he just kind of ends up doing what he feels is best. My solution to this was to just have him record still shots of the scene but we barely got anything done.
Anyways Jinelle got there around 2pm and then we practiced our lines for about an hour and a half which went well. However, once we started filming it felt like I continuously had to rearrange the set because of issues with the blocking. Also, looking over the footage I realized that the camera barely captures the set because so many of the props are on the ground. Jinelle's acting also felt stiff, not just according to me but to my dad too. That wasn't completely on her though, it felt like my script wasn't good enough and took longer than the time I had estimated. I hate the fact that there's so much dialogue and it only feels mediocre. Even if I were to replace Jinelle with someone more comfortable in front of a camera, I'm still not sure if I'd be happy with it. I've heard people say that the purest form of storytelling is without words but I've also come to appreciate screenwriting; however, I don't think I've quite mastered it so maybe I shouldn't be writing two-person conversation for half my film opening. On the other hand, I've realized that I'm not too bad at acting so maybe I could do a monologue? I don't know. I'm stressed. I'm going to go watch Shaun of the Dead and come back later with a fresh mindset.
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Update: I watched Shaun of the Dead. Cool film. Anyways, I have a new idea! There will be no monologue because in the end if I don't feel good about my script for two people I probably won't feel good about a script for one. Instead the scene is going to go like this: Byrdie is painting to the music, Byrdie has to pee so she stops, she goes to the bathroom and ends up surfing social media like most do, she goes back to her studio and tries to pick up back on her painting but doesn't feel too good anymore so she leaves the studio. Lots of action, no dialogue. I think it's going to be harder to make this scene more interesting because of that but I also think it'll come out better. In the film Eighth Grade Kayla doesn't outwardly say she's anxious about her social life and seeking approval on social media. Instead, the film shows her scrolling on her phone late at night and how social media affects her thinking. So I think I'm going to go for something like that. I still have a lot to plan but I'm going back to the house tomorrow to try to make another shot list. Updates soon!