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!

costume design

So it's the day before filming!!! Ahhhhh! So tonight I'm deciding what she's going to wear. There's no "real" way an artist dresses and I know the way people my age dress so I think this is more about what I want the character to be than it is about research. But that doesn't mean I'm throwing everything I've learned out the window either, I've got my color theory notes! Looking though them I've decide I want my character to wear yellow because it's associated with brightness and satisfaction. I figure that as the film goes on and Byrdie becomes more engulfed by her frustration and desire for validation, the shades of yellow will get paler or maybe she'll start wearing a darker color. So here's the outfit I came up with:

Also picked out this colorful knit sweater. Not exactly sure how I'm going to fit it in but I feel like it'd be a shame not to include it; it's definitely something I could see a painter wearing. Plus, I think it'll look good on camera since the walls are a cream color. Also, I texted Jinelle and told her to wear blue because cool tones are suppose to be tranquil and her character is suppose to be a calm friend. That's all for this post. I'll be back after my first filming day!

shot lists again

Saturday is filming day numero uno!!! I'm excited but also kind of nervous. I don't know if Saturday will be the only filming day but if we're being realistic probably not. Anyways, a while back I storyboarded the first half of the scene but that was also back when I thought I was going to get the rights to that Grizzly Bear song. However, I'm not too worried I think I can switch a couple shots around and still make it work for a completely different song. Speaking of which...I think I might be getting the rights to Campus by Vampire Weekend, fingers crossed though! Okay, so back to shot lists. The part I never planned out was the dialogue half of the scene so that's what I did today. First, I printed out the script (which, side note, I ended up making some simple changes to...again.) And then I went along the script making notes on the side about how I wanted the shots to look.

Here's a pic:

Also the paper on the right is the one I was using to draw out the blocking and camera movements. It's messy but hey, it makes sense to me. I'll probably end up using that paper to explain the camera shots to my dad, who will be helping me film everything. Anyhow, once I knew what I wanted I wrote it all down somewhat neatly.

(the squares are suppose to represent the room's four walls)

And voila! I'm done. I really hope everything turns out the way I have it in my head.

setting up

Hello! Today I went to my old house to turn my old room into a makeshift art studio. I borrowed the easel, paintings, and one of the briefcases and the rest was just things I found lying around the house.
Once I started trying to organize all the props I suddenly forgot what an art studio looked like so I looked it up and realized that I needed to make my set look super messy and a little crowded. I also realized that most studios have tables to put their things on but I don't have that so I just used a couple small step ladders instead. Here are some pics:

And here's a clip of me setting it up:














And here's a picture of the final product:

:-)

i've been saved

This is going to be a short one but I have some very good news. Drum roll please...........My friends Jinelle said she could act in my opening! She will now be playing the part of Olivia and I will be playing the part of Byrdie. Also, I think I'll get my dad to help me out with the camera work. Funnily enough, he made a joke a couple days ago about being my camera operator so now that's coming to fruition. I'm worried about meeting up with someone but I can't really find a way around it at this point. I know I've been safe, staying home and washing my hands constantly so I just have to hope Jinelle has been to. She probably has; she's studying to be a doctor so it'd be kind of ironic if she weren't taking this seriously. Anyways, we're filming this Saturday, the 28th, which is a little later than I would've liked but she has work on the weekdays and she's my only hope so I guess the 28th it is. I hope she's a good actress. I asked her and she said she was decent so let's take that as a good sign.

corona sucks

WARNING: RANT AHEAD

I can't believe I'm living though a pandemic, very weird. It feels like everything has either been shut down or put on pause except for going to the grocery store. I'll admit it, I kind of like quarantine. I've actually been working out, watching films, and dedicating time to a couple other personal projects. I'm really lucky to be able to relax during quarantine while others have to worry about work, their health, their family members. But this post isn't about that. This post is about corona. I hate corona. All it does is make things harder for me. Both of my actresses dropped out so I'm probably going to have to act as the main character myself and relinquish control of the camera to someone else, which I hate. I also have no idea on what I'm going to do about the second half of the opening. You know, the part with dialogue. I guess a monologue? Maybe I could try to use my mom instead of a friend for the dialogue half but she has a thick accent so I'm thinking she could say her lines in Spanish. Surprise! It's a foreign film now. If I use my mom I'd also probably have to rewrite the script to make it a mother daughter conversation instead. She got surgery recently though so she's on crutches and it's going to be kind of hard to provide an explanation for that in my opening. Also, I think including another language in my film could also switch up my target audience. I don't know. Oh, and to make matters worse none of the music licensing companies have gotten back to me so I haven't even properly planed how I'm going to shoot the fist half. And now that everyone is going into quarantine I have a feeling that the process to get my request accepted is going to be even slower. I checked out copyright free music from Youtube but it kind of sucked so I won't be using that. I'm also worried that there's going to be some sort of government-issued stay-at-home order because I was planning to film at my old house. I only started thinking about that because that happened in Illinois, where my sister lives. But probably not. Florida's government doesn't seem very proactive during this time. The good news is that I got an extension!! April 12th. At first I was super happy about this but then my brain turned on me and I started freaking out about how I wasn't going to be able to come out with a good film opening. So I don't know. This whole thing makes me feel anxious and when I feel anxious I usually put things off. But I can't really do that in this case because I have a deadline...So, I guess I'll just have to push through.

genre conventions and representation

More CCR stuff! I'm realizing that I've done this out of order since my last post answers question number two and this one focuses on question number one but oh well.

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

So I'll start by discussing genre conventions. I made a whole post about drama and it's conventions and sub-categories back in February as well as a post examining a couple dramedy film openings so I'll just summarize what I wrote. The main conventions include:

-ordinary people going through an intense journey

-major character development

-simple plots

-center around the idea that something is either being lost or has to be obtained/achieved

-everyday settings

The genre conventions I use:

My film fits most of these conventions. It follows the story of a young artist who wants recognition, specifically on social media, in order to feed her desire for validation. Throughout the film she would realize how this limits her and learn to truly do things for herself. She's an ordinary person who goes through major character development and the plot is fairly simple. I chose to embrace a simple plot because I want the film to focus on emotional themes and development of the main character. Similarly, I also included everyday settings.

The genre conventions I challenge:

Although my protagonist, Byrdie, is an ordinary person, she does not go through an extremely intense journey. She does learn a lot and evolve as a person but there's no insane antagonist making her life harder or tragedy disrupting her world. Similarly, she doesn't lose anything nor does she want to achieve something concrete. Of course, she wants attention and recognition but the film doesn't focus on her journey to achieve a specific goal, like say becoming the best student at an art school. I didn't include these conventions because the need for validation doesn't take most people through a crazy intense journey. It more so pokes at us every time we feel like we haven't earned it. I wanted my film to represent that, so it could be more relatable to audiences and hopefully connect to them. Also, most dramas centered around teens focus on whatever's happening with them at school but my film doesn't really focus on using that as a setting because A) it isn't very relevant to the plot and B) I felt that showing someone struggle with their craft was more universal than showing high-school scenarios.

Representation:

There's two groups I'm representing here: young people and artists. And the issue that I'm dealing with is social media. So let's start off by talking about how my film will represent teens and young adults. Young people are often represented as angsty, indifferent, depressed, or angry at the world around them but my film doesn't do that at all. From the very start of the film Byrdie is established as a relatively happy person. Not only will my opening show her passion but it will include bright lighting, upbeat music, colorful clothing, and witty dialogue to indicate her state-of-mind. 

The other group I'm representing is artists. Most films show artists as crazy geniuses or people with an insatiable hunger for success (think Whiplash.) However, this isn't how I represent my main character. This isn't to say Byrdie isn't good at what she does or doesn't care about succeeding. She is good and she does care but, my film doesn't make her out to be a manic and tortured artist. It avoids the glorification of mental illnesses in artists and just shows a passionate girl doing what she loves the most. It also acknowledges an internal conflict of wanting to make art for yourself but also wanting others to appreciate it which is something I think is common for artists but isn't really discussed because caring about what others think of your art is viewed as desperate or weak...which it can be but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be acknowledged...Also she's a girl. I can only think of one film that shows a female artist and it's Frida. It's time for that to stop.

As far as representing social media my film shows how it can effect a person's confidence in themselves and frustrate them as well as its invasiveness. When asked about social media Byrdie's slight obsession with social media is revealed and later on when she can't access Instagram due to poor wifi she shows clear irritation. The odd part is that painting shouldn't have anything to do with technology. Yet, it does. In my film social media seeps so far into Byrdie's life that it begins to affect the way she views her work, which should have nothing to do with social media.

distribution

Hello! In my last post I figured out who my target audience is and what they want from my/ why someone would watch my film. In this post I will be focusing on how my product engages with said audience and how I would distribute it.

My Target Audience

My target audience falls into the teen/young adult category. They often consume media through streaming services and social media using handheld devices or laptops. Since they tend not to have a very high income they prefer consuming media for as cheap as possible. Example: Using 123movies instead of renting a film on amazon. 

Engaging with My Audience

In order to relate to my audience I included the topic of social media in my film. The main character, Byrdie, is dealing with her desire for validation, which manifests itself through her relationship with social media. This allows my audience to connect with the main character because they'll be able to see themselves in her, or at least have a certain level of sympathy. The film Eighth Grade serves as a good example of how this would work. My use of costume design and dialogue would also help by making the main character seem like a genuinely cool, artsy girl, which is something my audience could look up to. Another way I plan on engaging my target audience is through music and art. Teens and young adults tend to be very big on self expression since that's usually the time to find yourself, or whatever you want to call it. So, having the first 50 seconds of the film focus on a painting montage set to music will bode well for me, especially since the synergy created by partnering with musical artists would further promote the film. This has also been done throughout films like Baby Driver, which was praised for it's creative use of a soundtrack. 

Making My Film Available

As I previously stated, my target audience may not have that much money, and I'm not trying to get them to spend it. So, I would make my film available online on free sites like Vimeo and Youtube. Vimeo would serve the purpose of getting my film out to other creative-minded people who would enjoy watching a film about an artist, whereas Youtube, a site especially popular among my target audience, would serve the purpose of making sure the film could be easily discoverable. To promote it, I would not only post about it on my account and reach out to friends, but also send it to small magazines that I've made connections with in the past. These magazines are not only run by teens and young adults but followed by them too, so this would work out great for me in terms of distributing to my audience. Lastly, I would enter my film in festivals and of course, enter it in my school's annual film festival. Other film festivals include: Short Cuts, All American High School Film Festival, and The South Florida Student Film Festival (SFSFF).

defining my target audience

I figured I should go ahead and identify my target audience in order to make sure I'm all ready for when I have to do my CCR so that's what I'll be doing today. As always, I have no idea what I'm doing so I looked up "how to find my film's target audience" and read the article How to uncover the proper target audience for your film, which explains things step-by-step. The first thing it asks you to do is determine why your film is unique or worth watching, so I took a piece of paper and did exactly that. Then it asked me to redefine the concept so I picked out the key things my film will have.

Here's the paper I wrote on:

Then, the article instructed that I conduct a search on my audience by making a list of publications that have readers who would be interested in my film and asking them for their demographics. However, since I want to determine my target audience now rather than wait for editors to get back to me, a high school student creating a two-minute project, I decided to research my target audience some other way and stumbled upon a presentation that discussed target audience. It discussed the users and gratifications theory as well as the 4C's by Young and Rubicam. So, I looked up both of those concepts (click here for video on users and gratifications theory) and tried to incorporate them when determining my TA.

The 4C's
(Click here for the website where I found the chart)

After reading through each type I decided that my audience would probably consist of reformers and explorers because those would be the types of groups interested in art. Explorers tend to be younger and reformers tend to have a higher education but since younger audiences probably haven't pursued a higher education yet I won't define my TA as having a higher level income.

Users and Gratifications
In short, there are about 4 reasons we consume media:
-Surveillance (to satisfy our curiosity)
-Personal Identity (to discover who we are, relate to the text, etc)
-Personal relationships (to feel less lonely, make friends through knowledge of the text, etc)
-Diversion/escapism
I figured that my film probably satisfies the audience's need for personal identity because it focuses on the need for validation, a universal theme. Furthermore, it tackles how social media can come into play with this need, which is something audiences members can relate to, especially younger ones. Also, since my film serves the purpose of being relatable, my target audience will probably also be female just like my main character. After all, gender is somewhat relevant within the art world given that women have been discriminated against all throughout art history.
I also figured my film satisfies the audience's need for diversion because I plan on including subtle comedic relief. I guess that also points to a younger target audience because younger generations tend to look for media that entertains them more.

So, after thorough examination, I've identified my target audience as:
-between the ages of 14-24
-female
-lower income/looking to pursue higher education
-consuming my film for personal identity

Edit: I don't know if all this information will come into play when doing my CCR but it's better to be over-prepared than not prepared at all, right?

naming my baby

The time has come...I have to come up with a title for my film. I haven't really prioritized this just because I rather focus on bigger tasks first, but every time I fill out a synchronization license request it seems like the little box labeled "Production title" is taunting me. So, today I am forcing myself to come up with a title.

To start, I looked up "how to name your film" and ended up with a couple articles: Movie Title Ideas: 3 Ways To Come Up With Cooler Titles, Top Ten Tips For Titling Your Movie, and How to Write Screenplay Titles That Don't Suck.

I skimmed all three and learned the following:
-keep it simple
-have the title reflect the genre
-have it make sense when accompanied by the logline/fit into the general story being told
-make sure it's not already taken
-try to come up with a title based off the character, setting, or situation/feeling

Since the setting isn't essential to my story I'm not naming it ruling that method out. Instead I'm going to brainstorm a couple of words related to situation/feeling.
-----
Okay I did it. I think naming my film off of a situation/feeling is a dead end. Maybe if I had more of the plot set up I could come up with something but I feel like there's not too many feelings or situations established within the first two minutes that I can work with, other than social media and validation. I did, however, manage to come up with one title: 'The art of the algorithm'. I don't love it and I can't tell why; maybe it's too on the nose but, hey, it's a start.

Now, I'm going to try out basing the title off of the main character Kiara. I think is the best method since many dramdies are named after the main character (Juno, Forrest Gump, Lady Bird, etc). There's two ways I can go about doing this: I can name the film after the character herself or use a description of the character. The name Kiara itself it too plain to be a movie title so maybe I can give her a nickname and just put that in the script instead of Kiara. Back to brainstorming...
----
I'm back and brainstorming was a bust. So, instead I went onto amazon prime and started watching Lady Bird because, despite citing it earlier in this post, I hadn't seen it. At first glance one could mistake this as "procrastination" or "avoiding challenges" or whatever you want to call it but, upon closer examination one would realize that this was simply my way of getting over a creative block, and it worked! The name Lady Bird made me think that "Birdie" could be a fitting nickname and then I remembered that I followed a girl on Instagram named Jaden Byrd and how she had her username as @byrdiiee and how I always liked it. Basically what I'm getting at is that my character will be named Kiara Byrd, aka Byrdie, which will be the name of my film. I like 'Byrdie' more than 'The art of the algorithm' but maybe that's just me so I decided to take a poll. So far Byrdie is winning and I have a feeling it'll stay that way.

Side note: here's the paper I was brainstorming on

who will play who?

I've found my artsy queen!!! Her name's Hannah Miller and I've never met her in real life. Ever since I figured out what my film opening was going to be about I've been bothering my friend Teresa to act in it because A, we're good friends, and B, she's really into theater. However, after showing her the script she thought her friend, Hannah would be better for the role. She told me Hannah's good at playing quirky, witty characters, which bodes well for me because although I don't want my character to be super eccentric or upbeat I do want her to be a bit of a smart ass. So I got her number and hit her up. She seems reliable, or at the very least answers back faster than I do. She was also really nice and seemed pretty enthusiastic so I'm looking forward to shooting with her.

I also got my friend Kathy to play the supporting character. Originally, I was considering asking Kathy to play the main character but since I had been counting on Teresa at the time and never ran into her during school I never asked. Then I found Hannah. Then I asked Teresa to play the supporting character and she ended up saying no. That's when I remembered I could ask Kathy, who does theater here at Cypress. So, I reached out to her today and she said yes! My only problem now is that I'm considering switching the roles. I know Kathy pretty well and she naturally looks like an artsy character whereas I've never met Hannah. But I Teresa vouched for Hannah's acting and I've never even seen Kathy act before. Actually as I'm writing this I'm realizing that I never clearly explained the scene or the roles they would play, just gave a quick summary of what my film was about. Okay, note to self: be more clear when casting people...or just in general. Anyway, I have to make a choice soon because I need to send them the script so they can prepare. I'm going to go with my gut and choose Kathy as the main character and Hannah as the supporting character.

One last thing: now that I've decided their parts and written the script, I need to choose their names. I've chosen the names Kiara for the main character and Olivia for the supporting character. I've always liked the name Kiara; it's not generic but isn't super obscure so people can remember it. And I chose Olivia because it's still a nice name but doesn't overshadow Kiara plus, after seeing a picture of her, I just think Hannah could pass as an Olivia. I still have to decide on the name for the film, but that's for another blog post.

typing noises

I've been putting it off but I finally finished. I wrote the script to my film opening. I think the reason I put it off is because writing can be intimidating, and I don't want the things my characters say to sound forced or unnatural. But it had to get done so without  further ado here's my script:

                     

Although I think it's a good start it might be too long, but I haven't read it aloud all the way through so I'm not sure. I'm going to do that right now and record how long it takes.

-------reading--------

Okay done! I read over it about three times. The first time lasted 55 seconds, the second 56, and the last reading lasted a whole minute. I think the last one was the most accurate because I kept the pacing more realistic. So if the portion of the opening with music lasts about 50 seconds and the dialogue lasts one minute so I'm left with 10 seconds to spare. This works well because I want to try to use up the whole two minutes of time I'm given but I also feel like I should leave some extra time in case the scene takes longer than I thought.

So I guess I don't need to cut things down. But I still want to revise my script to make sure every line has a purpose. Also, I want to make sure that the supporting character isn't confusing for the audience. What I mean by that is I want the relationship between the main character and the supporting character to be clearly platonic so that the focus can be placed on the main character and her struggles. I also want the role of the supporting character to be someone that can easily be perceived as male as well as female because I haven't casted that role yet. When I first wrote the script I was picturing a male as the supporting character but I can't guarantee that so I'm going to revise it right now. I don't know. Maybe I'm getting too in head about this. I mean, it's only a minute long and the supporting role's pretty gender neutral as it is but I think the script could be better.

-------revising--------

Okay so looking back the dialogue is pretty platonic. The more I read over it the more I try out different deliveries for each line and I'm realizing that it's just a matter of how the scene's acted out. Also, I've gone through every line and made sure that it serves a purpose to make sure the scene isn't aimless. In the end, there's not that many changes I'm making, just a bit of rephrasing so that it sounds more natural. For example, there's a line where the main character talks about her engagement on social media and instead of making her talk about the specific times at which she has the best engagement I'm going to make her talk about likes because it's more realistic. Anyways, here are my notes:

Now it's time to update my script with the minor changes. Next time: casting.

frustrated

I am so annoyed. So so so annoyed. And a little angry. Also worried. After a continuous back-and-forth through a email my request to use Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear was denied. I'll post the exchange down below:

I'm going to see if changing my request will make a difference. I really hope it does because the whole storyboard I made fits perfectly with the song and I don't want to have to change it. We'll see. It's 2:28 on March 11th. I'll be back later tonight with an update and hopefully I'll have good news.

------

Okay so I just got home and I already got a response. My request has officially been denied, something about the client not wanting to accept requests that are low-fee. If anything I thought having a small-scale project would make things easier in terms of licensing because they're be less complications but I guess not. So now I have to find a new song and request the rights for that. This time I'm going to try to make sure that I get the rights to the song before planing a whole shot list around it.

------

Update: I made a playlist of possible songs. Then, I chose two: Walking the Cow (written by Daniel Johnston but preformed by Kathy McCarty) and Campus by Vampire Weekend. You might recall Campus from one of my previous blog posts where I discussed which song I wanted to choose. Originally, I decided against it but I brought it back because it's still a good song and works for what I had in mind. Even though it's just the cover version, Walking the Cow might be a little out there but I love the song and feel like I could do something interesting with it. Anyway, I sent an email to each respective publisher. The publisher for Walking the Cow hasn't replied but the publisher for Campus replied pretty quickly so I've filled out a form and am waiting to hear back from them. If I don't have a response by tomorrow from either I'll pick another song from the playlist and request rights for it. 

I'm tired and bitter and I really really wanted the Grizzly Bear song but I guess that's just how things go sometimes. 'Till next time.

some updates

Sooo I think I might be a perfectionist. My parents have always told me this but I always sort of brushed it off because I can also be really careless. However, today I think they're right.

About two blog posts ago I recorded how I made my dolly and it went great, seemingly. But when I started practicing my camera movements I realized that the wheels didn't allow me to complete circular movements smoothly so today I set about on fixing that.

At first I thought it was the wheels themselves so I went out and bought fixed wheels instead of swirly wheels. I also only put three on, hoping it would give me more control of the dolly.

But that didn't work so then I changed the direction of the wheels.

Still not it. So then this time I swapped out the fixed wheels for the swirly wheels like I originally had it. Except this time I only put three.

Finally. It works just like I want it to. Still not perfect but it's the best I'm going to get out of a DIY.

Besides from the dolly I have a couple more updates on equipment:

The lens repair is going to cost me $300!!!! Which is the same price for a brand new lens. So, I called up my sister and she agreed to send me her old lens (same one as mine) since she never uses it anymore. I'm just hoping she'll send it in time for spring break but it shouldn't be a problem.

Also I ordered a cheap steadicam off amazon. Other than that I'll probably need to borrow a mic from my teacher but I think I'm set!

please let me use your song

I am going to be honest: I did not enjoy this. It took me way too long to figure how to get a license and my eyes hurt from looking at the screen, but hey at least I'm done.

Here's a summarized version of what I did, with all the mishaps excluded:

I googled music licensing and learned that what I need is a synchronization license. Then I found a wiki-how on how to do it.

I went on a BMI to find out the publishers for the song

Then I looked up rough trade songs music licensing

And I just followed the instructions for synchronization licenses at the bottom

Filled out the form on Word, emailed it to info @bankrobbermusic.com, and bam! All done. Now we wait.

equipped for action

Hello folks, today I am going to try to get ahead of schedule since I'm behind on storyboarding. I said I would start looking for equipment next week but since I already planned out the part of my scene that's going to have the most movement I figured I'd get a head start now. My opening has tilts, (semi-circular) tracking shots, and pans so I made a dolly and I'll probably end up building a track to go along with it. Also, I need to buy a cheap steadicam soon.
Here's how I made the dolly:

1) Buy the wheels. I choose these because they didn't really make noise when I tested them out at the store. They also swerve, which I though could be helpful for when I'm moving the dolly in a circular motion or turning it. I also bought an assortment of nuts and bolts.

 2) Get the wood and calculate how much you need for your tripod. I got this plank from home depot for free (they usually give away discarded wood in the back.) Then we cut it down to size. You need a saw for this part. Luckily, my dad's owns one so he helped me out with this part.

(Forgot to take a picture but we had a small board to cut the wood on, you'll need that too, unless you want to damage your floors.)

3) Screw on the wheels.

4) Now here's where it gets a little tricky. Strip off whatever's on the bottom of your tripod until it's just the screws. Then, drill a hole in your board for the screw to go into. Try to drill it from an angle since the legs of your tripod won't be standing straight up. Use a wrench to tighten it up.  Do this for each leg. Now, your tripod is safe and secure.

 

I don't know if this is true for all tripods but mine comes with a little ball for support. I decided to keep it on but that's just optional. Also if u wanted to skip the hassle of drilling holes and everything I guess you could just try to tape or glue the tripod on the board but I opted for this since it was more stable.

5) This is also optional but I sanded down the wheels a little bit so they would make less noise. 

Final product!!!

 

Depending on how the track is built I may have to switch my wheels but I'm not too worried about that. Also, in the midst of testing my dolly I realized that the zoom ring on my camera lens is stuck :( So, I'm getting it repaired at Camera Clinic this week. Hopefully I'll get it back within a week or so because I really don't want to have to borrow someone else's lens for filming. More news on this coming soon, 'til next time!

scribble noises

Today I'm going to be focusing on screenwriting! I have no idea what I'm doing so I figured I'd watch Eighth Grade, a film my teacher recommended I watch after telling her that my main character's desire is to receive validation despite needing to make art for herself. Eighth Grade focuses on a girl named Kayla graduating from middle school and her navigation through adolescence. Validation is also an important theme in this film and it's mainly showcased through Kayla's use of social media. Mrs.Stoklosa told me I should include social media in my film as well, which is something I had briefly thought about before but quickly decided against. Looking back 'm not sure why I did, probably because the relationship between social media and validation hit a little close to home, but after careful consideration I've decided that I will include social media in my opening.

So how do I do this...? I don't know to be honest so I checked out How to Write a Scene in Your Screenplay, an article from nofilmschool.com. In summary, characters need to have desires their denied to create a clear conflict. The article also talks about how to structure a scene but I already know my structure for my opening so this wasn't really for me. The other thing it did was lead me to How to Write a Scene by John August. There are eleven questions August asks when it comes to writing a scene and I answered most of them.

This was good for getting my structure down on paper but it felt like I didn't make any real progress until I wrote a scribble version of the scene.

A scribble version is just a messy draft so I expect this to go through a lot of changes. The red ink, by the way, was written after watching the video How To Write Great Dialogue, which I had watched a couple weeks ago but revisited after realizing that the main thing I had to focus on within my screenplay was dialogue. The video mainly deals with the importance of subtext and making sure that each line serves at least one purpose. It also mentions that writers should aim to make dialogue believable rather than realistic. This way, the audience can feel immersed in what the characters are saying without being bored since everyday, realistic conversation can be rather dull. Although I feel like I've included these elements in my scribble version I think I need to take a step back and reflect. Updates coming soon!

coming up with shots is kinda fun...storyboarding not so much

Hi, hello, and welcome back! Today I drew up the storyboard for the first 48 seconds or so of the opening. As I've mentioned before, I want the opening to consist of a montage of my main character painting with music on in the background followed by a conversation with one of her friends. So, I planned out all the shot for my painting scene. Before I get into showing the storyboard and shot list I want to discuss a couple key elements I'm trying to include in the opening:
Numero uno- Having the painter's movement sync up with the music (I think this'll reflect how when the main character is doing what she loves she's in her element)
Numero dos- Having things throw in and out of frame
Numero tres- A good amount of camera movement
Numero cuatro- Playing with non-diegetic and diegetic sound

In case you're wondering what inspired me to make some of these choices, I'll tell you. I don't remember exactly when, but I saw a youtube video on Edgar Wright and visual comedy within his films (link here.) I found it really interesting so I watched Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and even though I have some critiques for Wright on that film, I loved the way it was made! Since I choose to do a dramedy I wanted to implement some of the techniques he uses for visual comedy. To be honest, I don't think anything will be "haha laugh out loud" funny but I do think it'll add some lightness to the film so  I should be good. Besides, The Royal Tenenbaums didn't make me laugh out loud but I totally see how it's a comedy-drama. Anyways, enough of what inspires me. Let's get to the real stuff.
Here's the messy shot list I was keeping as I came up with ideas:

(less blurry when you click on it)

Here's a cleaner version of the shot list:

MC=main character

OOWO="Oh oh woaaaa-oh" 

1. Start at floor/MC's feet and tilt upwards, revealing costume (earbuds in)

2. Stop at medium shot and zoom in slowly. (POV shot from canvas) Stop when the song says OOWO for the first time. Here the actress would wobble her head a little to go with the music

3. Quick close up on paintbrush being dipped in to paint

4. Close up of brush painting on canvas. Syncs up with beat of song

5. Zoom out from previous shot and do half of a circular dolly shot to get a medium shot of MC's back to the camera. MC's head slightly moves side to side to music

6. Medium shot of the MC painting from the front. Head still moving.

7. Shot of dirty white sneakers with paint dripping on them. Hand comes into frame and dips brush in water

8. POV shot of brush swirling in water from bottom of cup

9. Medium shot of MC examining canvas. POV shot from canvas

10. Quick shot of brush picking up paint from palette

11. Back to POV medium shot. MC steps forward and paints over lens

12. Shot of MC's hand picking up a rag. This is a tracking shot that ends in a medium shot of her painting, sort of from a diagonal. She throws the rag behind her out of frame

13. Shot of the rag landing in pile of a bunch of other used rags

14. Close up of hands wiping off paint on beat to the music

15. Either extreme close up of her eyes or very tight close up with her eyes as the focal point. Pan/tracking shot of her eyes as they follow her painting on the canvas. She'll have to bend down for this

16. Circular dolly shot that reveals someone in her doorway in the back. Person shouts "hey!" three times in sync with the music but she can't hear it so they throw a rag at her and her earbuds come out, music stops. 

Side note: Everything is subject to change

Here's the storyboard:

I think this was the hardest part to plan the shots for because of the music so I hope the rest of the storyboard takes less time. Also I have to admit, I'm worried about the timing; I feel like I have a lot for just 48 seconds but I think if I plan well enough I can make it happen. I've got to cast the MC soon if I want her to learn all the exact movements. Also, I don't think the storyboard will be done by the end of this week, sadly. But on the bright side I now know my main camera movements so I can start getting equipment/researching how to DIY it. I've very tired right now. It's late. But I'm still excited. See you next time.

choosing a song

Time to choose a song! I've decided to start out with one of this week's smaller tasks to ease myself into the work. Plus, I need to chose it soon if I want to get the rights to use it. I also figured that I should choose my song before making the storyboard since the first 50 seconds or so of my opening will center around the song. By this I mean that I want the movements of my main character to sync up with the music while she's painting. In order to achieve this I need a song that includes and accentuated rhythm and percussion instruments. In addition, I want the tone to be somewhat upbeat to reflect the main character's love for painting but not too energetic. Oh, and I want to avoid songs with bold vocals because they might take attention away from what's happening on screen. I think the indie pop or indie rock genre is a good place to look for songs with those qualities, especially those from the early 2000s, so I'll be starting off with musicians like Ariel Pink, Animal Collective, etc. I actually have a playlist with these sorts of songs called "Vibe On✌" on Spotify so I'll start looking there.

Click Here for the link!

Listening....

Listening....

Still listening....

Okay I'm done! After listening to all the songs (I skipped past a lot of them after hearing the first 20 seconds) I've narrowed it down to two: Winter Love by Animal Collective and Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear. They both have fast timing, use percussion instruments, and don't have extremely dominating vocals but Two Weeks is more upbeat than Winter Love. So those are some options but I have to keep looking. Right now I'm going to check out Radiohead and Vampire Weekend so I'll get back to you when I'm done.

...done!
So, Radiohead isn't that big on upbeat music. I knew that going in but I also knew their songs fit a lot of other qualities I wanted so I tried it out anyways but quickly realized that it was a dead end. Vampire Weekend, however, was the complete opposite. I had no problem finding upbeat songs from their 2008 self-titled album. The best song was probably Campus so I'll had that to the list of candidates. Just to recap, the final songs to choose from are Campus by Vampire Weekend, Winter Love by Animal Collective and Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear. I'll have to sleep on it for now but I'll save this as a draft and come back later.

Hello! It's the next day (2/26) and I've made my final choice. The official song is, drum roll please,......Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear! In the end, I think this song was the perfect balance for me. Winter Love didn't have any real change of pace or rhythm until two minutes in but I didn't care for anything after that because it didn't fit the tone I was going for. The first two minutes of the song are too passive and it feels like it's on a loop which doesn't allow me to do that much with the camera movement and choreography of the actress's movement. Campus, on the other hand, had more flair than I wanted and percussion instruments that felt like too much too fast. So, I opted for Two Weeks, which hit a sweet spot. I can actually visualize the scene when I play the song so I feel like that's a good sign. That's all for today but next time I'll probably have more storyboard in the works. See you then!

scheduling time baby!

This week my teacher recommended we make a schedule to keep ourselves organized and on track. Like a lot of my peers, I am highly disorganized so I really took that to heart. Without further ado, here is my schedule:

Week Three (2/24-3/1)

• Complete storyboard
• Start screenplay (shouldn’t be that long)
• Find the song you want to use for opening

Week Four (3/2-3/8)

• Research who has ownership of the song/get permission to use it
• Cast characters (there’s only two, max)
• Research/start figuring out how to get your shots (camera equipment)

Week Five (3/9-3/15) 

• Screenplay should be finished by this week, distribute it to actors
• Set-up location (no need for scouting)
• Have any props/costumes necessary ready by the end of this week

Week Six (3/16-3/22)

• Start filming this week
• Find your font

Week Seven (3/23-3/29) - This is Spring break 

• Finish filming
• Do bulk of editing

Week Eight (3/30-4/5)

• Script and record CCR
• Final touches on film

Since this schedule is specific to my film opening, I'm going to go ahead and give an update on what I've decided for the character and plot. So, like I said in my last post, my main character's need is to stop depending on external validation and her want is to be the best. As a result, I've decided to make her an artist, specifically a painter. Given that I hope to pursue a career in the arts I guess you could say that this film opening is a somewhat open portrayal of what goes through my mind sometimes...but let's pretend like it's not! My character's goal will be to win an award or get accepted into some sort of institution, basically something concrete that gives her proof that she's the best. I want to establish her passion from the start so I've decided that the opening will consist of her painting followed by an interruption by one of her friends. Then they'll have a brief conversation that will allow me to further develop the character.

Comments on my schedule

I'm on my second week right now but week three is where things really start to pick up. I'm not too worried about the screenplay but I've still given myself a lot of time to get it done because I know it's important. The storyboard I'm excited for, but I know that I have to get it done soon since I plan on incorporating a good amount of camera movement. In order to make it look clean I'm researching DIY ways to get stable shots. I expect this to be frustrating but I think it'll be worth it. I also expect getting permission to use whatever song I choose to be frustrating too so I'm prioritizing that as well. Also, even though I only mention getting props on week five I should probably start trying to attain them as soon as possible. I'm trying to not have to buy anything by borrowing from friends who paint but people are unreliable so I should definitely start asking around early on in the process. On the other hand, I'm not worried about location or casting! My childhood home is currently empty so I'm planning on making my old room look like a make-shift studio. As far as casting goes quite a few of my friends can act and are willing to help so I expect that to be smooth-sailing.

That's all for now. After seeing everything I have to do typed up I can't tell if I'm excited or overwhelmed. Probably a mix of both. 'Till next time!