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!