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.