Filming Blog: Obstacles

Last week Saturday, my group and I finally began filming our two-minute movie opening. If we had begin filming earlier, we would have met up more to film more than once. However, it's safe to say we waited somewhat last minute to begin the process. We begin peer reviewing very soon which means everything has to be finished up by the weekend. This blog won't consist of what my group and I did to film because we didn't actually film but instead it will explain why we didn't. As stated before, we chose to meet up at Charli's last minute because it was the only way to accommodate our busy schedules. I work or have track practice most of the time so it's difficult to pick just any random day to film. In addition to that, Charli also works after school or on weekends so she also has to follow a certain pattern. Another problem with being able to film is the traveling. Charli and I live very close to each other, but I often have ride issues. This means I have to find a ride ahead of time if I have to go meet my group. If we ever decide to film on the same day we planned, that would be difficult to find someone to bring me. Josh lives some distance from both Charli and I so we have to plan to help match his schedule. We also have to go off of the weather. Recently, it has been raining or cold and very windy. The rain interferes because it can damage camera equipment and also causes me to become sick. The wind can cause noise in the background of filming and shake the camera or the person filming. All of this came into consideration when I thought about filming again before the deadline. In the end, there's nothing left to do but prepare for editing. Josh is leading in the editing process because he is more familiar with that spectrum. I will serve as assistance since im not the strongest in that part of the project.

Filming Blog: A Rainy Dat at the Pool

My AICE Media group and I finally filmed for our movie opening. However, before we could get to this, the unexpected happened. On Saturday, my group and I convened in our group chat and reminded one another that we had filming at 12:00 o'clock. Our former AICE Media classmate, who promised to assist us with acting, brought bad news to us when she told us she wouldn't be able to make it. I thought quickly and asked my cousin if she could replace our ex classmate in the film. My cousin couldn't make it because of how last minute it was. Because of this turn of events, my two film buddies and I decided to cut and recreate scenes to accommodate the three of us. When we all arrived at Charli's pool, we began to  set up the camera and realized that camera was completely dead. Charli brought up the idea to use her phone, but the tripod didn't have a phone holder. To top this off, it began to rain causing us to wait a good amount of time for it to calm down. When the rain did get lighter, we began filming at the poolside. Charli took the role of what our former classmate was supposed to play and I played my part and a little bit of what Charli's original character was supposed to play. In our film, we also had another actor who was supposed to be Charli's dad and her father in the actual film. However, we came to the decision that her father wasn't exactly fit for the role and sought out a new a male actor. Charli asked her brother, but he wasn't able to play the part because of his own afternoon activities. Josh, our filmer, was the only male left and had to do it. We made it work and did the best we could with so much change in such little time. Saturday showed me a lot of things. My group and I should always have a sturdy backup plan incase people helping us ever have to cancel last minute. We value our grades and the videos we have to submit so we didn't give up and not film. We got through all that chaos so that proves that we can get through anything thrown at us!

Filming Blog: Scheduling and Planning

   As the time draws nearer to the ending of the final AICE Media project, the blogs will become somewhat repetitive. Blogs will now focus solely on filming, editing, peer reviewing, or correcting clips for the movie opening. This blog is supposed to be about my experience when filming with my group. However, we didn’t plan a film day before this so this couldn’t take place. Our scheduled film date is set for this weekend on Saturday, February 22nd. We agreed to film earlier in the day around noon. This is so that out filming time doesn’t interfere with our schedule outside of schoolwork. For example, I am scheduled to work at 4:00 P.M. on the day we plan on filming so if we were to start too late it would cut into my work time which wouldn’t be smart. Starting early in the day will give us ample time to shoot our film in a normal manner and not one that has to be rushed. It will also allow us to reshoot any necessary scene that we might not have executed the best way. In addition to this, we plan on shooting the whole film in one day. This means that we have to have everything ahead of time such as props. As the director, the responsibility of ensuring this film’s success rests on me so I have to make sure everyone know there’s part so there are no mishaps. My group and I plan on setting up our different locations at Charli’s house and testing out different ways to set up the camera. This will help us get the right angles we need for the film and lightning so that the video is clear. Our goal is to shoot this movie the right way so that we have little things to correct. When it comes to the time to peer review, those who watch our film should be able to understand the message we want our opening to bring across from the angles, setting, and acting itself. This can’t be achieved if the filming isn’t done correctly.  This filming blog is great for showing that we take our project seriously and want to have an awesome outcome. It also helps remind us what we need and should what to accomplish in this film when we look back on the blog. Before this blog fully ends, this is a picture showing how it’s somewhat sad we didn’t film earlier.

Planning Blog: Storyboard

   As we approach the final step before, it is time to construct our movie. We must storyboard the way we imagine our entire two-minute film playing out. So below, is a PowerPoint of a collection of scenes that we have drawn out to vividly follow once we move into filming.  Scene by scene we include footnotes of the angles, shots, and sounds we want to include in the project. Storyboarding is a great process because instead of us going into filming day trying to come up with things on the spot. We are able to do verbatim of what our storyboard lays put for us. Another thing about the process is you are able to change things in case something does not go as planned on filming day. From our previous projects, our group and I almost never followed our storyboard. We kind of thought on the spot and went against what our whole storyboard said. Lastly, once we begin our filming process next week, being that this video is a lot longer than any of our other projects. We will be referring back to the storyboard a lot. 

Planning Blog: Title Design

In the presentation below, I explained how I will be setting up my titles. In order for my group and I to put our film together, we must follow a guideline showing how we will edit in our titles. I included how the first title will look when it pops up. I also included different colors, spacing, contrast, and the final title of our movie. This is important because the viewers need to be able to see the actual text. It is also important because the text is what will set the mood for the film. The size and positioning of the font are also important. I also included the final title of the film. This lets Cambridge know what our film will be called. If we end up changing the title, we will go back and change it in the presentation.

Planning Blog: Location, Participants, Health, & Schedule

      In order for my group and I to create our two-minute opening, we must plan out what we need to do. So, we have been given planning blogs that allow us to master our plan. Inserted below is a slide presentation I created explaining the location, participants, health and safety and the schedule. The presentation includes where we will be filming so that Cambridge knows specifically where the filming will be taking place and we will be filming. The presentation also lets them know who will be in the film. I listed who will be acting, who will be directing, who will be filming and who will edit the final product. This lets Cambridge know who will do what. I also included information about health and safety. This is important because Cambridge needs to know how we will film our film safely despite the genre that we are doing. This presentation will help my group members and I organize ourselves in order for us to put our film together.

Planning Blog: Shooting Script

Before the final project comes to a closing, every detail for this two-minute opening must be planned out thoroughly. To do so we have been assigned several blogs beginning with the Sound and Shooting script. These scripts go hand in hand on how to produce and direct a successful film. Inserted below is a shooting script created by me in a slide presentation along with the help of my group members. This script contains every movement that will take place in the film whether it be camera angles, camera movements, or even the movement from the actors. The script also consists of brief noting of the location of where each scene of the opening will take place. Lightning, an element keenly used in filmmaking, is included because it helps the viewers assess that there is a significance in the mood trying to be brought out. There are also a few details of different editing that will be done in certain scenes to enhance the effect our movie genre brings when being watched. The shooting script, however, does not mention literal dialogue or sound effects because that is recorded in the sound script. With the separation between sound and movement, it makes it easier for my group and me to film our final project with ease and comfort. This will result in us being able to produce something our Cambridge graders and teachers will enjoy watching later on.

Planning Research: Sound Script

   Moving on to the next phase of our two-minute opener, we are now begging to plan the entire film. In this part of our journey, it is all about the planning of what is going to go into the film.  What you see below is the sound and dialogue script that includes every sound or conversation in the movie. This particular script excludes everything other than sound or dialogue (i.e. camera movements, camera angles, editing tools, etc...). We have constructed a quite easy/simple sound script. We will only have three characters and it will be the same group members (Charli, Amelia, and Amina) playing the roles of our imaginary characters. Some scenes actually do not include dialogue because we really want our viewers to focus on the concept behind the movie opener. We plan on strictly following this script so that we can avoid going back to change it. But anything can happen so if something comes up on the spot then we will modify. Lastly, the sound script will simply make filming a lot smoother and easier; knowing that we have an outline.