Filming: Day 3

        By this point I was almost halfway complete with filming my scenes.My next scenes to film were the walking scenes. The first walking scene I filmed was the tilt.This shot was harder to film because I had to tilt my phone upwards while walking backwards. This made it difficult but after several attempts, I got it. This scene was a close up. This scene was a tilt from walking feet up to her head. To do this scene she had to walk slowly to give me time to rise smoothly. She was "talking to her grandma" so I had to record her lips moving to match the voice over.This conversation scene will be cut into several clips. These clips will form a cross cut conversation. The next scene I filmed, was also of Juliana walking. We moved further down the street to differentiate the scenes, but show she is in same location. This scene was around sunset time, which meant we ran out of time. I was not able to finish filming in one day. I have three scenes left to film, therefore another filming day is needed. This is mostly because I spent too much time wasted on other scenes. My next scenes that I need to film will take less time. My next step now is to begin reviewing the film I already taped.

Filming: Continued

            Furthermore, we had to continue filming. We were being unproductive with our filmimg so we had to start picking up the The next scene I filmed was our conversations with our assistants. I had to create "mugshots" of our assassins so we lined Emily up against a wall and took a photo of her. I followed the same procedure with Darwin. This wasted filming time which could have been avoided. I filmed Mariapaula and Rafael playing assistants with headsets and laptops. Once I filmed them, I filmed the screen showing the images we took earlier that day. Next we recorded the car scene of Darwin on the other line of the call. This scene was shot in the car, which was relatively easy to film.This was shot on the car's headrest and is a medium-shot. The corresponding scene was of Emily walking down the street answering Mariapaula's call. This was a medium-close up as well as a tracking shot. The flaw I ran into was the audio. Because we were outside, the wind made the dialogue unclear. To resolve this issue, I had my cast speak the dialogue, but I will also record a voice over to layer on top.  To save storage and time, I began to record the scenes that are cross-cut conversations all in one take. This way I can chop it up in editing to be a conversations. This also prevents any noticeable changes between takes.

The First Filming Day

      To begin the process, I gathered my equipment to begin filming. I charged my camera, grabbed an SD card, my tripod and a bag to store it all in. I was working with another group as we had overlapping film days. We met at 1:30 on Monday, February 17th. I filmed with several classmates of mine. While my classmates were using my camera, I decided to use my phone to tape this film. The quality is 4K and is much more convenient as I was working on the film myself. I began by filming the establishing shot. To do this, we crossed the street and placed the tri-pod on the sidewalk. I waited for cars to stop crossing the street so it would not intercept our shot. As I shot the houses, I got various angles and tried to get the angle closes to the one represented on my storyboard. The next scene we filmed was the bathroom scene of Juliana (played by Emily). I shot this scene all in one take. I will cut it into segments while editing for the cross-cutting. The only cut I had to do for this scene was when Emily had to change costumes. I was able to get the scene the way I wanted after two takes. The parallel scene I had to shoot with Javier (played by Darwin), was a bit more difficult. My actor Darwin, was having difficulty acting and doing the actions comfortably. I wanted the scene to look natural, so we had to do several takes of this particular shot. This scene was in a mirror so I had to shoot from a side view which led to an over-the-shoulder effect.

Planning: Storyboard

The final step in planning is building a storyboard. This step is crucial to the film making process. This gives the directors a chance to organize the scenes in order, take by take. In boxes, each frame is mapped out. These boxes draw out each take by the angle, movement, setting, and other elements. My film totals to 65 boxes. These boxes draw out any movements, the actors and any props. I mentioned the lighting as well as the shot type. This storyboard will serve great purpose on filming day. The storyboard is the guideline for the film, therefore we will film accordingly. The settings are mapped out accordingly such as outside, bathroom, car, bedroom, etc. The storyboard is a sketch of how the film will look.

 

Planning:Title Design in Detail

The first two minutes of a film both attract the viewer as well as credit the producers. The titles are played along the corners of the frame to give credit while not distracting from the film. The font must be legible and easy to read quickly. I chose to use white letters in a black box. This will complement
any scene as well as making it stand out. The font I preferred was very narrow, so with some spacing I was able to make the font more legible. For the title of the film, I prefer bold letters. This keeps it symmetrical and is less distracting. The bold letters stand out, differing it from any other titles. All titles except the film title will go in the top left and bottom right corners. The titles should be presented long enough for the viewer to read once or twice, but should not linger to get all of the titles presented throughout the first two minutes.

Planning: Location, Sound, Participants, Health, Schedule

     One of the most crucial steps of the film making process is planning. To avoid wasting time on set, which is money, it is important to plan the details down. In this slideshow, I discussed the location for filming. The set played a large role in the story dynamic and the environment the characters will be portrayed in. In the slideshow, a picture of the house being used is included as a basis for size and aesthetics. The sound is extremely important too. I have downloaded several audios of thematic music for the background. Selecting the right music will set the mood for the film. The participants are my cast members as well as parents, for supervision. My safety procedures are included, in case of an emergency and to prevent any injuries. My schedule is planned out to be completed by mid-April.

Planning: Sound and Dialogue

These slides are my sound and dialogue script. This goes through the detail of the sound being played throughout each scenes. Most scenes have no dialogue, while music plays. The sound will be alternative beat plays while the first scenes play. While the conversations go on, the music goes to a thematic score. The last scenes will have suspenseful music playing to build suspense. The dialogue will all be over phone calls, so it will require shot-reverse-shots. The sound is important for thriller films to build suspense. My next step is to find royalty-free music to use that fits the theme. The sound might be subject to change due to ambient sounds while filming.

Planning: Shooting Script"

This is the shooting script for the movie I am filming. The first two minutes required an idea of the story I am trying to create. I knew the basic idea of the story I wanted but I had no idea where was the right place to start. The slides go through each scene in detail.This includes lighting, positions, camera movements and angles. It is important to get as much detail as possible since this will be the guide for filming day. I tried to explain the vision in my head as best as possible so when I film, it will make the process easier. I referred to my cast in ways that are referable if my cast changes. I included various shots, angles, movements, acting, and the setting as well as lighting. I made sure to keep it unspecific to one location, in case it changes.