✩editing tingssss

Guess what I’ve been up to? Editing :)

After a few days of working on the opening, uploading video and audio, piecing it all together, and making sure all the lines work and run smoothly, I have a really good base for the video!


This is to say that I’m almost done with editing! I just have a few things I need to correct in order to have a fully finished product. These being audio balancing (and getting some backyard ambiance), lighting alterations, and adding in the hangup sound.


Other than that, I think I have everything I need to have a completed opening!

(Photos of me editing! The second photo features the video Sophia had to remake of her second line in order to match Miranda’s tone. We made it work!)

The film right now is about 1 minute and 23 seconds long which is pretty short, but I don’t want to have to film again and worry about different weather and continuity issues. Besides, I think the pacing in how quickly it starts and ends adds to the confusion that Julia and the audience feels. I’ll probably keep it the way it is so far.


Also, I showed some of my friends what the opening looks like so far and one of my friends after hearing 404’s first two lines said it sounds like she’s going to off herself, but I think her final words and Julia’s reaction clears this up (hopefully).


One last thing, with my filming and editing almost completed, I’m gonna start brainstorming for my CCR. I’m pretty nervous about it, though it seems really fun. I am looking forward to coming up with creative ways to convey my thoughts regarding this process!


And with that, I’m gonna bounce :P

✩TikTok coming in clutch

I don’t think I expressed this on the blog before, but I had a lot of issues deciding how I was going to create the effect of 404 talking over the phone. I wasn’t going to film Sophia as she’s saying her lines so I knew her audio clips couldn’t sound the same as Miranda’s.


Essentially, I needed some way to make Sophia’s lines sound as if they were emitted from a phone speaker to emphasize how the story is solely told from Julia’s perspective.


I had a few ideas on how I could achieve this.


NUMBER ONE: Try and use a natural phone call. This includes screen recording a phone call (note: I didn’t actually try this because I didn’t actually think it would work but hey, worth a shot) and having Sophia actually call Miranda and have Sophia on speaker. The main issue with that is I wasn’t sure how Sophia’s would sound on camera.


NUMBER TWO: Have Sophia send me the audio afterward and record her recordings on a separate device. I know this would make the audio sound tinny. I could also use editing techniques on Miranda’s clips to avoid issues resulting from the timing.


NUMBER THREE: Find some audio filter. Honestly, I don’t know where I would find it, ut this was mainly my last resort.


Although, fear not, because Miranda had a FANTASTIC solution! I have screentime on my social media apps so I don’t waste my day away. Because of this, I didn’t know that there’s a function on TikTok where you can make audio sound like it’s coming through a megaphone. Not the same as a phone speaker, but it works!


So, Sophia recorded herself saying her lines on TikTok and added the megaphone voice filter. She then screen recorded it and sent it to both Miranda and me. Then Miranda played the video and Sophia timed how long it took for her to say her line so that she could silently cue Miranda into her next line.


It sounds pretty complicated, and it probably was, but it worked out so that's all that matters.


And hey, I got the filter I wanted without nearly as much effort as my original methods required, which is a win in my book.


If you want, take a listen to one of the videos of Sophias line with the megaphone effect.

I think it works really well!

I’ll see you later :P

✩FILMING: a recap!

WOOOOOO!!! Today is Wednesday, so you know what that means!! I got together with Miranda and Sophia to start filming!!!! YAYAY!! Sorry, I am very happy :))


SO, after getting some coffee, we headed over to Gator Run Park. Thankfully, there was no one at the pavilion I wanted to use, which meant the perfect filming location. We then ran through the script, I went over the blocking and some of the plot of the story so my friends could get a better idea of the piece, and we got to work.


I pretty much filmed in chronological order and tried to closely follow my storyboard. I won’t lie, as Sophia was reading her lined, we all agreed it was kinda cringey not gonna lie. As a result, we edited some of her lines in order to fix that.

(The bottom is the original script while the top is the revised script).

I brought the makeshift tripod and microphones, but we actually didn’t use or need them! Thankfully it wasn’t a very windy day, and since I wanted to get some establishing shots of the girls at the bench, I didn’t want to have to worry about using a mic with a cord.


Other than the family with three screaming kids playing in the park right next to the bench that we had to ask to move so their noise wasn’t a part of the video, filming went very well! I’m very happy I picked Miranda and Sophia to help me out. Miranda had some super helpful advice that helped me overcome a big obstacle I had and Sophia has some prior film knowledge so she had some cool ideas for angles in which I could film. Not to mention, their acting skills are just what I wanted and we all click very well together, so it was a ton of fun.


Here are a few sneak peeks!!

Now to start editing. Wish me luck!


See you at the next post <3

✩PREP TIME :D

Ok, the last post was super helpful for preparation, which means now it’s time for me to start gathering supplies!




    1. This is the old phone I have that I’m planning on bringing to the shoot just in case it’s needed. The front is a bit broken, but it’s still functional and adds character to whoever might need to use it. (ex. 404 broke it during a battle, Julias clumsy and has just dealt with a broken phone)

    2. I scavenged my house for any old backpacks we had to use for Julia, and the only ones I could find were a bright red backpack themed after Steven Universe and an old yellow one of my brothers (see below). I didn’t want to use the red one because I felt the red was too bright for Julia’s character, but I also don’t want to use the yellow one because the style of it (drawstring) means a lot of time will be wasted as Julia takes out her school work. So, I decided to ditch using a backpack altogether, and I know I said I didn’t want a backpack with big designs, but this bag I found felt very fitting for Julia. It’ll also mean taking out her supplies will be a lot easier


Side note, I’ve pulled ut some pens (pink, blue, and purple wink wink) and some of my notebooks/binders to put in Julia’s bag :))

    3. I texted my brother to ask if he left any microphones or a tripod that I could borrow for filming, and he had one of the items: lapel microphones! So of course, I took a few videos to try them out.

• The first video I took of me with the mic plugged into my phone and clipped onto my shirt. It was pretty windy out, so the audio cut out at times and my voice was really loud. Overall, the quality wasn’t the greatest.
• The second video I took without the lapel mic. Honestly, it worked a little better than I thought it would. I could hear myself really well, and it didn’t sound artificial like I thought it might. Verdict: not a bad option! Especially since Julia, the one saying her lines while outside, can project. Just actor things <3
• The final video once again featured the lapel microphone, but this time I kept it clipped on my shorts. Honestly, it worked really well! I was expecting the wind to make the audio scuffed, but it didn’t in the video. It made my voice more defined than if I didn’t use the mic, though I still have some concerns about using it. For example, I can’t film super far away from my actor due to the chord. Also, I fear the wind might still be an issue, and her clothes might mess with the audio since she will be sitting down.

MY DECISION: I’ll try the mic on the shorts first, but if it’s windy and the audio is cutting out, I’ll forgo the microphone altogether.

    4. Also, a day later my Dad found a tripod-like stand in my brother’s room that I somehow missed. It doesn’t have a place to attach a camera, but luckily my Dad has a clip I can insert my phone into and attach to the stand. Bam! Makeshift tripod :).



    5. One last thing to discuss: locations! I envisioned the opening scene occurring in a park on a bench, and luckily for me, I’ve got a few parks nearby my house, so let’s take a look at them!

• First: Tequesta Trace Park. Not bad, it’s right by a football field, track, and park, which means there’s a lot of people around. This pavilion has a lot of benches, which I think could make for some cool shots. The main issue is there are signs saying the shelters are closed. While I could say screw it and use them anyways (because people do that) I would feel too much fear and also have to avoid filing the shelter closed sign which is annoying. Then again, If I need to, I can use it.
• Next: Regional Park. Honestly, the same things as the Tequesta Park. Has the shelter closed signs so I’d feel bad about using it. Plus, there’s a lot of people at that park so :/ but like before, if I need it I can use it.
• Finally: Gator Run Park. Doesn’t have shelter closed signs!! Woohoo!! It also has a lot of people but I’d feel more comfortable working around it. Plus, there’s a really pretty shelter right at the top of a hill which would be the perfect spot for the opening, I’d just have to claim it before anyone comes and takes it. Though there are 2 other shelters also at this park, so I can always move to another one. I think this park is my first choice.

(The Tequesta Trace Park shelter, its kinda hard to see with the foliage, sorry)

(The Regional Park shelter)

(One of the shelters at the Gator Run Park, my first choice for filming!)

Goodbye for now, I’ll see you next week when I start filming!!

✩Lists x3

Today, I don’t have a whole lot to say, mainly because I think it’s self-explanatory. Anyways, enjoy some pre-filming planning!


PROPS LIST

• (most of this I can get myself :))
• 2 cell phones (can be actors personal phones, will bring the extra I have, could be cool to have 404 with a black/red phone, clear case, and image of a symbol in the case)
• School backpack (light-colored, preferably plain or minimal designs)
• A binder with papers
• A notebook

COSTUMES LIST

• 404: edgy, blacks and reds, should appear like the interesting main character)
• Combat boots
• Jeans
• Tank top or T-shirt
• IDEAS (thanks Pinterest):

• Julia: light, comfortable (yellows, light blues, light pink, should appear normal and unassuming)
• Sweater/comfy T-shirt with preferably stripes or a simple design
• Jean shorts
• Sneakers
• IDEAS (thanks Pinterest redux):

OTHER TOOLS I’LL WANT TO BRING TO THE SHOOT

• My phone (to record)
• A tripod
• Two copies of the screenplay (for both me and the actors)
• The storyboard
• Something to make the teardrop effect (ex. Pipette, though I don’t think I have one, will check or ask around, or research/experiment to find another method)
• Microphone (ask my brother if he left any in his room, ask my Dad, ask friends, or order from Amazon)

I think with that, I’ve got a solid plan for filming day :)

✩omg guys the cast list is out

As a theatre kid, I thought the name was funny. ANYWAYS, as you can tell by the title, I’ve got my cast for the opening!


I mentioned before that I had a few friends I was planning on asking and that I had some concerns about having non-actors for my film. As a perfectionist and as I mentioned before, a theatre kid, I realized that I wanted actual actors to play Julia and 404. So, I reached out to two of my theatre friends!


As Julia: Miranda!


I’ve been friends with her since 7th grade, and she's a really talented actress. In fact, she's currently playing Doralee in our school production of 9 to 5! She has mid-length light brown hair, wears a lot of cute sweaters, and has a sweet look about her. For these reasons, I think she's a great fit to act as Julia. Plus, I trust her to have big facials when Julia isn’t speaking.


As 404: Sophia!


She’s helped out one of my other friends in AICE Media Studies with their Music Marketing Project, has done theatre with me since elementary school, and already has a somewhat “edgy alt” look/style about her. We’ve been friends since kindergarten, and I’m confident in her abilities to convey the complex emotions of 404 as she opens the film and bids her goodbye to Julia.


As an added bonus, the three of us are already friends, so filming won’t be awkward. Also, my actresses have chemistry with one another which I believe will make their lines and presence on screen with one another appear natural rather than uncomfortable.


Since both of them agreed, I asked if we could start filming over spring break, more specifically, Wednesday, March 24th and they both agreed!! Woo!! My next course of action is to send them the screenplay so they can get a feel for the scene and potentially type of a schedule/shooting plan (like what shots we film first, when we do a run-through of lines and blocking), and also a prop and costume list. I’ll post the documents to my blog.


That's all I got for today, I just wanted to update you on the progress I’ve been making. Overall, super excited to begin filming, and with two talented actresses no less :)


See you soon! Byeeeeee <3

✩In Regards to Music

Okay, so, I know I mentioned in my post titled Discussions, Improved Ideas and Extras, one of the extras was about including music. So, since I’ve done some more planning for the scene and listening to some music. This means I’ve got some UPDATES AYOOOO!!


First, let’s recap the main songs I’ve been thinking about including in the scene.


NUMBER ONE: Fever dream by mxmtoon
(The best option, though slightly more upbeat than I envisioned the perfect song to be. However, the lyrics are perfect for Julia’s character)


NUMBER TWO: Since I Saw Vienna by Wilbur
(Not the perfect option, but the lyrics are also quite fitting even if the vibe of the song doesn’t really match the aesthetic of my film)


NUMBER THREE: Ocean Stars Falling from Homestuck
(I’m really trying to find a good Homestuck song to use (they’re all instrumental and I’m fairly confident they aren’t copyrighted) but most Homestuck songs are very high energy and this one is no exception. It is one of the tamer songs I listened to though)


NUMBER FOUR: Homefree from Homestuck 

(Same as the other Homestuck one, it’s just so hard to find chill songs from Homestuck when every song is created to play under either epic fight sequences or sad moments. These two were some of the best I could find)


With my top options listed, I had to sit and think. When I wrote my storyboard, I didn’t include that Julia would be listening to music. Also, since she’s entering in the middle of the scene, incorporating the music would be a challenge to incorporate correctly. Not to mention I already have a lot of audio files I’ll need to be working with so honestly, the less audio I have to worry about, the better.


THE FINAL VERDICT: yeah, I don’t think I’m going to include any music. The process of getting a perfect song is arduous, I don’t have a lot of time for my film already, and the location of a song in the opening is now ideal. SO I’m just opting not to do it. Besides, it would be nice to have more focus on 404 and Julia’s relationship.


This makes me feel so much more relieved and makes the opening a less daunting task.


Anyways, I’m gonna go eat ice cream. See ya!!

✩Snip Snip!

Listen I thought the title was funny because today, I’ve got some sad news. I timed my screenplay (see my last post :P) and as it turns out, I will have to cut it before Julia calls Forrest.


This is how long the opening would be if I included Forrest:

(Yikes,,, that's way over the 2-minute limit for my opening)

And this is how long the opening scene would be if I cut it before Forrest is introduced:

(Much better!!!)

I did mess up a few times in the actions and lines so I’m sure that the time can go down a bit, especially if I cut some of the parts where the characters would be just walking or processing their situation (aka 404 crying and preparing to leave and Julia’s shock and setting up her studying). Though I’m upset that I wouldn’t get to introduce Forrest, Julia could probably talk to them about the weird call in the next scene. Besides, cutting them out of the opening means one less actor to find. 

We will all miss you, Forrest. o7 (look it’s like a person saluting! The “o” is the face and the “7” is the arm! Sorry for the little tangent, I wanted to say goodbye to Forrest properly :))


And with that, I bid you all a great day/night/time.


See you later!

✩Screenplay ayup!

My next plan of action after finishing my storyboard was to time how long the scene was so I could determine how much of it fit under the 2-minute limit. So, I was initially going to time it out; however; I realized I couldn’t time the scene without having a scene to time. Simply having the shots planned doesn’t account for the lines and movements of each shot. As a result. I have begun writing my screenplay. Hooray!! As daunting of a task as this might seem, I love writing stories which means that this isn’t the worst way to spend a Tuesday night.

(My screenplay for the first scene! This is subject to change, but I'll update the blog if it does. #Notsponsored by StudioBinder where I typed up the whole scene :P)

I’m pretty proud of how the screenplay turned out! It makes me feel like I could write a whole story. I don’t think I’ll time the whole scene out tonight, hopefully, it doesn’t end up super long! But, if it is, I can always chop it before Julia calls Forrest. Anyways, I have other homework I need to complete, but my progress on my final project so far has made me elated.


See you later!! :D

✩Storyboarding

Ah yes, the storyboard. In previous blog posts I've pretty much said everything about my film opening that I could before making my storyboard, so, here it is :)








Phew! Ok, so, I have a few notes regarding my storyboard

1. I’m not too sure of what the timing of all the shots will be, so I have planned that if the section before Julia calls up Forrest is plenty of time, then I’ll cut that whole segment. How I’ll find out if I need Forrest or not is by timing myself saying the lines and each shot and how long the movements will take.
2. I realize now that I’ll have a lot of audio files to work with if I use Forrest, Julia, and 404’s dialogue, so I have a few ideas on how I could deal with this. Either I record some clips of the character Forrest to add more dynamic shots and reduce my concern about adding a filter to the audio, or I say “screw it” and roll with the task I’ve given myself. Either way, I’ll update the blog with what I decide.
3. My last major concern is that the actors I have in mind to ask to participate won’t be the best actors. They’re my friends who fit the look I want each character to have, but I’m worried they might not capture the full intensity of 404’s goodbye and Julia’s intense confusion and overthinking. So my options are, asking some of my friends in drama to fill in these roles, fill in one of the characters myself, or just continue with the people I had in mind and make it work.

I think that's all for today, I feel a lot better about my opening now that I have a storyboard though I know I should start picking up the pace.


Peace out bean sprouts! :p

✩Finally: Tenet!!

Hey guys! This just in, my bean hurts. My brain is struggling to comprehend the new movie I just watched: Tenet. That's right!! I finally got around to watching it and oh boy was it worth it. I promise I won’t spoil the movie, I think it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen, so I’d recommend watching it yourself. Instead, I’ll do my best to scrape the surface of what pieces of the movie I can try and use in my film while doing my best not to spoil anything. Here goes nothing!

(A screenshot from the movie, Tenet! Please go watch it, it’s fantastic!)

The plot is very time travel-focused (obviously) and at many times is very convoluted and challenging. This is due to the strange science terms, time loops, and fast-paced plot. It does sort of seem to follow the reverse timeline. Though the characters don’t exist of opposite timelines, many of the characters and objects travel backward through time to fight. It’s in a different method than I plan on using for my story since the characters travel back in time and end up in the same area as their past self. However, in this way, both are similar. Honestly, I’m not sure if my explanation is any good, but the point I’m trying to make is that Tenet does use a “reverse timeline” method in its plot, though I don’t think I’ll use my “reverse timeline” in that way.


Without getting too deep into spoilers (because I highly recommend watching it!) two of the characters’ relationship does follow a reverse timeline to some degree. Following the Protagonists story, we see him bid farewell to a character whom he has only recently met. The character goes on to explain how the two of them have already been friends, saying that they had made countless memories with the Protagonist already. This means that the other character had already met the Protagonist before we saw the Protagonist meet said friend. Because of this, the two Tenet character’s friendship is similar to 404 and Julia’s friendship.


One thing I would like to try and take from Tenet is the goodbye scene. It’s bittersweet, knowing that we are at the end of the Protagonists friend’s timeline, but that the Protagonist will spend more time with them in the past (or the Protagonists future). At the opening of my film, 404 would be bidding her farewell to Julia, so I want to capture this bittersweet moment between the two: 404 is happy for the memories the two shared while simultaneously upset that she has to leave, Julia, on the other hand, is confused, yet almost hopeful because of 404’s words.


I am so glad I got to watch Tenet, not only because it aided me in deciding what my film opening will be like, but it was also such a cool movie. I was so invested in the story and would recommend it to anyone.


And with that, I’ll see you later <3

✩Communication Methods

So, as much as I wanted to talk about watching Tenet in this blog post, I might have to hold off on that. I haven’t gotten the chance to watch it, yet I might have some time this week. Hopefully, I’ll be able to talk about it.


Today I’d like to discuss how Julia and 404 are able to communicate with one another. I have a few options that I have been debating, so let’s go over them together.



First option: crystal pendants


I got these for my birthday, and I love them a lot. Using these as the method for Julia and 404 to communicate was something I thought about back when I envisioned the two girls in different worlds. Since I changed it to where they are both in the same world, I’m not sure if using the crystals still works. Though, if I wanted to highlight 404 and Julia’s friendship being magical, these would be a neat option. The biggest challenge of using them would be conveying how the girls communicate with one another. I’m not going to put too much thought into it, mainly because I’ve already decided that I’m going to set the story in reality. So, I won’t be using these.

(These are what the pendants look like :))

Second option: texting


This is the method that the characters in Homestuck used to communicate with one another. So I know that it works in storytelling, however, I would need to find a way to display the messages on screen. The whole reason that I chose the reverse timeline idea is that I wouldn’t need any graphics (and because I like it) so I’m not too keen on using texting as my way for Julia and 404 to communicate. Plus, the audience wouldn’t be able to hear each character’s tonality which I find important to the progression of the story. This leaves me with only one option.




Third option: phone calls


If my characters are never going to meet face to face but I want to hear the characters speak to one another, then calls are the only option that I have left. I don’t think phone calls are a bad idea in any way, in fact, I think it’s the best idea for the film. We would get a lot of lines from 404, which would help the audience’s immersion in Julia’s story. This is because they would hear 404 and could believe Julia when she insists that 404 is real. Not to mention, using phone calls means less complex editing for me!


This leads me to an improved intro idea that I feel confident in. I have a vision for it in my head, but I’ll make a blog post about it later this week after I make my storyboard. One last thing, I think I know who I’ll ask to play my characters, but I won’t spoil that just yet.

I’ll see you soon!! <3