✩back 2 my roots

Now that it's filming day, I know that I have to test out the footage I already have so I know what shots I have to reshoot. 

Thanks to my wonderful teacher, I have access to Adobe Premiere! I know it's "the best" video editing software because of all its features, but I don't have the time or footage to learn premiere. So I'm making the executive decision to make a test run of my short film on iMovie my beloved. I've gotten myself very well acquainted with the program over the past two years, making me pretty confident in my abilities to crank out a quick video for experimental reasons.

I recorded a few quick videos about some things I noticed while reviewing my footage!

I would insert the mock-up video but I don't want to export it,, sorry gang! You'll just have to wait until I'm done :)

I'll update you guys on how filming day goes! I'll also make sure to grab some stills of the girls to use for social media, videos for TikTok/Instagram, and ample footage :D 

See you on the other side!

(If you were wondering, my show went wonderfully :D we killed it and I'm so sad it's over)

Songs for 3/13

"Golden Days" by Panic! At The Disco

"One Headlight" by The Wallflowers

✩on the gram

 

Instagram, beloved.

As this week is crazy, I don't have a whole lot to share; although, we had a lesson on the social media aspect of our project which I have some notes from.

I'm gonna paste them here because I came up with some ideas of how I could adapt the notes given to my film

Not too sure how much I should elaborate on those ideas, but it's comforting to know that the page is only theoretical rather than one that should be presented as a "real" project (if that makes sense lol). 

I do know that if the accounts have to be +20 posts, I have to get on that ASAP. This Sunday, I definitely got to grab some stills of my actors and some behind-the-scenes footage that I can post! I also have to make an Instagram account since that will be my primary social media page.

That's all for today!

Songs for 3/10 (another 2 song recommendation since the post is short!!)

"Projector" by Set It Off

"Who's In Control" by Set It Off

stream Elsewhere by Set It Off <3

✩i like music

 

Hi guys!

While I was filming some shots, I was also thinking of what songs I would be playing in the background. 

During the scene of the MC in their bedroom, I was reminded of this audio I saw on Tiktok featuring "Changes" by David Bowie. Not only does this song specifically address change, but I really like the vintage, homey feel it gives off. I tested out this audio with the scene via Tiktok (it's a quick and easy way to test edit) and I like it! My only concern is if the song is too upbeat. I love the vintage feel from the record player but I don't know if it would match the tone of the film or if record players let you slow down tracks in order to match the song with the vibe. Here's what it looks like, this is not a final product by any means.

I also had the final shot I wanted to add a song to. Taking inspiration from "Suburbia" and its still cameras, dramatic orchestral music, and no dialogue, I've pretty much settled on "Clair de Lune" as the song for this final scene. Made another quick TikTok edit of what that might look like, because I think this one moment of the song really matched up with the footage.

That's all I have for today! Sorry for the short post, because it's show week my posts might be less meaty than usual. Apologies in advance </3.

Songs for 3/8 (two for today bc I feel bad for the short post + I can't decide between them)

"Saint Bernard" by Lincoln

"Smokey Eyes" by Lincoln

✩things never go as planned

 

Just finished filming! I have some updates.

Filming with Isa went amazing! She was so fun and easy to work with, plus incredibly understanding when filming ran longer than anticipated. Which it did, but that's okay! At least I know for next time that filming one scene will likely take longer than an hour. And there will be a next time; because I asked people on Sunday if they could help me, I was unable to get 3 friends to help me out. Luckily, the people I did ask, and Isa, said they were available next Sunday, March 12th. This means that this week, I’ll start editing to check if any shots need to be reshot along with the entire card game scene and happy party scenes.

I was able to get the end scene at the middle school (without anyone asking me what I was doing at a middle school at 8pm on a Sunday, a real concern I had), the party set up, the bedroom scene, and the sad party scenes. Substantial progress!

(My Tiktok page as of now, I haven't posted any of my drafts yet and the bio and profile picture might change, but this is what it looks like as of right now. I'm also working on my Instagram page!)

(The famous party cabinet!!)

(Me and my brother deciding what color to spray paint the banner)

(One banner all laid out!)

(Isa and the back of the birthday banners LOL)

(Fun little BTS video I took :P)

That's the update for today! Time to start editing (when I get a free moment, today is show week!!)

Bye gang!

Song for 3/7

"Razzmatazz" by I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

✩the long awaited storyboard +extras

 

I've been meaning to make this for like two weeks and I got it done the day before filming lets go. 

Hey at least I made it, remember when I was preparing to go into filming blind? Scary times, why did I think that was a good idea.

REMINDER: I gotta research how films make footage feel nostalgic!

Without further ado, here's my storyboard!

I do have to change the last shot, I was able to stop by Tequesta Trace (my old middle school, the place where I want to film my last scene) and saw that the marquee they have has changed to digital :(

As smart of a decision that it, it means that the lighting will be weird since that scene will be filmed at night. However, there are some alternative options.

(This one is cool and has the name of the school, though doesn't have "middle school" anywhere which might be confusing. Looks nice though, has a bench for the MC to sit on)

(Ok this one, is kinda perfect. Looks barren and empty(adds to the lonely feel), says middle school, and has a nice curb for MC to sit on, very easy for a car to roll up to and stop in front of)

Very excited about this scene! I've also picked up Christian's sunset lamp, shared with Isa what her costume should be (warm tones, comfy pants), and am working on getting my other actors.

I also made a quick list of all the places I need to film just to keep my mind on track:

Still figuring out how I'm going to produce the sunset transition shot, but I've got some time to figure that out. What I do know is I don't want a time-lapse and would love to have an audio effect of a lamp turning off to pair with the sky turning to black, something like this.

I also tested out a graphic match shot since I plan to use multiple to transition from the dark, lonely moments and the bright, nostalgic ones. It's a pretty simple video but it was just to feel confident I could make it work.

With that, I'm ready to start filming!

Song for 3/5

"creature" by half•alive 

✩title n prop planning

 

I don't think I said this in my last post but I think my film is going to be titled "how fast the evening passes." Not only was Brett a fan of it, but this one has always been my favorite out of all my options. "to see past the horizon" still goes hard and will be my alternate name should I change my mind. For now, that's what we're using!

Not sure if I said this in any of my other posts but I'll say it again, I would love to have a birthday banner with the name of the film on it instead of "Happy Birthday" for the birthday party scene (the first scene). I do have very little time between now and filming day so chances are I'll end up using a birthday banner font (somehow, if there isn't a digital one I'll use Adobe Illustrator to help me out or something) to digitally get the effect I want.

(Originally I wanted the sign to be like this. Although this one is the most nostalgic to me, it's also the hardest option sadly).

(This one is also a good option but feels like the most time-consuming, especially considering how many letters I'd have to cut out if my title was "how fast the evening passes")

(This one is the most practical option because I'd just have to use a banner I already have and write the name on the back of it! Easy money)

We also have a lot of birthday decorations already, like streamers, to use for misc-en-scene! I am nervous about filming that though, I've been so worried about my show (which is next week!!) and having to make a storyboard that I haven't gotten the sunset lamp to borrow, nor have I gotten any extras for the card game scene or the party table scene. Christian said I could get the sunset lamp tomorrow, and I have some theatre friends who live around the corner from me, are friends with Isa, and normally have free schedules that I could easily ask to be extras, which just means I have to ask them!

I have a bit of time today that I can get that done, not to mention I can chat with my brother because he came home today! Very excited (and nervous) to get his opinion on my short film, it'll definitely help to have his input and creative vision.

Some other prop work I've done is decide what stuffed animals I'm going to use for the card game. I am a hoarder of stuffed animals so I had to choose between them, but I decided on three that looked the oldest.

I also was reminded of a card I got as part of a gift from my mom, and though the sentiment is very sweet, I couldn't help but feel off-put by the card, which made me want to find a way to include it in the film.

(I'm going to remove my name from the card, not sure whether to use white-out or censor it yet)

Tomorrow I promise will be the long-awaited storyboard! Stay calm I know it's exciting :)

See you soon!

Song for 3/4

"Time Alive" by KC Katalbas (original)
"Time Alive" by KC Katalbas (revamped)

✩party time

 

Hi gang :P

This Sunday I start filming with Isa! Honestly, I'm really nervous. I haven't made my screenplay or storyboard yet, nor do I know where/what we're going to be filming. Definitely, important things I need to figure out before Sunday.

I would like to offer these points. The thought of writing a screenplay or storyboard right now is so daunting since I don't feel super confident about my idea and am incredibly overwhelmed by all my extracurriculars. Plus, I think it could be neat to see what I could come up with without any preparation. Is that a horrible idea? Yeah probably. However, I do have a general idea of what I want my film to look like and what shots I need to get, so I know I wouldn't feel completely lost.

I will try to make a storyboard before filming though because I think making this impulsive decision is a bad idea. I don't think I need a screenplay as of right now because I currently dont plan on having any dialouge (more on that in a moment) but who know. Oh well, time will tell what I decide, I'll keep you posted.

Also,

I spoke to Brett! Finally!

It was challenging to articulate my scrambled idea to him since I have no idea how to even begin describing my concept, but I shared with him the feeling I'm basing my short film off on and my PSO (see this post) and he caught my drift and helped me feel more confident that I could actually make this! Massive stress reliever. He really likes my concept and the Uno game scene that would switch from bright with people to dark with stuffed animals, and the potential diary scene. When I told him about the birthday party setup scene, he said that the scene could transition to the table all messed up with candy scattered around the table as if the guests created the mess. Not sure if I would have extras in the scene yet, though I think it would make sense, that just means I'd have to recruit friends to help me out and ensure I don't get their faces in the film. I have plenty of actor friends (and friends in general!) I can ask to help me out so getting extras shouldn't be a problem.

Not sure how much sense that made when I typed it out, but I know what I mean and that's what matters most. However, for reference, the scene would start something like this:

And transition to this:

Ouch </3.

Very swag idea though! I think I will definitely implement it in my short film. Looks like I might have to take a trip to Party City, or my party cabinet in my house to get those props!

Brett also showed me a poem he wrote that basically dealt with this emotion and he said this:

"In order for something new to begin, something else must end."

Ouch. I really like this phrase and I feel like it masterfully captures the feeling I want to convey. I would love to add it into my short film somehow (with credit and permission of course) though I'm not sure how. I've been tossing around whether or not I want to have a voice over but I still don't know. On one hand, it would really help to move the plot along and convey the feeling I want to convey, especially since I don't think I'll have any other dialouge. On the other hand, I'd need to incorporate it in a way that makes sense (I'm thinking either diary entry or conversation with a stuffed animal) and I'd need to write about the feeling without making it cringe. Not sure what I'm feeling yet but I think I'll decide after filming.

Omg. Also.

Remember back in this post where I talk about a fanfiction that inspired idea 2 for my short film? Well, I made a playlist for it back in the beginning of October and I was listening to it today and the song "Clair de Lune" came on. This song is very similar to Moonsetter in that its a soft piano song that makes me feel so emotional and I thought that this oculd be a perfect song to add in my short film along with another song (still a big fan of this version of Moonsetter, especially when you slow it down .75).

Anyways, made a lot of progress today! Feeling optimistic for the first time in a hot moment! Lets keep this feeling!!

Song for 3/3

"Oblivion" by Halfy & Winks