✩yup editing

 

Hi blog!

Not a whole lot to say today, Just wanted to let you know that I have started my editing! Very exciting stuff. I'm using not only what the YouTube videos I discussed in this post said about Premiere Pro, but the advice of my Uncle! He's used Premiere Pro in the past and was able to directly show me different functions and shortcuts of Premiere, which was amazing. He lives in New York so I don't see him super often, so it worked out perfectly that he came down to visit right as I began editing.

His advice has significantly improved my editing process, since he was able to directly answer my questions on audio balancing, while also sharing his strategies when editing on the program. He showed me a strategy of creating a separate sequence where I could test out parts of my footage, even edit full scenes, without distracting from the main timeline. I've already used this strategy in testing out the best way for my transition between the happy party and the sad party was going to look and it helped tremendously. Major shoutout to my Uncle.

One thing is for sure, even though I know how the program works, it does not make editing any easier less daunting. And yet, she persisted.

With that, I should get back to editing!

Songs for 3/24 (two for today bc I couldn't decide and the names are so similar I couldn't not put them together)

"agoraphobic" by CORPSE

"Agoraphobia" by Autoheart

✩on the gram (electric boogaloo)

 

Social media page update!

Here’s what my Instagram page looks like so far, I’ve just started posting & plan on posting at least one image a day. Though I first thought stories would be used to document my actual filming process as it's happening, I've already finished filming, so I can't exactly achieve this. Although, I have another idea. 

One of my friends sometimes posts Instagram stories of photos he's taken and includes a song with little gifs around the song that matches the vibe of the song and the photo. They're always super artsy and cute, and one of the ideas I had for a post was a poll on which song made the viewer feel the most nostalgic. This was going to ideally increase interaction with my consumers, but I think taking inspiration from my friend not only is visually engaging, but it also helps me easily create content while promoting the vibe of my film. This is especially helpful since there are a lot of songs I have that match the vibe of the film (see the list at the bottom of this post and the playlist I mentioned at the bottom of this post) so I'll never be short on songs. Plus I already checked, and Instagram has both Clair de Lune and Moonsetter in its music story addition so I'm in the clear! Very excited about this idea.

Along with my reels and stories, I have photos of each of the girls and the stuffed animals that replace them that I can use to introduce my cast. I also have some photos of the party in both the happy and sad lighting. Also in the sad lighting, I have some title shots. However, these title shots are not my favorite, so I might need to reshoot them (which means set up the party all over again :/ ). They could work for postcards, though I'll have to look into that option more. Either way, it would be beneficial to get some more photos of my set.

(so I totally take back what I said, this one kinda rocks, I love it)

I've also followed many of my classmate's short film social media accounts since all of us are in the same boat as amateur film producers to emulate how if my short film was one I was looking to distribute to the public, I would follow and interact wish short films in a similar position as my film.

One last variation of posts I plan on adding is "behind the scenes" posts. I took plenty of pictures and videos of my cast having fun and breaking character during the shooting process which I'm excited to include. I don't think I'll make a long "the making of" video using this footage, if I do, I'll probably still post the individual clips as posts (at least, the funniest ones) for people who don't want to watch a long video of BTS and to establish a "down to earth" feel with my consumers.

One challenge I'll have to overcome is how I plan on making posts that are text, such as a release date announcement. Since I'm not using a font for my title, just the banner, this means that any text I want to include will be completely new. I do have the text used on the white card that I can use, it's some style of typewriter font that matches the aesthetic of the film well. Since it is the only other font seen in my short film (sans the Tequesta Trace Middle School font) I think a typewriter font will work very well to showcase a release date, along with other still text, in my Instagram posts.

I have a few other ideas I can use, including something with the sunset and something similar to this one I found from the Instagram account called "pleaseholdshortfilm".

See you later blog :)

Song for 3/23

"dream of you" by mxmtoon

✩learning the ropes

So as I've said before, I have no idea how to use Adobe Premiere.

I plan on using it to edit my film because theres only so much I can do with iMovie, and classmates have reccomended it as a better way to balance audio (since my audio mixing abilities are mid at best). As a result, I've got to learn how to use Premiere Pro, and soon. I have to start editing ASAP, and I can't start editing without knowing how to use the program I'm working on.

Normally I'd use trial and error to find out the ins and outs of the software, but Premiere has a reputation of being challenging to understand, so I figured it was a smart idea to prepare myself.

First course of action was to watch this video as a basis for what I needed to know.

Honestly theres not much else to say about learning about Premiere, this video seems to tell me everything I need to know. If theres anything I realize while editing that I might need, I can always do a quick google search. 

Anyways, we ball, I'll start editing and bulking up my social media next week!

Song for 3/20

"Endless Summer" by Absofacto

✩back on my research grind

With all my footage acquired, time to start the editing process.

I made a reminder for myself in this post to look up how to make footage look nostalgic, so that's what I did.

Things that I associate with nostalgia in terms of filming are light, somewhat desaturated colors, grainy filters, and rougher edges. We'll see if my research lines up with my vision.

I found this website that details how to achieve a vintage look:

• use vintage lenses
• I already recorded everything so it is too late for that
• did mention how vintage cameras use "chromatic aberration" 
• this is defined as when a lens cannot focus all the colors into one point
• 
• this effect is pretty nostalgic now that I'm looking at it, if I could figure out how to make this effect in Premiere, that would be awesome!
• lower sharpness
• mentions to turn down sharpness before filming (too late for that) or add a blur to the final edit (something I can do)
• grainy film overlay
• decrease contrast and saturation
• bring up black levels from black to dark grey 
• bring down white levels to a light grey
• warm-up highlights (too much will give a western look)

I also found a video about how to create a retro look using Premiere Pro which will definitely help me out. The person in the video mentions that 24fps is the rate that films normally take. Not sure if that's something I have to change before or after filming, I assume before. Since my film cuts from nostalgia to loneliness, I don't think it's smart to change the fps for one part but not the other. I think I'll stick to playing with filters and effects.

The video does assume that Premiere Pro has certain effects that the person in the video made, so I'm unsure whether those are add ons I'll have to buy/download to get the effect he is describing, but I don't necessarily want to do that. However, if I must, I must.

He also adds dust that's typically seen in films. I like this a lot, though it could end up distracting, it's so cool and a staple of older films that I think it would be worth it.

The video does describe how to install the things he was describing in the video and it doesn't seem to be a lot? I'm hoping my computer won't hate me if I download it. I'll do a bit more research to see if I can add these things into Premiere myself or if its easiest to use what the video showed. I think the fact that someone had to make a downloadable folder of effects gives me my answer, though it doesn't hurt to do some more research.

I also found this short video that reiterates a lot of what I found before, and includes things I can download and alternatives if I can't. This video was very helpful :)

With that, I feel armed with the tools of nostalgia BD

Song for 3/18

"Anna Sun" by WALK THE MOON

✩social media (again)

Hey team :)

I've been working on some social media stuff recently!

I've made an Instagram account (my main source of promotion for the film) and have been working on making some content for this account!

The first thing I did was choose a profile picture for the account. The one I used on my TikTok account was just a temporary one with the right vibe until I took one from my set that was sufficient in creating the vibe and message I wanted. As of right now, I'm using this one. If I change my mind, I'll be sure to update the blog.

I also worked on a few TikToks to trends I listed here, plus a few others! That way, I can post them as Instagram Reels so that they reach more people. Even if someone isn't interested in watching a short film, it still gives them something interesting/entertaining to watch. 

I plan on dispersing them between still images and other content (BTS, sneak peeks) for variety.

Heres what the TikToks look like!

I really like the last one, not only is it like a teaser, but it makes me think I could use Clair de Lune throughout my entire short film. I think this would be super cool to have it play throughout, and end with it swelling at the middle school. I’ll definitely try this out when I start editing!

That's it for now :P

Song for 3/16

"Dancing" by Sonic Sea Turtles

✩filming recap!!

Filming on Sunday was fantastic! Lets recap!

I asked 3 of my friends (Natalia, Gabi, and Neena; all theatre kids and friends with each other) to join Isa and me. This was an awesome decision because when it came time to film the happy birthday and card game scenes, I could let my cast interact naturally while I moved around and filmed. Not to mention, it was a blast to spend time with them. They were all very professional and rarely broke character or looked at the camera.

I was also able to grab a few extra shots, like the girls all entering the MC's house before their party with gifts. I tried to have one of them bring in the white card with the "Were so incredibly proud of you" message but I didn't think it would make sense for a friend to bring the MC that card. My plan is to either include a brief scene of the MC receiving the card from a parent, or not filming context for the card at all. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the latter option, but we will see once I start editing.

I also grabbed some still shots of each cast member laughing to use for social media, and some other stills of the party decor and title to use for my postcard. I also made sure to grab some behind-the-scenes shots too; not sure yet what I'll do with those but the possibilities are endless.

With that, here are some examples I got!

Song for 3/14

"onion boy" by Isaac Dunbar

✩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