Filming: Re-film and Re-plan

Yesterday we decided to re-film our opening scene. We originally chose to do this because we wanted to switch over from using a phone to using the school camera. We checked one out and once we were ready to film we realized that we did not have an SD card to film with. This was my fault because I insisted that we did not need to check out an SD card because I had my own to use. The benefit of using your own SD card is that other groups do not have access to your footage. This being said when it came time to film I forgot to bring the SD card meaning that we would not be able to film. While my group mates were pretty upset I did not find it that big of a deal because for this occasion Amelia was available to film and she had an iPhone with the highest quality. If anything I thought it would be easier to film with the phone for the same reasons I mentioned in my previous blog. It gives us more freedom with the footage and does not limit us to only editing in class. After we sorted out the SD card issue I brought the group together to discuss out filming plan. While we did have our storyboards I felt that our idea did not completely fit within our genre and we needed to add more suspense. My group felt the same way so we brainstormed ideas that we could use to keep the majority of the opening the same but still add a factor of suspense. This was a bit difficult considering the group was already on edge because of the SD card situation. Many times I would have to bring the group back to focus on the task at hand. After multiple ideas being thrown around we decided it would be easiest to change just the ending and keep the mother alive. Once we finally finished discussing out film plan we got to the actual filming part. However, discussing the filming plan took up almost all of our time leaving us with a small window to actually film. In this small window we re-filmed the opening scene and began to film the second scene. Although Amelia was there I continued to take on the role of the director. I would give our actors direction on the new script because we changed some of the dialogue and action. Additionally, I was in charge of the shots we used and the order in which we filmed.

Filming: Opening scene

This weekend we filmed at Gavin’s house. However, like I stated in the previous blog we did not have enough actors. This was a frustrating experience for me because I know that I reminded them that we didn’t have any actors and they didn’t seem to understand the severity of this problem.  We did not get to film as much as I had hoped due to this so we are currently discussing another time that we would be able to film and who we would be able to use as actors.We were left scrambling to think of actors we could use. Eventually I came up with the idea of using one of my friends from school who I know lives very close to Gavin. I texted him and he said he was able to act in our movie. With the actors we had, we filmed the opening scene of our movie. Amelia, our director was not available to film so I took on her role as director. Amelia’s absence affected the filming process negatively, however while she wasn’t physically there we were still able to contact her. My role as “director” was to make sure we were filming according to our storyboard. I also told our actors if they needed to change their demeanor or add more emotion. In addition, I let our camera person know if they needed to alter the angle they were filming the actors.

Filming blog : Preparation

Our group planned on filming this weekend for our final task. We will be going to Gavin’s house to film. To make for an efficient filming process I will have to do all my preparations before hand. This includes props, actors and camera equipment. For props we need to have “adoption papers” I will create this by using an envelope and printing the characters name on it. We will also need to set up the living room for the scene where the old lady and the teen talk. For our camera equipment we will be using someone’s phone to film. We thought this was the best idea because using the school cameras has potential risk. The camera has a limited battery and I do not want to risk the camera dying in the middle of us filming. Additionally, we will be using a tripod to help prevent shaky footage. Also, if there is a circumstance where we need to re-film and the camera is not available the footage will not match to the new footage we filmed. We finished the storyboard but we haven’t completely decided which camera angles we want to use so before this weekend I will meet with my group and we will discuss which camera angles we want to use for our opening. Tomorrow we plan to film majority of our movie starting with the establishing shot outside of the house. The only scene i do not believe we will be able to get done is the cemetery scene. We do not have a way of driving to the cemetery so we will have to schedule another time to film. We also have not confirmed our ability to film in the cemetery. I have discussed this with my group and we plan to reach out once we confirm a scheduled day to film. One issue that we have is we have not fully confirmed with the actors that they will be able to film. This is a major problem because without actors we cannot film at all. I have been contacting them and if we need to we can reschedule our filming date.
Attached you will find my attempts to contact the actors.

Planning : Storyboard

This is our storyboard for our final project. This year in AICE media studies was the first time our group was introduced to storyboarding. We have learned all about why they are important to a film. Storyboards help us plan our film ahead of time. Not only does it help with the planning aspect but the visual too. By having to draw every scene we think ahead. This helps us eliminate any issues we might run into for filming. This also helps our group work together. If one person visualizes a scene one way and everyone else is thinking something different then it could cause issues during filming. This way all of our group members are on the same page and we are ready to film.

Planning: Title Design

This is our title design for our final project. We decided to make a powerpoint and break up different aspect of our title design sequence to make it more organized. While allowing us to be more organized this also helps us plan ahead. By planning ahead we eliminate any mistakes we could have at the last minute and not be able to fix. We separated our design into font, color, spacing, and transitions. Using google slides also allows our plan to be easily shared with our group members. By using google slides we can also easily embed our slide into our blogs. We have easy access to our information and won’t lose our hard work. We did run into some problems while doing our title design powerpoint. But now those problems are resolved and my group has an idea and plan for what we will be doing for our final task.

Planning

This is the planning for the final project. In this PowerPoint, my group and I go over the planning aspect of our final project. The power-point goes over; the locations that we will use. The music that will be playing and making sure that it cannot be copyrighted. The participants are labeled, positions such as the director, actors, filmer, and editors. It also covers health and safety in the film. Things such as how to prevent injuries and in the event of an injury what we should do. Our schedule is also detailed in the power-point. It is important to have a schedule because of all the extracurricular that my group is involved in we need to organize our availabilities. That is what we discussed in the power-point.

Planning: Shooting Script

This is the shooting script for our project. This can also be used as the “directors script”. We created the shooting script as somewhat of a written form of our storyboard. We separated our opening sequence by scene and did a breakdown of what we will film. We included the camera angles, camera movement, shots, and a brief description of what the characters will be doing in each scene. The importance of making a shooting script is to ensure a smooth filming experience. If we neglected this step in the planning process it would almost certainly result in error and many circumstances in which we would need to reshoot. Due to a short time frame and a busy schedule, we do not have the luxury of filming an abundance of reshoots. Another reason we do this is to organize our thoughts. Writing out the script for our opening sequence allows us to visualize what the opening sequence and make edits if we feel necessary.

Planning: Sound Script

This is the sound script for the final project. We separated our opening sequence by scene and indicated exactly what the audience will be hearing in each scene. We included the dialogue, voice-over, any diegetic or non-diegetic sound and the music heard in each scene. The importance of making a sound script is to ensure a smooth filming and editing experience. If we neglected this step in the planning process it would almost certainly result in an error and many circumstances in which we would need to reshoot or re-edit. Due to a short time frame and a busy schedule, we do not have the luxury of filming an abundance of reshoots or much time to re-edit. Another reason we do this is to organize our thoughts. Writing out the script for our opening sequence allows us to discuss whether we feel these sounds make sense in our movie and if the dialogue is clear and understandable for the audience. The sound is a major component in guiding the viewer on how to feel and portraying the emotions of the characters. For these reasons, we found it necessary to write out our sound script before starting the filming process.