The extra footage

As my partner and I are editing, we realized that on filming day, we took some extra footage just in case we have some confusion about the orders of the segments.

Previously I have stated that our car scene was shot with a car mount, but we also wanted to show the main character actually getting into the car to avoid confusion.

Before the car mount segment, we decided to address how the character actually drove to pick up her best friend with a couple of seconds in between her getting ready and the two girls in the car together. 

To emphasize this, the actors, Ethan and I decided to have a camera in the back seat of the car (which is shown in the video above).

This camera placement will show up as an over-the-shoulder shot in order to display what the main character is doing. This camera angle was what we thought was best to display our vision perfectly. 

It clearly shows the young girl getting into her car and turning it on. Even though it may sound simple and stupid, we thought it was necessary to show that she in on the way to pick up her best friend. 

Ok yes, this part is only a couple seconds, but we needed this or else the audience will be confused about what is going on. 

We also utilized this angle and idea to show the accelerator of the car. This idea was a last minute idea which we though to show the girls' excitement of doing fun activities together. 

A major tweak and clarification

As previously mentioned in my blog, I told you guys that our film opening was to be perceived as a teen flick, directed towards the teenage target audience. 

Welp - we kind of changed our minds a little bit and I want to make our genre clear. 

It definitely incorporates the aspect of a teen flick but as we were editing, we realized that by adding a "This is where things go wrong" line creates a sense of drama. 

So I wanted to research the genre conventions for a drama film just in case I did not make this clear in previous posts. Since the voice over will have humor in it and relatable lines, the film opening will obtain the same target audience. 

Our overall genre for the film is called a teen drama. 

Even though the opening may make people laugh, it is mainly covering the relationship two young girls share and all of the time they spend together. This is to show that when one either gets seriously hurt or even passes away, the other will suffer as well. 

Drama's exhibit real life situations with realistic characters, settings and story lines. The purpose of a dramatic storyline is to move the audience emotionally. We are doing this by getting the audience to relate to the characters.

This film technique portrays real life in which the main characters enter conflict with themselves or others (which is what we are setting up in our opening). Our film opening is focusing on character development and interaction in order to create a real life feel without it looking like a documentary. 

Adding a nice touch

As we continue on the editing process, we want to make sure every aspect of the film opening is perfect. 

Since our whole film opening is covered by the main characters voice over, we thought that adding some special techniques to enhance the actual footage on the stage. 

So I started to research some effects that could add to the overall beginning of the film; I stubbled upon freeze frame.  

Adding a freeze frame is when you stop the film in a particular place in order to either add emphasis on something or fill in information not given, even to cover up missing footage. They are a quick and effective way to start a drama genre for a film. Participants create an image using their bodies – with no movement. Freeze frames can be made by individuals, small groups or even the whole group.

I thought that this would be a perfect addition in our opening. 
Here is an example from the film "Goodfellas" :

I want to utilize freeze frames in order to introduce the main character and her best friend. I feel as though freeze frames will create more interest for the individuals watching and adds a unique touch that isn't used as common as other techniques in films. 

Editing time!!

Remember when I was talking about color grading???? Welp here it is!! 

After viewing all of the shots and scenes captured, every video was imported to a computer. This laptop already had Adobe Premiere as a primary editing application. 

When previously talked about, we were not going to use Adobe Premiere to edit the entirety of our final project. However, we decided to utilize this software JUST to color grade since that was all that we had. 

This was definitely unexpected but Ethan and I decided to try it out and if we were not happy with it, we could just use a different platform. 

This is an example of one shot we took and tweaked it to please the viewers' eyes:

Even though I was skeptical at first, Adobe Premiere was not complicated to use once my partner and I played around with the different parts like saturation, brightness, highlights, etc. I surprisingly enjoyed color grading on this platform. 

By clicking on multiple segments, we were able to incorporate the same edits on every one. This made it easier for us so we did not have to go through all of our footage and attempt to make every minute the exact same edits. 

Color grading is super important to incorporate in our film since some segments were filmed outside, the exposure was suuuuper high. By using this technique, the lighting is way better and by lowering the exposure, we did not need to use umbrellas with lights or any tools like that.

After color grading was over, we transferred all of our footage onto a flash drive in order for Ethan and I to have it on our own laptops. Now onto WeVideo!

A productive wednesday

More and more filming.....

After a 6 hour shoot and multiple location changes, in total we got around 18 minutes worth of footage. Unfortunately, this was not what we were expecting since it felt like we were filming FOREVER. 

We were all nervous that these minutes were not going to be enough after editing. 

For the final project we need between 1 - 2 minutes of the opening scene. We definitely needed more footage just to be safe. After brainstorming the variety of ways to make up for the possible extra time, we decided to shoot another sentimental moment: 

Here, the camera is focusing on the two girls in a simple manner (not a crazy shot). This two shot addition lets the viewers focus on what is actually happening in the emotional scene. This addition creates even more character development to the overall film.

Since the voiceover is going to be added last, we wanted to talk actually talk aloud to make it look like I am helping her feel better. This moment adds to the girl's relationship characterization and will be placed right before the final scene. 

This placement was chosen in order to show the good times first - then the rough times that the two girls have been through together. 

IT IS FILMING DAY EVERYONE

It is the day we have all been waiting for....... finally....... FILMING!!

By utilizing the storyboard layout Ethan and I came up with, our locations and shots were previously planned in order to make the process a lot easier. 

We made sure to bring this special sheet of paper just in case we forgot an aspect for this special day. Also, as we were going, we checked off what we finished as we went along.

Once we started shooting, I remembered that my neighbor, Dean, once showed me a short film he made using a car mount. I thought that it would be a unique touch in our opening and made that short adjustment in our car scene. 

I knew I did not want just a normal point of view shot or a two shot of my friend and I from the backseat because that is too boring. So, when I thought of the car mount, Ethan agreed that it was the perfect addition.

Here is the inside view of Dean attaching the camera to the hood:

When driving, I was nervous that it was going to fall off so I made sure to drive with caution. The mount is super secure, but looking at the tripod gripping on a moving vehicle made me nervous!

This segment of our opening focuses on the two girls having fun in their car on the way to the mall. This car mount captures their facial (and body) emotions and shows the audience that they are on the move. 

You are going to FLIP when you see this footage.. it is something I have never scene in a film opening and hopefully this last minute decision was not a bad one. 

"Credits" options

Disclaimer: I know that the opening credits in a movie are an aspect that is mostly saved until the end of the final production process, or at least when the movie has been actually filmed. 

However, as I was watching a different variety of films all weekend long, I decided to start brainstorming on what our film opening credits will look like and where they are going to be placed.

I started to do some research on what credits actually end up looking on screen  because I was lost on where to include texts as a scene is playing. I stumbled upon this video on YouTube that shows examples of opening credits in various films:

I have came to the realization that our text options and placement is 100% up to my partner and I. There is no specific way a credit is "supposed to be." 

My partner and I agreed to have our credits at the beginning of the two minutes rather than the end and randomly positioned. We did not want our credits to have a specific order since the film opening is about having fun, the credits will be placed sporadically. 

I really would like this style of text to be utilized for the credits: 

This might sound crazy but it caught my eye because it was NOT bolded or emphasized with any border around it. The text is simplistic and seems "happy." That is the vibe I got from it and I think it would fit perfect into our film opening.

Lighting

An important aspect in our production is the lighting in which the location we film in. Since we are going to be in different places with moving shots, the lighting has to stay consistent as possible. 

Since the various places we will be filming in are either outside (like by the pool) or in a mall/store, we most likely will not be bringing our own lighting. We will be utilizing a technique called "available light." This is an example of a film using the sun as their primary light source. 

Since we are filming a segment of our film opening outside, we have to take inconsideration of the time of day. We obviously cannot film the main characters walking outside during night time if we need the sun as our main source. 

Also, since our film starts out as happy and energetic, we want the sun to be bright so our shots have amazing lighting. Looking up the weather will definitely benefit us so we can avoid cloudy skies or rain.

When recording the specific segments that are not outside, we needed to search for particular lighting that will perform well on camera. In the first couple of parts of our opening, the main character will be in a house as she is getting out of bed, brushing her teeth and getting dressed. 

At first I thought that using natural lighting from windows would be sufficient for these shots, but my partner disagreed. Ethan said that by using studio lights, our video will be well lit and the quality will be higher than just using the sun shining through windows.

These studio lights that I have found in my house are efficient because they are super powerful. This allows us to not use a continuous light on the camera, giving us flexibility if we wanted to manipulate the lighting like using umbrellas in order to accentuate different shots. 

I cannot wait to see what these look like when we actually start to film!!!!

Storyboard

In class Ethan and I have decided to write out our entire storyboard. This will aid us in planning out the types of shots being incorporated in each segment of our opening scene. 

Before completing this process, I wanted to explore the actual benefits of storyboarding to see if it was worth the time. To be completely honest, I have never really used a storyboard in past projects because I thought it was pointless and a waste.

After doing much research, I have concluded that I was totally wrong. Yes, indeed, it is super important for my partner and I to plan out the opening scene aspects before the actual filming day. 

Storyboarding allows us to set up the film before it is even made. This visualization will allow us to potentially see the problem areas in which we can fix ahead of time. Just because we have a vision in our minds of how we see the film looking like, does not mean it is practical and planned out. Drawing or writing out a storyboard will take our vision to paper. Like we did here: 

Okay maybe this is not exactly what a storyboard should look like, I guess you can say this is "our version." 

Instead of drawing all of our parts for the opening, we wrote them out, all with separate titles that indicate what the main character is doing. Underneath these brief titles, we wrote out some camera shots we want to be focused on in these various segments. We made them brief and to the point which may seem confusing, but when conversed about how we want it to be executed, we wrote down the words that made sense to us. 

The large bracket that is enclosing some of the segments is meant for a 360 angle. This is when the actors are standing still and a tripod with the camera is literally going in a 360 circle around them. We thought that this decision would make the scene more interesting and catch the viewers eye. 

In this video, the camera is spinning around the still actors. These shots definitely intrigued me when I saw it due to the suspense-ish aspect and the focus on the characters. I forsake want to incorporate this technique in my own project. 

Filters

Before we started to do our storyboard, my partner had brought up the idea of having filters within the final project, I immediately turned him down.

I think that filters add a "fake" factor to the overall video footage and does not really have a positive effect. However, Ethan told me to look up films that utilize filters just to see if that changes my mind. 

I found an aspect called "color grading." This is when the appearance of the film is improved when captured in different environments on different devices. Color is important because it effects mood and can change a film from looking lifeless to alive. In my opinion, I would rather watch a colored film rather than a black and white / grayish one. 

Like the picture seen above, I agree to utilize this technique. When my partner said filters I did not even think of color grading. I thought filters meant black and white or those super corny saturated ones. I really like the concept of color grading for every aspect of the film opening so everything looks the same. 

Since I have never heard of this before I want to make sure that we are able to use color grading in our own project. This video gives a step by step on how to alter the various recordings in order to color grade correctly. 

Ethan and I have agreed to use this for our own video and we are going to make sure to view this video as we are editing in order to get the color on screen we want. Having color on a film overall enhances viewer engagement, which is something we want to achieve with our own. 

Changing our minds..

After a student in my group discussion suggested that my partner and I should use "Adobe Pro" to edit our final project, I asked my partner if he knew what it was since I have never heard of it. 

However, my partner disagreed with using "Adobe Pro" and suggested that we should use an application called "WeVideo." He argued that since we have used this platform in the past, it is best we utilize it for our final project and not something new that we have never used before. I agreed with this, even though "Adobe Pro" looked cool, we should use an application we are familiar with.

"WeVideo" is compatible with a Mac Book laptop, which is the technology we each are going to use to edit each part of the film opening. Since our high school, Cypress Bay, subscribes to "WeVideo," my partner and I get the application at no cost (again, a major plus!)

This is the home screen a user sees as they are editing a project. "WeVideo" allows he or she to layer multiple items such as pictures, audio or effects all simultaneously. This feature will specifically benefit my partner and I since our voice over narrator will be speaking over multiple videos as the beginning credits, in text, are showing with the title. 

This application also has a variety of transitions within it. The long list of transitions will help Ethan and I incorporate ones we have never used before as we want to change from one scene to another. 

"WeVideo" also allows more than one person to work on a specific project at a time. Ethan and I will be working on our project simultaneously in order to be more efficient. This also allows us to communicate easier since we will both be looking at the same screen at the same time. 

Even though I am not an experienced editor, I am trusting that the application "WeVideo" will aid my partner and I for our final project. The easy-to-use platform has features that is specified to what we need for our film opening. 

Never thought that I would say that I am actually excited to start editing!

A possible voice over platform

Since I will be the one adding my voice into the background of the film opening, I must research various applications to find the perfect one to cater what I am looking for. 

Ethan and I both agreed that we do not want to use the iPhones' recording application titled "Voice Memos" because the quality is not adequate enough for a film opening. We tested it by using headphones as I said a couple sentences, but the rustling noise was distracting and my voice was not able to be heard clearly. We then tried without the headphones, thinking that the rustling noise would stop, but that was not the problem. Still, we were not happy with the quality of the platform.

After the couple of trials, we were unhappy with the iPhone so I started researching different applications we could utilize for our project.

I heard a student in another Media Studies class talking about "NCH Software." 
https://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html?kw=voice%2520over%2520software&gclid=CjwKCAiAiJPkBRAuEiwAEDXZZU48qlrrgqWRDLJ223-urkfGlWymxfwCt24FJ97a8KPhOBIvwwGDrhoCJkwQAvD_BwE

Since I am super curious about this, I immediately looked up NCH online to see how the application works. First of all, it is completely free, that is a plus! Also, the first thing I read was that it is compatible with Mac Book laptops which is exactly what I need. 

NCH, also known as WavePad Audio Editing Software, allows users to:

• "Sound editing tools include cut, copy, paste, delete, insert, silence, auto-trim, compression, pitch shifting and more
• Audio effects include amplify, normalize, equalizer, envelope, reverb, echo, reverse and many more
• Supports almost all audio and music file formats including mp3, wav, vox, gsm, wma, au, aif, flac, real audio, ogg, aac, m4a, mid, amr, and many more
• Batch processing allows you to apply effects and/or convert thousands of files as a single function
• Scrub, search and bookmark audio for precise editing
• Create bookmarks and regions to easily find, recall and assemble segments of long audio files
• Advanced tools include spectral analysis (FFT), speech synthesis (text-to-speech), and voice changer
• Audio restoration features including noise reduction and click pop removal
• Supports sample rates from 6 to 192kHz, stereo or mono, 8, 16, 24 or 32 bits
• Edit the audio from your video files
• Works directly with MixPad Multi-Track Audio Mixer
• Easy to use interface will have you utilizing non-destructive audio editing in minutes"

This is definitely way more efficient than the iPhone's "Voice Memos" platform. 

In class productivity

Today's class was super successful!  I am so happy with how it went!

Every student divided into about five groups, each consisting of five or six people. If one is working with another student on the project, they had to separate into different clusters. The main goal of these gatherings was to explain our own projects and converse with everyone on either on ideas or improvements. Once a student gave her explanation, the listeners are to give his or her opinion and suggestions on how to make it better. The fact that every partner was separated made it better because then each individual can receive even more feedback rather than just from four people. 

As I was listening to others explain their magazines or film opening ideas, I made sure to express all of my constructive criticism in order to aid their projects and hoping they would do the same for me. 

When it was my turn to describe my film opening aspects, I began the discussion by showed the multiple students in my group the "Love, Simon" clip that I have previously added to this blog last week. I thought that by showing the opening scene of this film would show my vision rather than me trying to explain each characteristic as some may not be able to envision my explanation.  

Indeed, that worked! They understood my film opening vision, which is a "teen flick," and agreed that this genre and execution was a unique idea that they thought could be completed successfully. 

One member of my group introduced me to https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAiJPkBRAuEiwAEDXZZSBa-pbfTD6onTu4UkNVX9D-gSTGu-wQYhv3VGBGut82ddbO2VNgmxoCruAQAvD_BwE&sdid=KKQOM&mv=search&ef_id=CjwKCAiAiJPkBRAuEiwAEDXZZSBa-pbfTD6onTu4UkNVX9D-gSTGu-wQYhv3VGBGut82ddbO2VNgmxoCruAQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3085!3!301778495748!b!!g!!download%20premiere%20pro 

In their opinion, Adobe Pro is a more efficient editing software than iMovie is, which is a platform I have been using for a long time. It offers a free trial for a week which is more than enough time for my partner and I to develop our film opening. If I end up liking its' features, I will purchase for future editing. 

They informed me that this editing application is trouble-free with the sound techniques, which is an aspect I do not have much experience in. Adobe Pro allows users to includes dials that lets editors eliminate background noise, a feature I need if we end up filming a part of our film opening in school. 

Also since I am doing this film opening project with a partner, this editing software allows more than one individual to work on the video. This aids us in making our project more efficient and allows us to communicate easier. 

I am super excited that the group discussion was successful since I learned something I have never heard of! I definitely will be looking further within this editing software. 

What to film what to film ...

As I mentioned in a previous post, my partner and I have established that the overal genre of our film is “teen flick.” 

We are going to start our storyboard today so before we do so, I am brainstorming what exactly where I want the locations to be. 
The two minutes of the film opening is going to be about the main character’s life (me). I would like for her to have a best friend and if we were to make an actual movie about it, the film would be about their crazy adventures together. 

I know what you’re thinking - so what are you going to film?

I want the opening scene to be relatable to the teen audience. That means the narration has to be comical and conversational. 

Here is a slight overview of the scene: (once the story board is finished I will insert the shots on a separate post)

We are going to start as the teen wakes up on a normal day. This part of the scene her hair will not be done and she humors herself on the voice over about how she looks. As she finishes getting ready, she will introduce the audience to her best friend. Her best friend will be perfectly done up; with make up and nice clothes, the opposite of the main character. Since the film is about their adventures together, there will be fun shots of them at the mall, singing in the car together, or tanning by the pool. The voice over will include how they met and how the main character feels about her best friend. 

We want the shots to be as lighthearted as possible since this is directed to be relatable to the teenage audience. By the end of the scene we will end it with “and this is where it all went wrong” to leave the audience in mystery and surprise. 

Thinking of the storyline

As each day is going by, I am getting more and more excited about filming this opening scene.

My partner and I were discussing the scene aspects such as the actors, where it will take place, what it is going to be about and what tools we are going to use to achieve this.

We have decided to base the entire first scene on a teenager's life. Ethan thinks that I should be the main character in our project. I am nervous to do this since I am always the one behind the camera, not in front of it. If I end up taking the role as the narrator, I will be voice overing each part of the opening. We are still trying to figure out what we are going to be filming. I was thinking that we can film me getting out of bed in the morning, showing my family, me rushing to school, not 100% sure yet what the whole film should encompass.

We want to leave the audience in a mystery as to what is going to happen next. I thought of ending the scene with a line that makes people want to keep watching like,"And this is where it all went wrong" or "I never thought my day was going to end up like it did." I am not positive as to what the exact words are going to be since I have not started the script writing, but those are just ideas.

The topic of the location came up in our discussion of filming and we have tons of ideas. Ethan has a professional camera that we can use to record the entirety of the scene. I also have professional lighting that we can use for the house scenes if the natural light does not work out. If we were to film a morning routine of a teenager rushing to school, the house would have to be well-lit and easy to maneuver around. Also, when showing the teenager arriving at school, the location of Cypress Bay is trouble-free, since we only need a couple of shots in the parking lot.

The equipment and locations are easily accessible. The only issue is that we need to be certain about what we are going to be specifically filming.

Voice over inspirations

It is official! I am the main character of the theme opening!

I am super nervous because I hate hearing my voice on voice recordings but my partner ensured me that I was perfect to use as the main actress. As the focus of the film, I need to start researching how to incorporate teenagers' lives into 1 - 2 minutes. I am starting to brainstorm ideas on how I want my "character" to interact with the audience.  Since our target audience is mainly focused on teenagers, the lines in the script have to be funny and relatable. 

I stumbled upon this scene in the movie "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" (2018): 

Even though the actual scene is not what we are filming, I focused my attention on the voice over. The main character was saying exactly what she was thinking like she was conversing with the audience. Her lines were humorous and made me laugh during my first viewing. They connected with the younger audience which is exactly what our goal is in our project. However, this "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" scene had more dialogue than voice over. We want to have slim to no dialogue in our opening. 

OK I FOUND THE PERFECT EXAMPLE!

This is a scene from the 2018 movie "Love, Simon." His dialogue, the editing, the different scenes within the opening, all is what I envisioned for my partner and I's project. He is directing his monologue to the individuals watching, mostly teenagers. TEENAGERS! This is what I have been talking about people!!!! He shows his life in various aspects and there is slim to NO dialogue what-so-ever. The main character is narrating simultaneous to what is being shown on screen. 10/10. 

Planning for filming

We finally get to plan!!

After all of the research and changing our minds, I am so relieved that my partner and I have finally figured out what we want to do for our film opening!!

Now here comes the strenuous part - planning.

I know Ethan always has a busy schedule so we need to decide on dates to actually film the scene. I want to get all of the filming done weeks in advance so we have plenty of time to get all of the editing done and time to perfect it. Spring break is coming up but I still want all of our shots to be done before the week-off begins. I began to think of dates and wrote them down so I would not forget. Here is what I did:

I know what you are thinking, "she's so unorganized." I promise I am going to get a calendar and rewrite the dates!! I just knew that if I did not write them on a sheet of paper I would forget. I am thinking that eight days to complete this is more than enough time. Two days to film all of the shots and then six days for editing. These eight days would be before spring break so if we did need the extra time there would be even another week to do this.

Lets all hope that I am right about how long this will take...