Setting

 Oops

I forgot to mention that I had already bought background setting props/decor. 😓 sorry bestiesss! 

No worries, I remember precisely what I bought:

Did I take some decorations from my garage? Yes, I did! ~ Sometimes, the best thing in life is to wing it and it certainly was fun doing so!

But, I bought the balloons, cake, and party poppers to add the essentials. From my garage, I had birthday bags and boxes, cups, banners, and stuffed animals to fill the bags. Everything a birthday party needs, especially for a little girl.

I tried to create details of how a mother would decorate for her daughter's birthday party. I definitely asked my mom for guidance, so no way one can deny the reasons I chose to place some centerpieces. Every detail is meant to signify Mary's relationship and hard work for her daughter. The party would be small because I can only obtain a couple of actors, so to make the party fuller, I would film in one specific area, and make the scenes look fuller. 

At first, I ran into a problem with where I placed the setting corner. I had decorated everything at night, so when I woke up to see how everything looked on camera, the lighting from the window would cover everything. My house is already furnished and I didn't want to get in trouble with my mom 😂 So, I asked my brother to move the table and decor a different angle. Then, we put a blanket over the window so that the light would not blind the camera from the side. This way, we can play around with the lights I borrowed, so we can manipulate the mood and atmosphere. Also, our timing wouldn't be affected by natural timing, so we can film whenever.

    

Filming will start as soon as I am done with my screenplay before this weekend! I will keep you updated 👍

HEHEHEHEHE🥁

 Let The Masterpiece Begin!

Hey bestiesz!! After prepping for the film, it is time to take action. I have received the equipment from a place called BECONTV. They run a television station. They agreed for me to borrow some of the equipment and they taught me the basics of the camera and lighting techniques.

https://www.browardschools.com/Page/36118

It was the fastest 30 minutes explanation I have ever got and it was AMAZING. You could really tell that they knew what they were talking about, especially since they showed me (someone with zero experience) all the essentials to how to use a camera. I was able not to forget anything because of how simple they made it seem. 

——>This is me and my brother receiving the equipment!!!! It was an awesome day.

Process: 

When I Went To BECON-TV

I dm'd BECON-TV on Instagram last weekend, but due to limited time, I was only allowed to take some equipment this weekend. They said I can borrow it for free as long as I bring it back within a week. I asked my brother to drive me on the day of, and there was someone waiting in front of the building. We had to sign in, we walked inside, and the atmosphere was wonderful. The guy had to finish up with another student who was also borrowing, so I just listened in as he gave instructions. Then, it was my turn. I was definitely nervous before coming in, but it all went away when I was greeted with a smile. I told him what I was looking for and I needed some guidance with what else I might need. My main necessities were a camera and stand. He asked about my experience, WHICH WAS NONE! But fear not, he was not even surprised, he just gave me a quick 30 minute lesson and all the possible tools I need: sound, lighting, focus, and camera techniques. Then, after receiving all the equipment, he asked if I wanted a tour of the station and ofcourseeeee I said YessSsSSSss. I signed a paper agreement saying that I will return the equipment on 3/7/24, in pristine condition.

----->Lots of background/behind the scenes fun stuffff in BECON-TV! Glad I said yes. Lowkey wanna do a radio talk show in the future. I could not hear anything outside that window.

Type Of Equipment

• 4 Batteries
• Charger
• Tripod w/plat
• 1 Bicolor light
• 1 RGB light 
• 2 Stands

Things I Learned: 

Shutter Speed (Which is the speed/exposure time in which the camera’s shutter closes) 

Basically, how much the camera can capture. If it captures 1/2, it means half a second of what happened. So the details will be fuzzy and nothing will be in focus. Think of flash (the superhero⚡)

If it captured 1/500, then the camera will open for 500th of a second. Very slowwww and great detail.

In my case, I was recommended to keep it at 1/30. This is usually for panning and movement of the camera than capturing movement of the actor. It might create a blur, but the setting is indoors, I need it more slow than fast!            

https://www.creativelive.com/photography-guides/what-is-shutter-speed

ISO (light sensitivity) 

Depending on how I set the lighting, the ISO is the response to the lights. So if the lights are high, the ISO should be low. This is controlling the exposure one wants to set for their shot. The more you increase the ISO number, the brighter. So if you want to film in a dark space, the ISO can showcase these dark spots in a camera in a brighter light to make things visible.

https://photographylife.com/what-is-iso-in-photography

Automatic Vs. Manual  

The camera I was given provided me with the chance to have control, semi-control, or no control when it came to filming. The control is based on if you leave the camera on automatic or manual. As a director of my film, I learned that I can gain control of what I would like to expose or focus on. The automatic feature bases the exposure necessary based on the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. The aperture is like an eye-pupil. An easy way to remember how an aperture works: if you are at the beach and exposed to light, your pupils shrink, but in the dark, they expand. If the auto mode does not capture what is needed, you can control it instead. Manually controlling pictures is difficult and will require constant experimenting to get the best version of the shot you are trying to take. Once you adjust everything to the right ratio of aperture and shutter speed, you are set!!!

https://livesnaplove.com/blog/switch-from-auto-to-manual-mode

Aperture

Like I mentioned earlier, the aperture helps with what you would like to keep in focus, even if you are far far FAR away. This technical feature is all about the lighting. On the camera screen, you will notice on the top right (F/#). The number placed next to the letter F should be understood as a fraction. 

"aperture diameter = focal length (f) divided by f-number"(Jeff Meyers & Alex Summers)

This means that the lower the f-number, the larger the aperture. The larger the aperture, the more light is allowed through the camera.

https://www.canon.com.cy/pro/infobank/aperture/

Depth Of Field

The aperture affects the depth of field. The larger the aperture, the more shallow the depth of field. The smaller the aperture, the more focus on everything across the depth of field. In my case, I preferred the 

large aperture since I involve lots of close-ups to extreme close-ups. That is because it makes the subject stand out against a blurred background.

Lighting Techniques 

Bicolor Lights 

For this, the main features included warm orange hue and blueish white cool hue. I used this acquire key lighting.

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1490915-REG/gvm_gvm_50rs2l_gvm_50rs_50w_15v_110_220v_2_light.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&smpm=ba_f2_lar&lsft=BI%3A514&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_5WvBhBAEiwAZtCU7_mpmzgstA1bd8CaP5zIArvRvREacdfjv6WdomqEfWNz7xw-fx4cjxoC8OkQAvD_BwE

RGB LIGHTS 

For this, I used colors to establish tone. I noticed that the camera does not display every color as heavily. It just creates warmer or color tones. But for the colors with great intensity, I felt like the colors could be evident within the subjects shadow, to display emotion. Since I won’t be using dialogue, I have to master showing and delievering the emotion my actors are meant to potray, so manipulating lighting and colors to my advantage can be the additional beneficator.

https://www.amazon.com/Streaming-Recording-Photography-Conference-Adjustable/dp/B0B92CWH6L

Just Practice

Me and my sister were to excited, so we decided to film the beginning scene, just to experiment with the lighting and camera techniques to make sure I did not forget anything. We decided that during the shoot, there should be contrast between warm and cool colors depending on the mood. 

This a picture of me trying to understand what colors set the tone for the theme. Warm=Happy/Cautious. Cold=Sad/Suspenseful

Group Meeting

Alrighty, 👌

Today, we were assigned to a random group to discuss each of our campaign portfolios. I did feel awkward at first, but I did not think much of it. It was nice to hear everyone’s concepts and their approach to doing so. They were very creative and different. I did not know where to begin with explaining my project but this exercise does help with expressing my idea in words out loud, the crazy part is that I had to say it OUTLOUD😭 I said stuff in incomplete sentences but I was only stressed.  As they started asking questions, I was able to draw a clearer picture of my concept. After writing and drawing my ideas, it was nice to express them out loud. The group felt that my work was creative and required a lot of attention to detail. I did express my concerns about the beginning of my film and how to establish a character relationship. For the beginning of my opening scene, they said that the use of stop motion was cool, but it has to be done in dramatic slow cuts rather than a fast child-like combination of shots. There was also the matter of the background of the cake, one of my peers suggested using a table and transition of lighting to change the mood from happy to suspenseful. We talked about how different lighting and colors affect the atmosphere of the scenes. Speaking of lighting, I was introduced to new editing features. Adobe Rush was entirely confusing, but my classmate explained how it is easier to learn on one’s phone or iPad. Also, I was unsure of what equipment I should ask to borrow, so we talked about the techniques that I am planning to use: panning, tilts, zooming, and slow movements. Through the movement, I asked about the different angles they recommended I try to establish the relationship. They said that over-the-shoulder and side profile angles can indicate conversation or connection. I will incorporate these tips, especially since the more footage, the more I can work with!   

Successful Drama Films

 What makes Drama so DRAMATIC?🙊😋 

While I was working on outlining the story, I realized "How will I direct to my actors what emotion and facial expressions they should portray, when I don't know myself?"

SO! In this blog, we will find out what social cues through some films recommended by others to what might fit my concept in terms of emotion or clues. 

Little Women 

Little Women, produced in 2019, is a romantic drama that showcases four sisters experiencing love, family, and personal growth. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3kE0xpO1y8

    Friedrich (guy she eventually likes after moving into New York) visits Jo (one of the sisters.) Jo’s family is meeting Friedrich. The natural gazes each character gave Friedrich were apparent. I want my actors to demonstrate the same eye movements in terms of widening their eyes when being surprised. This way, when Mary (the character from my film) sees her husband acting suspicious, I want her to demonstrate the same movements and expressions as Laurie in Little women (former lover of Jo). 

    When Laurie saw Friedrich, viewers can immediately understand that he does not like the situation. He stares at Jo the most and when Friedrich decides to excuse himself because he feels as though he is intruding (Laurie begins to look around trying to make sense of the situation.) Mary (my character/actress) will do the same when it is time to take a family picture in her daughter’s birthday. Since Mary has to stay composed, we also have to show her thoughts through her expressions trying to compress her feelings like Laurie did.

Marriage Story 

    This film is a great depiction of contrasting emotional distance and togetherness. Marriage Story, a 2019 drama, showcasing a director husband and actress of a wife undergoing a divorce. The feelings the actors embody was entirely raw that it touched me as an audience, with the expressions, dialogue, and effects of the events that occurred in the character’s lives.

    I ABSOLUTELY ENJOYED THIS FILM! I found it fascinating how the opening scene began with each characters separate views of the other. The director demonstrated that in a series of voiceovers. It seemed like their relationship was going well, until we realized that the voiceover is of the letter they had wrote to each other, as an assignment from couple therapy. It was an absolute shock for me because the title of the movie led me to believe that this was a story of a happy married couple. BUT—It was not?? The more I watched the film I understood that this film was exhibiting marriage falling apart, but the characters still held love and respect towards the others. They had flaws, but they were humane. I am definitely incorporating the many techniques from this film. 

Starting with…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTCnp_cLLp4

    Like I said, the opening scene (first 9 minutes) explored a great deal. This video locates what scenes did the actors express their troubles and their relationship. Charlie and Nicole, the married individuals, played their roles exceedingly well. In the scenes where Nicole describes why she is divorcing Charlie, she feels neglected. Her feelings become overbearing. Charlie begins to feel neglected as well, resulting in cheating. Nicole like James (character in my story), neglected feelings become too overwhelming to bear. Charlie like James, cheats on their lover because they require attention. 

    Mary (character in my story) can relate to James. James feels utter confusion through the process of the divorce. When Mary feels that her husband is ignoring her and his attention is elsewhere, Mary feels confusion just like Charlie when he found out that he was getting a divorce. Charlie was able to manifest these expressions by wandering his eyes around when talking to others (due to confusion) but only paying attention to Nicole as a sign of trust (he felt that he needed her explanation because he knew her better.) 

 I had fun watching these films! I hope to do more research and learn to incorporate them into my film. Loving the drama 😉

 

 

Exciting News!!!

 Party Starting 🎉🙈

This week, I will need to do a lot of planning because I will be starting recording soon. I am very excited because I believe I am getting filming equipment soon. I am borrowing some equipment, so I will be able to dive into the film professional world even more. 

For the time being, I will watch some YouTube videos. I have asked my cousins to meet with me sometime next week as I will discuss their roles within the project. I will be finalizing some features of my concept like costuming and the items I will be using for my film. I think filming is the easy part once I get into it, but I will need a lot of time for editing my opening scene. 

——-> I purchased the photo frame that I will be using for the family picture during the birthday party. 

————> These are possible decorations that will be places next to the photo frame. The plants will introduce the character “Mary” through nature/hope/growth.

I have a few party decorations from my previous birthday parties that would work for this film. Like birthday banners, hats, and balloons. I will be buying a cake the day before the shoot. Let’s hope for the best!

Process :)

 Stop MOTionnn💫

I love stop motion! I feel like it is such a cute and fun technique, and it will certainly draw an audience’s attention. 

——> This is the app that I will be using!

I have used it before. It is really easy for beginners and has some beneficial features for opening scenes. One can add multitude of clips, move them around, add titles and credits, audio, and much from.

—————>This is an example of the layout. 

A lot of people told me it is time consuming and while I think that is true, I feel like my approach to this does not require perfect alignment of shots. I think the sequence can be sloppy in an intentional way, since the purpose of using stop motion is to show intervals of chaotic symbolism as the object moves diagonally upwards. I do not meant sloppy as in messy, but I mean that it does not have to precise, just smooth! 

I recorded a 2 second example to show my mom. She then understood what I was trying to say. I used my computer mouse as an example of the object: the cake. 

Here:

I definitely want to look into stop motion through YouTube Videos, just to make sure the beginning is perfect and I want to make sure it looks professional. SO, stay tuned! 

StoryBoard

Let Us Begin The Drama👀

Hey Besties!!! 

Since the brainstorming blog post, I have decided to change my approach. After watching a couple student film opening scenes, I have realized that a good story cannot give the plot so easily. There must be suspense, excitement, and confusion. As someone who has watched films before, I wondered why this did not click with me from the beginning. 

No worries! After analyzing my characters and the concept more, I added a few details to the story. I needed to display this thought process through an illustration. I love drawing, but for now, I did a quick sketch of what I would like to incorporate. This does not mean that this is it. Most likely, I will be adding and removing a lot. So bear with me! 

For now, this is what I have so far. 

I am excited to use stop motion for the few couple of seconds of the video! Do not worry, I have used stop motion before. It brings me back to my childhood when I was assigned to create a video with Legos and stop motion. It was a memorable class. The use of stop-motion creates this fun and intriguing element in films, an almost childish and divided movement. There appears to be an overview of Grace's birthday cake. Later in the film, I would like the audience to inquire about this feature. As the cake moves diagonally across the shot, the cake begins to rotate like a clock. The movement of cake intentionally moves in intervals because at one point the cake transitions from cake to a destroyed cake. The audience will create assumptions that someone has tampered with the cake as if someone grabbed a portion of the cake with their hand. After this transition, the stop motion ends there. Mary will grab the cake from the table. The audience has not been introduced to the characters yet, so this way, they would begin to ask questions, "Who is this person?"

We begin to move with the character. We see a family photo frame, another opportunity to introduce the characters. "Why is this photo frame important?" I would also like to place green plants around the place, a portion of Mary's characteristics that I mentioned in my Pinterest board. 

Mary takes away the photo frame too. Then, a close-up of a kid's feet "Graces." Her feet move up and down, to showcase child-like characteristics. This cutaway to a shot of a box. The box has other birthday features that relate to the birthday cake. All these elements relate back to a birthday scene, giving a general background of what the story is referencing. A medium shot of Mary (waist down) placing the picture frame inside the box. We still do not show Mary's face. 

Mary sits next to Grace. They both face the box. They are placed close to the edge of the couch, where tape and scissors lie next to them. 

"Are they moving the boxes to the garage?" 

"Are they moving out?" 

All important questions!

Most importantly, "Why is the picture frame placed in the birthday supplies box?" 

To answer some questions, we will have to visit back to the event. The only evidence of that event is that photo frame, so let us take a closer look by zooming in. 

"Oh no, the frame is breaking! Is this for real? Or is this symbolizing something? Look it's that cake from earlier and it is not smudged!" These observations will require context. So, as we look into the cake, it will transition to the cake on that particular day. 

The shot will move upwards, so the audience can see the characters. The two older characters are the parents. Identifying the close relationship between the parents to the daughter is important. As described in my brainstorming process and Pinterest board, the dad likes to show signs of affection to his daughter through expensive gifts. With such a cute moment, it is time for a picture!  

Mary gestures to James for a picture, but he seems preoccupied. The shot moves toward who he is talking to. Mary feels sad and uncomfortable. Mary looks at the cake, and back to the camera. The camera flashes.

"Is she the one who ruined the cake?" 

"Will she talk to James about her feelings?"

"Has she always felt distant to James?"

"Is James really flirting or just friendly?" 

As Mary looks towards the camera with no emotion/no thoughts. The audience will begin to inquire about what happened next. The shot transitions back to the photo frame as the camera zooms out to the broken photo frame, only it is zooming out not from the cake, but from Mary's face, where the broken glass is closer to her. The cracks are meant to symbolize a broken family. However, this is not the end! This is only the beginning for Mary, after handling the hardships in her life, she will have to move forward. I plan to showcase a suitcase with brighter lighting, as a sign of moving on. However, again "Is she moving?" "Taking a break?" "Going back to close relatives?" "Vacation?"

WOW!

So many questions were left unanswered, but it surely was a dramatic rollercoaster. Stay tuned...