When thinking about what we wanted to talk about in this blog we realized that covid has really impacted us every step of the way. Firstly, this Fellows project was a team effort and every correspondence has been over text, or email, or zoom. Never in-person. At first it was kind of hard to share our visions with one another without being able to sit face to face but after making a google drive to share all of our inspiration we really were able to combine our vision.
Secondly, our timeline and resources were greatly affected by the virus as well. In terms of writing, we found that it was hard to write a film when the future was so uncertain. We didn't know how the end of the year would progress, if there would be another outbreak, or if we'd all have to quarantine again. It was difficult to write a story that could be altered at any moment in case filming in person became unsafe. We waiting a long time to film in hopes that the covid restrictions would be lifted by the time we started, which wasn't the case until now. If we had waited and hoped any longer, we wouldn't have had the luxury of being able to step away from the project to let it sit for a moment. If we had waited any longer, we probably would have really been rushing to get everything edited and finished. Creating a film in a time of a worldwide pandemic has taught us many things, one of the biggest lessons being pushing through creative blocks. This project has definitely strengthened our perseverance and resourcefulness. We've worked around so many unforeseen problems and altered our plans so many times but we're extremely proud of what we've produced. Though we still have a lot to learn, our problem-solving skills are so strong now that nothing can shake us. Our careers in the film industry have only just begun.
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Post Filming
After filming and reviewing all of the different takes, we felt very confident in how the filming process went. Coming off of Spring Break was the last little push before the end of the school year so we took a well-deserved break to focus on finishing strong. Usually in the creative process you have to let your work sit for a little bit and then revisit it and look at it from a new prospective. So, that's what we did. After finishing the school year, we picked the project back up. Editing The editing process took about two weeks and a lot of late nights. Many of the video and audio files were unmarked, so they had to be listened to to identify which scene it went with. We edited each of the seven scenes individually and then put them together to color grade and make the film look and sound uniform. Our Experience
After messing with the equipment a little bit we realized that we'd need a little bit more help so we reached out to Kelz Kelly, an amazing videographer in the grade below us. He was kind enough to lend us some equipment and help us with figuring everything out. MASSIVE shoutout to him because he made everything go so much smoother because he knew what he was doing. We both were understandably a little nervous about filming. For one, it was that the both of us had gathered with people who weren't family members. There was a little bit of edge about working closely (but not too close) with other people and then of course, there was the social component. We read that making our actors comfortable was the best way to get good performances but we were all still trying to shake the quarantine, haven't-really-interacted-with-people awkwardness. Another thing we were nervous about was possible mistakes we might make. We didn't want to come across as amateurs, even though we are, so we did a lot of research to make sure we were ready. It turned out to be a super low stress environment because short films was new everyone, our actors included. On the first day, everyone showed up and we worked with the actors and made sure that everything felt comfortable for them. It was important that they felt comfortable over anything else so we just ran the scenes and let them do whatever felt natural. Sticking to the script wasn't super important and we actually ended up cutting and altering some of the scenes. Issues We Came Across One of the first problems we encountered was the camera battery. Though we'd tested it and everything when it came down to the real thing, it didn't last as long as we had planned. The first day of shooting was cut short because the battery died and so after that we were really on crunch time. Since it was Spring Break and we were working around schedules, we had to adjust out dates as well. Drew, our outside actor, wasn't on Spring Break so we couldn't start until after 1 on some days and after 3 on others. We were also traveling for Spring Break so we filmed on Monday of the first week and then only a few days the following week. There was a huge gap in between our first day of shooting, almost a week, but instead of hurting the process it kind of benefited us. Since everyone was still adjusting to new equipment, social environments, and overall just being out in fresh air, it was admittedly nice to just process how the first day went and see where we can do better. We starting filming again on Sunday and it felt like everyone was just a little bit more prepared because we all knew what to expect. Timeline Update
We had a brief meeting with Mr. Gvozden to see if he had any last minute tips for us as we approach the time to start filming. One of the things he suggested was that we print out the emails from the park that gave us permission to film in case we run into any trouble. Another thing that he advised is allowing more time for filming because we'd need more than three hours a day. The park closes at 7 so we checked with our actors before decided that we needed to allot six hours each day instead. Casting We received three responses out of the seven theatres we contacted. Two of the theatres were willing to hear more about the project. They suggested a few high school actors and gave us their contact so we could reach out directly. To mimic the real casting process, we asked for headshots (pictures of the actors) and audition videos. After reviewing, them we sent back responses and cast an actor from the Colonial Players in one of our leading characters. For the second leading character we went with a student from school because we'd seen her act before. After reaching out and confirming the dates we'd be filming, we sent our actors the script. Timeline Update
Since our last meeting with Mr. Gvozden we've decided on a shooting schedule where we've allotted three hours each day during the first week of spring break. We'll be using the sun our source of lighting so we'll need to start working around 1 each day to maximize daylight and to be considerate of everyone's time. Casting With the script out of the way, the next thing we have to focus on is casting. Though we were a little bit unsure of how we were going to get actors for our film Mr. Gvozden suggested we email local theatres in the area. We sent out emails to about seven theatres letting them know about our project, what type of actors we're looking for, and the general dates of the when we're looking to shoot our film. It was important to emphasize that we'll of course be following CDC guidelines and will maintain 6 feet at all times. Now we're just waiting for responses. Equipment We've finalized our list of equipment and will place our Amazon orders soon. To minimize costs, we're also planning on borrowing some of our equipment from Yeala's family friend. This way we can experiment with it ahead of time and be familiar with it when it comes time to shoot. Update: We met with Mr. Gvozden again so that he could look over our most recent version of the script. In the meeting, we talked about how the story tension could be heightened even more and then we went over how to start marking up the script to visualize how we want all the shots to look. Lastly, we talked about equipment which we can now tailor to how we want the film to look and what feel we want it to have.
Spring Break and Beyond: Following the meeting, we're going to send him a list of equipment so that he can look it over, make the final changes to the script, and start contacting local theatre companies. We're looking to start shooting once it gets a little bit warmer in February, since out film is mainly set outside, so we're right on track with our goals. As we move over into the next phase of our project, we'll need to focus on reaching out to actors and figuring out how we can best keep everyone safe with COVID numbers rising and with us being in the middle of flu/cold/sickness season. Below are some notes from our last meeting. -Take some dialogue out and replace it with visuals -Needs to be defined encounter -Something that makes the tension heightened (up the stakes), something from the beginning that makes it special like making this his last time seeing her before he goes to college. She leaves before she’s ready, last time she’s going to see him, it makes a statement. -Do something with introduced events at the beginning -Make sure that everything that’s in the script is there for a reason. -Their relationship needs to get down to something truer at the end -Switch the gifts -Symbol that just lets go of the friendship. -Focus on the actors -We need a sound mic -Youth Groups, UMFY -“Hey, we’re hs seniors, tell them about the project, say that we’re looking for young actors, do you have anyone you’ve worked with, who can we talk to about, can you point us in the right direction? this could be a cool opportunity. they’d get a finished film when we’re done.” After meeting with Mr. Gvozden, we began working on details of the film. Firstly we realized we needed to go move in depth with our characters. Though the conflict in our story seemed to be a key difference in our two main characters, it was unclear what the difference was. We needed to fully flesh-out our characters to make sure that everything still felt authentic as we added a second layer to the story. We tried to focus on the before and after the story which really helped us. We also started working on the lookbook. When we were sharing notes after out meeting we decided we wanted out character's outfits to represent their difference in personality. We've been compiling pictures and videos so that we can keep track of the colors we'd like to incorporate as well.
On November 13 we met with one of our mentors to get feedback on our script and advice for our next steps for the next two months. Here are the notes from the meeting.
- For Actors check with local theaters (call, email, get in contact). Use someone else's network of actors. Look at places like Children's Theatre in Annapolis. Movie Visuals - Create Lookbook, Color palettes, Outfits (Warm character cool character) - Take screencaps from other movies/tv shows to find look of movie Screenplay - What are we trying to say with the interactions between the two friends? - Keep the weight of the conversation - Positive: Characters feel like real people, banter is entertaining, warm and realistic - End where they turn on each other is abrupt, add more build up? Depends on what the actors do. Is it antagonism or banter? - Every component of the story should be born of the original pitch, hit on everything. - Does everything fit into the basic/original idea - Redefine plot goal and emotional goals so the film has somewhere to go and something to build up to. - Pacing is good but every second should count - Define what separates the two characters and how that creates conflict (maybe it's perspective?) - Don't be afraid to tackle current issues as well. - It's ok to send small updates to keep people updated and to get quick opinions Fall Goals: `1. Rework the script so it can fit into elevator pitch 2. Send updates to our mentors 3. Decide on final equipment 5. Start creating visuals of other movies to capture theme and style 4. Contact local theaters to try and find actors As the summer comes to a close, we're reflecting on what we've done the past few months. At the beginning of summer we decided that our main goal would be defining the story and familiarizing ourselves with the software we'd be using. Although we'd been attending school virtually, it wasn't clear how long the virus would last for. That was our biggest problem. Upon meeting with our mentors, we realized that we'd have to go back to the drawing board and fleshing out more than one story idea in case the pandemic continued into the fall. Another thing that we struggled with was motivation. It was pretty devastating when we realized that the story wouldn't be able to look exactly how we wanted it. In between zoom college classes and the protests, we were, admittedly, a little bit drained. And that's ok because we were able to recognize that and adjust our schedule accordingly. We took a little bit of a break and then jumped back in, jotting down any and all ideas and work from there.
Although having to revise out story was a set back, we used this time to explore different ways to tell our story. We were particularly inspired by the Netflix show, Homemade. The show was a collection of short films shot during the period of isolation before the country started opening up again. Netflix and Youtube were our biggest tools of motivation. Although it sounds a little bit counterintuitive, as visual learners, watching videos that analyzed movies or short films actually helped us learn. Not to mention, seeing all the cool short films gave us inspiration for our own. Though we don't know what the future holds, we're excited for the school year and know that no matter what happens, we'll be extremely proud of our movie. |
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May 2021
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