Pre-filming

     Today is the day before filming day. As I'm getting the last few details down, I've stumbled upon a few challenges. Luckily, since they were minor, I was able to adjust a few of the scenes so everything continues to run smoothly. 

Challenge:                                                                               Solution:

1. Couldn't get Naomi's outfit on time                                   Get an outfit with a similar vibe

2. Can't film in a guy's room                                                  Film in living room instead

3. Can't use choice of Camera                                               Use my phone as a camera

    The first challenge I had was getting Naomi's juicy couture tracksuit. I was initially going to use my friend's tracksuit which she had agreed to let me use for the film. Unfortunately, she went away to Paris so I don't have a way to get the suit. My sister and I searched through her closet and found a matching set that looks like something Naomi would wear. 

    The second challenge had to do with the filming location. I planned on the first scene to be filmed in a typical boy's room so Brey (Ben) volunteered his room. While I was talking to him today to confirm our filming time tomorrow, he informed me that there would be a family reuinion at his house tomorrow so he wasn't sure if we could film at his place. We decided to just film in the living room instead which would have way more space anyway. 

    Lastly, the third challnege I faced was that I couldn't use my mom's Canon EOS R6. As i previously mentioned in my "Camera Equipment" blog post, my mom is a photographer, on filming day (tomorrow), she has a class at night which prevents me from using her equipment to film. I resorted to just using my Iphone camera which has pretty good quality, not the same as a camera but still does the job. 

    On a brighter note, I found someone to play the character of "Leo". My friend Brian said he was happy to help and be Leo for one night (or maybe two). I can't wait to start filming tomorrow and get back to work as i've had a very enjoyable spring break and made a no school-work rule for a few days. 

spring break challenges

     The biggest challenge I've had to face throughout this project is my procrastination. Since this is a long term project that takes weeks to put together, I've assumed that I have all the time in the world. Turns out I don't and the deadline is in 2 weeks and I don't even know who is playing 2/3 characters. My filming shedule has been delayed by 2 weeks for one reason or another and the due date gets closer and closer. I plan on this being my filming week and hopefully get every shot down so I can start editing. 

    Since it is Spring Break and filming needs to take place at night, I thought it'd be best if I found dates when it'd be most convenient to film so there would be no scheduling conflicts with anyone that is part of the film. I chose Sunday because usually on Sundays there is not much to do and everyone is just home, so mostly everyone would be able to film. I also chose Monday as a second day of filming because there is no school and it's the last day of spring break so no one will be going out, and if any retakes would be needed, it could be done quickly.

Hopefully I can get this done on schedule so I can start editing and finally seeing all the work come to life. 

Updates on changes

     Last blog post I mentioned I wasn’t sure on whether to add the suggestions my group members mentioned to me during class. I decided I would keep the shot out Ben looking out the window after Naomi lies to him and leaves with Leo. I chose to include this because it introduces the conflict in the film between all 3 characters. I don’t think I will be including the rock music suggestion though as I don’t feel it fits Leo’s character. During the editing process I might include it just to see how it looks but for now it’s a no. I really like the idea and I might explore that idea with different genres of music. 

    Next week is spring break and it’s mg biggest chance to get ahead on my opening scene. I plan on filming for two days at most but probably will for one day only. My only challenge as of now is finding a second male character to play Leo. 

You got the part!

     I never saw casting as a challenging task which is why I put it off for so long. Now that the time for filming has actually come I realized it’s not so easy after all. I thought anyone I asked would say yes to me and I planned on asking a few of my friends and family members for help.

Issues with casting: 

1. Not everyone’s available 

2. Not everyone will fit the character’s vibe and aesthetic

    Since the beginning I knew who would play Naomi. My sister Alessia who forced me to be the main character of her portfolio project last year fit the role perfectly. She agreed to play Naomi and volunteered her friend as one of the male characters.

Brey, my sister’s friend agreed to play the role of Ben which he also fits very well.

For now, I  haven’t found someone to play Leo since most of my guy friends have gone away on vacation for spring break. Brey said he could do both if we figure out a way to but I’m not very sure about it yet.

6 brains work better than 1

     Today in class we met up with groups and discussed our projects. I shared my blog and explained my plot to my group members and mentioned a change I didn't know whether to include or not. I explained to them that I was unsure of including the shot of Ben looking out the window at Naomi and Leo in the car or if I should focus on Naomi and Leo in the car. They told me to add it since it introduces a conflict. One of my team members brought up the idea to change the song from "Can't help falling in Love" to a heavy metal/rock song once Naomi gets into Leo's car to emphasize the contrast between Noami's relationships with Leo and Ben. Although I like the idea I'm not sure if I should include it but once I start the editing process I will test it out and see what it looks like. She also suggested that Naomi could have a more edgy outfit under her pastel tracksuit to also emphasize the contrast between the relationships which I think will look great if I decide to add the rock music. 

    Meeting up with a group to discuss each other's projects was really beneficial as it helped bring up new ideas and give feedback to each other. I also got to see the behind the scenes of the projects and what my classmates are doing in order to bring their ideas to life. 

dont go off script...

 My opening scene doesn't include much dialogue but I still decided to create a script for the little dialogue there is. I used google docs to create my script and used pictures online as a reference on how to properly write a script/screenplay

Though it is very short and doesn't look 2 minutes long, my film is all about the music and overall vibe, that's what tells the story. 

I also made a small addition to the story and opening scene which is Ben looking out the window and seeing who Naomi is with. This is to introduce the conflict of the film and also to show how much Ben cares about Naomi that he makes sure she makes it out safe. 

My first company

Orion productions

I created my production company, Orion productions!

The reason why I chose this name is because like I previously mentioned, I want this project to have a little bit of who I am. You may be wondering, what does Orion have to do with who you are? Well let me tell you the very cheesy reason. Every time I look up at the night sky I see Orion's belt and I always like to stare at it and it brings me some type of comfort. I had initially chosen "Romer Productions" for my company's name but I thought it was way too basic and I could come up with something better. 

 On the opening scene of my film I want to start off with my company's logo.

I used the website Canva to create the Logo and animation for my production company which is the website i've used for most of the elements in my project such as the mood boards.