I CANT BELIEVE I ALMOST MISSED THIS

HALO BLOG!!

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. So I was looking back at my blog as one does and I realized that I have yet to talk about my title which is... crazy to say the least. So after planning my film opening I decided that I wanted to wait until the final project until I decided on a title. Finally, after looking at my film opening over and over again, I decided that I wanted to title it "Stay". Why Sab? Oooooo great question. So I liked the title stay because to me it's like Nick is telling Paola to stay and keep in contact with her artistic side, he wants to keep her consistent with her singing but Paola rejects it. 

Yessir. #DoubleMeaning

Simultaneously, the title works from Paola's perspective as her character wants Nick to STAY (wink wink) away from her singing side. Paola feels so much vulnerability when she's singing to the point that it's something she can only give her all to when she's alone and she KNOWS that she's alone. 

Anyway, I think this was the best title out of my other options. And if you were wondering what the other options were...Good question. This one took the cake so I kind of forgot about the other ones. I'm almost certain that one of the other choices was like "Forget it" because Paola wants to "forget" about singing with her father and Nick wants to forget his daughter's singing and move on to another person's talent BUTTTT I think "Stay" just fits better.  

STAY

...but imagine it in big lights.

EDITING REFLECTION YAS

 HALO BLOG!

My cousin from Germany came to visit and now I can't stop saying "Halo!" 

Anyway, editing is going good so I just wanted to do a little check-in and show you guys what we're coming up with.

So the purple is all of my text AKA all of my credits which was actually a little confusing but I played around with Premiere and eventually figured out which controls I needed to activate to move around the text and all that good stuff.

This was when I figured it out. I was happy LOL 

Then on this here side, we have the effect control panel that I used to create a fade to black. This was actually kind of funny because the panel has a search bar and when I looked up fade to black it did not exist. So if you are new to Premiere and just so happen to be looking for the fade to black it's actually called "DIP to black" why? I don't know but at least now you know.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

SoUnD

 WHADDUP BLAWWWWGG

    I forgot to mention a mighty detail from when I was filming and I just wanted to make sure I brought it up on here because it was honestly a blessing. Having a music producer as a dad has been such an advantage in this creative process because it has allowed me to gain access to resources that not everyone else has and so I'm thankful :D

During filming, I realized that I would need to mix the song along with the dialogue. I had hoped to connect a microphone directly to my camera so that the sound would record directly with the video but, I wasn't able to get it in time. Luckily, I consulted with my dad and what he was able to do for me was simply, turn on a microphone that picked up the audio and recorded it directly on ProTools. How amazing is that? Now all I need to do is sync the audio to my video when editing my film opening on Premiere. 

ProTools^^

This wasn't the exact microphone that we used but it resembled this one :D

Fonts

               So for my font, I wanted to implement some elegance amidst the chaos I  came across this one first which I really liked but it was giving me wedding vibes. I think it's really elegant, but, the long tails look really dramatic and that's just not really what I was looking for. Nevertheless, I left it as an option.

                 ABCDEFGHIJKLM

               NOPQRSTUVWXYZ

This was my final choice, which I thought was the most fitting. It's simple yet elegant, and I think it fits the overall aesthetic of my opening better

ABCDEFGHIJKLM

NOPQRSTUVWXYZ

 I mean come onnnnnnnnn

It's great minimalistic yet elegant and honestly just right.

Importing

 WHADUPP BLAAWGGG

Well, they say you learn something new every day and they are completely correct. I was planning on editing on my MacBook Pro which IS a laptop. Normally there wouldn't be a problem BUT there is no way for me to connect my SD card to my laptop because I just don't have the SD port. I quite literally just have two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. The clear solution would be to just get an adapter like the one below, but time is a little tight and I honestly just don't want to risk it. 

Thankfully I have a tech-savvy dad that was able to help me. My father has an iMac that DOES have an SD port so what we did was we connected the SD card into that computer and then he connected both the computer and my laptop to the same hard drive and I was able to download the videos on to my computer. Then I just simply dragged and dropped into Premiere. AND BOOOM problem solved :D

Noob Problems

So I was trying to insert the font I chose into Premiere and then I realized I just have no idea how to do that. I decided to play around with it and then I realized that I also just have no idea how to put text on the screen which, honestly, was a little embarrassing. Anyway, I did what any sane person would do and looked up a tutorial on YouTube and thankfully I found this 2 minute video that helped me do just that and by that I mean add text to the screen.

As for inserting my specific font I still felt confused. Luckily, I have a variety of friends that are very familiar with Premiere. So, I contacted my great friend Mia ( the same one that helped me on filming day, she's the best ) and asked her how to add the font that I wanted. She walked me through it step by step during class andddd GOT IT :D. So everyone say thank you Mia!!!!

First Half

 WHADUPPP BLAWWG

Since we finished filming and I am about to start editing I wanted to give some background information on the first half of my opening which is the pre-recorded video. The first half of this video, when the little girl is shown, was a brief video that my dad created when I was around 9 years old. The video was short but, last year my father decided to record the entire song. His main concern, or should I say excitement, was to also have the sound/ video transition from little me to big me. So that is what we did :D 

The recording process took about a week. We had a microphone in the closet so that external sounds were minimized. My dad is a music producer so we had all the necessary equipment to tune out any extra sounds. As for the filming process, we bought black tablecloths which we taped on our walls to create an elegant black background, we also had two bright white lights and a singular yellow-ish orang-ish light behind the two main subjects that added a nice orange detail as shown below. 

For the camera, we used a canon EOS 1200D on a tripod which we had available. Using this camera was a privilege since it is allowed us to zoom focus with ease.

The filming process took about 2 hours

That's about it! Those were the technical aspects of the filming process for the first half of the opening. Luckily we didn’t need to reshoot as we had enough time to look back at the shots and decide what we wanted to change, between takes.

FILMING DAYYY

WHADUP GUYS

I thought I would check-in and tell you all about how filming went. We mainly needed to continuously shoot the one panning shot the most so allow me to go into detail about that. 

So at first, I was a little nervous because the tripod I have doesn't have a dolly. Therefore, we had to sort of kinda maybe do it manually. It allows me to pan from left to right and vice versa but I can't follow the actors per se. This is why my main concern for filming was to find the right person to help me, because as I had said before, I would have easily done it myself but I had to be in the film... Thank gosh a little angel came and saved me from the choppy shots.  My great friend Mia Batista <3 was the camera operator for my opening. Also, I had to change Raymond to Ramona because I wasn't able to find a reliable male actor. Luckily my other great friend Isabella was able to help me. Which, in the long run, is better for me in case I need to reshoot something because she also happens to be my neighbor!!

My great friend Isa

My great friend Mia

Filming the main shot took about an hour since, of course, we wanted to get it just right. As I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, I didn't really love the idea of creating a script, and honestly, I'm so glad I did it this way. Since this is based on true events, I wanted the scene to feel as authentic as possible. Right away I told my actors that this would be improvised and I let them do their thing. AND THEY DID AMAZINGGG. I feel like when actors have scripts, they sometimes focus way too much on remembering their lines and interpreting their lines and they forget that acting is reacting. So doing improv for my opening was definitely an amazing decision that I'm really glad worked out.

Here's a nice little BTS pic :D

Media Congregation March Fourteenth Two Thousand Twenty Two

 WHAADDDUPPPP BLAWWGGGG

I just had a meeting aka congregation with the coolest, swaggiest, intellectual people I have ever met. We all came together to dissect any problems we had with our projects thus far. For example, I was able to help my good friend Joel find some music for his opening scene by doing some research and finding some websites with copyright-free music. Eventually, we got around to my opening and I was able to share my ideas with them. 

and guess what guys.....

THEY LIKED IT! AND SOME EVEN LOVED IT!

Which honestly is great for me because I mean, I obviously had some nerves regarding my story. Not only that but their feedback has made me so excited for filming. 

They even helped me with one of my slight worries which was refreshing, to say the least. Since I want to do a pan I asked my group what they think would be the best way to create a smooth tracking shot without a dolly. I got a variety of different answers including, using an office chair, which honestly, I think I might end up doing! :D In conclusion, this was a very successful little congregation!!

Say "I Edited It" 3 Times Fast... Promise You'll Laugh

 Yoooo. WHADDUP BLAWG

Wanted to drop by real quick to talk about the possible editing softwares that I will be using.

Number one is the most beginner-friendly and that is iMovie. I obviously have used this editing software before since it is free LOL. To be honest, I would not really consider using this but I just kept thinking about the fact that every single time I do use it. I find myself finishing my projects considerably quickly. But I don't know if finishing this project quickly is my main concern so we're just gonna leave it as a maybe...

Number two is DaVinci resolve.
I haven't had that much experience with this one if I am completely honest, but it is still an option that I have available at my disposal. 

 

Last but not least is the one that I will probably end up using and that is Premiere Pro
I have been editing most of my projects on here lately and it is safe to say that it is the easiest to navigate. There is a lot of technical elements that I am able to manipulate through Premiere but as I said, it is easy to navigate. Honestly, yeah. I think I'll use Premiere Pro XD

 

A Very Much Needed Organizational Post/ Reflection

 So I have been planning out this opening scene for a while now and it's almost time to start filming which, is honestly so so scary but also so exciting. I decided I would come on here really quickly to plan out this upcoming week since I'm going to start filming next week.

Monday, March 14th: Gather all necessary equipment. AKA make sure that all my cameras batteries are charged, my lights and monitors are working properly, and clean/ declutter my set.

Wednesday, March 16th: Meet with my cast and crew to make sure we all understand how shooting is going to go down on the day of filming. Collaborating on technical aspects. Basically, a day where we can sit down and answer any questions.

Thursday, March 17th: Filming day! :D 

Saturday, March 19th: Start importing all media into my computer and watching to make sure that I have everything necessary. In other words, inspect every shot/clip so I can pick out any problems.

Sunday, March 20th: Potential reshoot day. This will depend on whether or not I find any problems or maybe feel like changing a shot or angle or any shooting aspect.

This is it. This week right here is what I've been preparing for the past few weeks! Let's just hope it goes smoothly XD.

A Potential Addition

 So I was looking at my storyboard and realized that there's a. slight possibility that my opening is too short. The project requires me to create a film opening with a minimum of about 1:30 seconds and a maximum of 2 minutes. While I was planning I realized that mine MIGHHTT be a bit short, but since I haven't filmed yet, I can't be quite sure. With this information in mind, I decided to create a small scene that will add a few extra seconds. I might not use it, but if it is short, I will have it as a backup. But that's enough explaining, here's the storyboard for the extra scene :D

So I wanted to add something meaningful obviously, but I didn't want to add more information because like I said before, I don't want to bombard the audience with too much information right off the bat. Especially since this is only just a film opening. So I decided I could just further establish the discomfort in Paola and what better way to do that than seeing her in the moment where the discomfort perseveres the most?

 
If I end up using this scene, I think it will go AMAZINGLY in the beginning. So first we would see this scene and as she starts singing it cuts to the black screen as the credits are shown. After the credits we see the original planned scene which shows her transition from child to now etc etc.

A Bump in the Road & Cast List

    I'm sorry to bring it up again but the "Write What You Know" advice was the best thing that could have happened to me because since I am so familiar with the topic of my opening, I also have the resources that I need to create it, at hand. My two main actors are these two very talented individuals that I know will be able to bring my vision to life...
Playing Nick will be the talented....

Pepe aka my father :D
 Since the character is based on him AND he is always excited to help me out on my projects! and lastly. He is free of charge. LOL

....and playing Paola is both my worst nightmare and the best thing that could happen to me.

Me!
The reason why this becomes a problem is because I wanted to take control of the cinematography/ direction but seeing that I want to include a master shot and other visually attentive elements, I wouldn’t be able to tend to both this character and the direction of the opening. However, Paola's character is so complex and due to my resources, I don't think I would be able to get ahold of someone that could correctly portray Paola in the way that I am trying to portray her. So seeing as I know her character the best, I decided I would play her. In addition, it is kind of hard not to since Paola's younger self and older self is actually me :I. In other words, Paola is based on me so it is kinda hard not to let myself play her.

Lastly, I realized that I will need to find an extra. More specifically, someone to play the role of Raymond, which, isn't complex at all. Raymond is simply one of Nick's friends who is being shown the video. So really, I need more of a watcher than an actor LOL. ANDDDD I also need to find someone that can be handy with a camera. No special skills required other than a receptive mind that will actually listen to what I have to say so I can get the shots that I want :D The best part about this project is the fact that I have a bunch of peers that I can ask for help so, at least I'm not starting from zero and I have a few people in mind :))

CLASSIFIED!!!! Opening Script!!!!!!!

SETTING A HOME STUDIO IN A LIVING ROOM 

   

 A little girl around 10 years old singing a song into a microphone. 

 A transition is shown, the little girl is now much older.

RAYMOND
Wow! Nick! This is an incredible man. 
I mean, I'm speechless.

Anddddddd...... That's pretty much it for the script!! :D
Don't worry I have my reasons...
First of all, one of the main reasons why I have extremely minimal dialogue is because I don't want to bombard my viewers with too much too soon. I want to leave them wondering and longing for more. In my opening, I want everything to feel implied. This way, the audience can begin to create their own plot in their heads, and as the story progresses they, hopefully, become excited as their theories prove to be wrong or right. In addition, I do not really want the viewer to be distracted by dialogue especially since I want the visual aspect to be the main focus.

I also want the reader to understand the of this extremely niche struggle. For example, Tick Tick Boom (2021) describes the specific struggles of a man trying to make a living out of playwriting. Something that people don't necessarily know all that well. However, the general struggle that is portrayed is working too hard and getting nothing in return, which, is something that a lot can relate to. Tick Tick Boom does a great job at producing this through song. Similar to this film, I want to tell the specific struggle of hating your own talent, which, what????? While also visually representing the broader struggle of trying to satisfy the wants of your parents while also satisfying your own wants.
Am I sense make?

The Board on Which My Story is on

This is my visual planning aka my storyboard for my film opening and I just wanted to take a second to explain it.
So if I am able to get some help cinematography-wise. I think that this can be a really captivating opening, which is great since, well, that's the point. Anywho, if I am able to get some steady hands I would love to create a master shot that can be seen above. For those of you who don't know what a master shot is, it is just a long take (at least one minute) that contains no cuts. My inspiration for this is the Memento (2000) opening. 

In this scene, the names of the actors, producers, cinematographers, etc, are all shown while we are shown a slight revelation that introduces the peculiar plot of the movie. I like the idea of filming a master shot for my opening as it is easier to follow. When there are a distinguishable amount of cuts, the viewer must process the subconscious meanings whereas, with a master shot, the viewer is shown the "here and now".

What I have planned is a black screen for the beginning while a subtle piano plays. After some names are shown, the black begins to fade as we see a little girl singing. Once the viewer sees the transition from the young girl to an older teen, the camera begins to zoom out to show someone watching a screen that continues to play the same video. Once this is clear, the camera pans to reveal another person (Nick) to be watching beside him. We see a silhouette in the background and eventually the focus shifts to it. It is exposed to be the same teen girl from the video, with an uncomfortable look on her face. The title is revealed.