Editing Blog: Audio difficulties

   When originally choosing our partners for the final exam, I knew that each of my group members had their own strengths regarding media studies. In my case, I was able to quickly understand and learn how to edit. Once we had finally been able to film, on the day that my group and I had media studies, I grabbed computer 16 to start editing. I wanted to guide Amy and Aitan during editing so that I wouldn't be the only one handling all of the takes. I would tell them individually how to do certain things when getting ready to edit. I taught them how to move the takes from the SD card to files and where to select "new movie" to remove Pinnacle Studio's example film. When trying to find the files where the videos were placed though, I had trouble locating them as some weren't working. When I selected the videos that I had assumed were from our filming day, a pop-up explained that those files could not be opened. I tried different folders but every file said the same thing. Finally, I decided to highlight all of the files i had originally assumed were ours and create a folder to place them in.

   I then began instructing again. I asked Amy to leave files and go to Pinnacle Studios. She selected import and I told her to go to "my computer." The folder I had created however, was not there. I got the computer again and started to choose the other options available. When I finally selected "videos," all of the takes appeared and I passed Amy the computer again. Once I was sure that all videos were checked off, I told her to click import. It took about five minutes for all of our takes to load. I was going to begin to edit once Aitan finished deleting unnecessary takes. When I got the computer, I tried to play a couple of the scenes to see how they turned out. I knew that barely any videos had sound but I assumed that I would've been able to hear Amy's heavy breathing. I turned the volume all the way up but no sound was emitted from the computer. I went to my teacher for help, but we were not able to come up with any solutions. By the time we finally finished, the class ended and there was no significant amount of editing done.

Filming Blog: At last, first day complete!

   On the first day that my group and I filmed, we managed to complete many of our storyboard scenes successfully. For basically every scene, there were at least two to three takes. At the start of filming, I was behind the camera recording as well as properly positioning Amy. Unfortunately, I completely forgot about the gag that was supposed to be in Amy's mouth. This meant that I would have to re-film six of the storyboard boxes again. After these were filmed, we all took a small break and ate pizza. Once we were all concentrated once again, I re-positioned myself with the camera. Some scenes and their according angles were pretty difficult to film. Such angles included a high angle, where Aitan came to help make the tripod move the camera higher. Additionally, the extension cord would get tangled up and knotted. Due to this, at times when I was filming, the camera would get held back. In one instance, Aitan re-shot a scene while I held the extension cord across the bed so it wouldn't disrupt or shake the camera.
   I decided that it would be best to film all of the scenes that would take place in the main room rather than chronologically. I made this decision because I considered the amount of additional time that it would take if we continuously moved from one place to another. Some scenes took place in other rooms, some outside, and some in a different house. I understood that by doing this, as we edited, our result would only be segments of certain parts in the movie. Fortunately, we were able to completely finish 20 of our storyboard boxes in the span of three hours. In our storyboard, this would equate to the 25th scene, however, five of these scenes would take place at Amy's house. It took my group longer than usual because I was acting like a perfectionist and I wanted the scenes to be filmed to the best of my ability. Also, I would occasionally need help in figuring out which knobs on the tripod to turn and how certain functions would work. In these cases, I would have to reach out to Aitan for his assistance. For the remaining scenes, we would have to plan a different day, hopefully during the weekend so we would have enough time to film all of the scenes that needed to be done at my house.

Filming Blog: Finally Began

Prior to any filming, my group and I discussed that our first day filming our two minute opening sequence for the movie would be on February 16th. Since the movie was going to be filmed at my house, I had ensured that the rooms which would be seen on video were organized and set up correctly. I received a notification and read a text message from Amy, one of my group members. She was apologizing for leaving the camera and tripod at school even though both were checked out. The materials were left in a classroom, meaning that we would not have a chance to film that day. I was very stressed and upset because all of our schedules were different and we each had various commitments. Sunday was one of the few days that all of us would be available. I consulted my mom and asked her for advice. She suggested a variety of different days that I hadn't considered so I asked my group. They both confirmed that they would be available on Thursday during the evening. During Thursday, I stopped by the media studies classroom and checked both the camera and the tripod. I made sure that both materials were working properly and had all of their corresponding pieces. I figured that it would be best for me to carry the equipment since what was being filmed on Thursday would be done at my house.

Wednesday afternoon, I had a track and field competition that lasted until very late at night meaning that I had very little time to organize the settings that would be filmed in. On Thursday, I arrived at home about fifteen minutes before the rest of the group showed up. In those fifteen minutes, I got ready and quickly prepared the main room. Aitan and Amy arrived and we immediately started filming. The camera was low on battery so I went to the garage and got an extension cord so that there wouldn't be difficultly in moving the camera around the room. Rather than starting to film outside, I discussed with my group that it would probably be best if we began in the main room because the sun was just then setting and the streets did not create any element of suspicion. During the first portion of our filming process, I was the person in charge of filming, but Aitan was there to provide assistance and help me determine how some scenes should be approached.

Planning Blog: Storyboard

This google slide consists of our storyboard blog. Storyboards are the basis of how our film is going to look. They're helpful in ensuring that our vision will come to life while we're filming and editing. Directors and movie producers use the storyboard they create while they film each scene. Storyboard are almost one-hundred percent accurate. Sometimes weather or environmental factors may change a concept entirely however, we will try and stick exactly to the storyboard. Each box of the storyboard would normally be approximately six seconds long. For this project though, we wanted to make sure that everything was perfect so we made each box last around two to three seconds. This is more accurate and will make it the process of filming easier. Storyboards are tedious to create, but without them, no film project would come out as well as they already do. 

Planning Blog: Title Design

When considering how we were going to incorporate titles into our film, our group took some time to carefully make decisions. Our genre for the movie is crime/thriller therefore, the font and size would have to be appropriate and match. We acknowledged the concept behind the movie for each choice that was made. Choosing a title took a good portion of our time as we wanted to ensure that it fit the movie accordingly. We also did not want any titles on the screen that would confuse the audience or imply something that was not intended. This blog mentions how leading and tracking will be used in the film. It will also explains why some decisions were made, such as the size and the color of the titles that will appear. To add to the movie's mysterious mood, titles will fade in and out. The outcome of the movie's beginning is determined on how the titles are approached and executed. Though the details seem small, they make all the difference.

Planning Blog: Schedule, Location, Participants, and Safety

This week, my group and I fully discussed our plans for making the project. We talked about when we would each be available or busy or what days would be the best for everyone. We came to the conclusion to have mutliple filming dates in case we need to record some parts here and there. We also decided to give ourselves enough time to edit to not feel rushed in the long run. As for the locations, it had already been decided that the majority of the film would be filmed at my house since there is lighting and rooms that match our original pitch. Some of the movie however, will be filmed at Amy's house. Each group member will be fully participating in this project, whether acting as a director or an editor. We will all be seen in the film as actors at some point. Safety and health aspects were well-considered too as we all are prepared for any emergency. Parents or supervisors will always be around in case we need assistance with anything serious.

Planning Blog: Sound and Dialogue

In this PowerPoint, we talked about the different types of sound we will use in the film. We used different sounds such as diegetic, non-diegetic, and incidental music. We will use the different types of sound to present the elements of the film. A film such as this one, crime/thriller, needs sound in it to build suspense in the movie. We used more calm sounds in the flashbacks when the main character is safe. However, we use creepy and gloomy sounds when it shows that she has been kidnapped. In the film, there is minimal talking since it is more sound-oriented. This element increases the spookiness of the film by leaving the viewer consistently curious. The dialogue that is in the film is between the the girl who was kidnapped and her friend along with the friend and the kidnapper. Each of this conversations further increase the levels suspense in the opening two minutes of the movie. I believe that between the eerie dialogue and the creepy sounds, this film will truly accentuate the elements of our genre.

Planning Blog: Shooting Script

This is a powerpoint of how the shooting will be done. This shooting script will be about 95-98% accurate. The accuracy is not 100% due to conditions like weather and lighting that we are unable to control. We only film a few scenes outside, so something like rain will not affect the whole film that much and won't be that big of a deal in the grand scheme of the film. Shooting scripts, like ours, include things like movements of the characters and camera, angles, and setting. We will follow this while shooting, so we have more structure. Without this outline, shooting would go a lot slower, due to having no format during our filming time and not knowing what to do. We use all sorts of angles, like high angles, low angles, and a trunk shot. We also have a lot of different movements, like a tracking angle. This shooting script also allows us to see how our film will follow the crime conventions.