Shooting

I have officially finished the shooting portion of the project, and I encountered a lot of obstacles. First of all, I have 1 minute and 50 seconds of footage, that's without the credit slides. I will talk about those slides when I do an editing post. Once I am done, I should have my 2 minutes of footage. First problem- I forgot my tripod head (I am yet to complete a project in which this doesn't happen). So, I had to drive back home and back to the site.

First of all, I had a lot of problems with the audio. The first one was capturing the audio during long shots and extreme long shots. My camera was unable to pick up audio from that far, and I needed a solution. So, my idea was to wear an AirPod on the ear not facing the camera. I tried this, but the audio sounded awful. It was completely unusable- it sounded like a telephone call. So, I thought to use the microphone I ordered. However, it is a plug in mic, and I had to have my phone near me. So, I drove BACK home, borrowed a family member's phone, drove BACK to the site, and got to work. And it was worth it. The audio picked up by the microphone was perfect. To make sure I could sync it properly, I began recording audio and video at the exact same time, so I could simply pair them during editing, and editing would not be a nightmare.

Another problem I encountered was getting the shots right. Since I was both the actor and the cameraman, it was difficult to calculate the distance I had to stand at to get the shot just right. In close ups, I either missed the camera completely or was too zoomed in. In some shots, my head was just cut off, so I had to get the angles just right. Again, this was difficult, as I had to set the camera, shoot the shot, and then check if I did it right. It was a very tedious process that took up a lot of time.

Lighting was another challenge I struggled with. Since I don't have a large budget, my lighting had to be provided by the lampposts installed in the parking lot. In some shots, the lighting was facing directly into my camera. This made it impossible to get the shot, so I had to find ways to set up my camera around the lighting. Thankfully, some shots had some dark areas to create the mood I wanted; that of darkness and depression.

Overall, filming was not as bad as I thought it would be. It, of course, was very challenging, as I was the star, director, and cameraman all at once. It was not impossible, but I do feel as I have created something I will be proud of.

Equipment Has Arrived

This blog post is not meant to be a long one, but my filming equipment has arrived, so therefore, I will start filming tonight. Hopefully I can get all the footage done today, and hopefully it reaches the two minute mark. Once I finish filming, I will post about obstacles I found and how I plan to tackle the editing process.

Storyboard

I haven't posted my storyboard yet, so I will post it now. I only include the first scene because I know I won't be able to film the second scene by myself.

Supplies Ordered- Now We Wait

I am very behind on my filming schedule, so I have decided that this is the week I start filming the film opening. I have ordered a tripod and a microphone to record, as I am unable to obtain these from my teacher. I will begin recording as soon as I receive them in the mail. Thankfully, it will be easy to find an empty parking lot, and I can do this at my local clubhouse in my neighborhood.

Blogger won't let me upload a picture of the order, but it should be delivered in about 2 or 3 days, so I can start filming soon. I want to give myself enough time to edit and create my CCR, as I still have a long way to go for finishing my project. The use of this tripod will allow me to replace an actual cameraman, which I would have had if I were not in the middle of a global pandemic. The microphone allows me to pick up audio during long and extreme long shots. I will record the audio and the video at the same time, so that I can easily sync it to the video during the editing processing.

Honestly, it's pretty difficult to work across this obstacle, as my resources are very limited. If my equipment does not arrive in time, I may have to either find a new way to film or straight up change my entire project at the last minute.

CCR Script

I have been advised that I should create a script for my CCR, as I don't wanna rush in with nothing to say and look like a talking head. So, I created it in the style of an interview, where I will be asked questions and I will answer them. This is the script. Of course, the actual CCR will be accompanied by visuals to create engagement and show how my process was developed.

scene 1, int., 9 am

interviewer

Welcome to our sit down interview with new film director, Andres Alatorre. He directed the film The End of Love. It's a small musical film, which really challenges genre characteristics and brings a new, different view to the struggles LGBT+ people face in their everyday life, as well as those who are mentally ill

andres

Thank you, I'm so happy to be here.

interviewer

So, what would you say was your favorite part of this film?

andres

I would say the fact that I was able to express my emotions in such a healthy way. I have had much trouble finding healthy coping mechanisms for my emotions, and I feel that expressing them in a healthy way like art is very good for me. It helps me stay in touch with my emotions and remember that I am in control. It's almost like a form of therapy. I can express my feelings in a way that I couldn't do verbally in therapy.

interviewer

So, this is a musical, but the opening does not have any music. Why did you choose to do this?

andres

Well, first of all, I don't know how to play instruments (laughs), so I thought that doing it without music would be a lot easier. Also, I did work on producing music, but I realized that having no music would help me develop that feeling of emptiness I was trying to create. The audience will feel as if something is missing, a feeling of emptiness, since something is missing- the music. This creates the feeling that something is missing from the character's life.

interviewer

What other genre characteristics did you challenge in this film?

andres

Well, obviously, there's no dancing in it. Musicals tend to be very upbeat and have a lot of dancing and flash mobs and people doing cartwheels and flips to develop excitement. But, since that's not the feeling I'm trying to create, I decided to steer away from that. Most musicals also have this moment in which the character is shown under a spotlight during a moment of significance. I decided to steer away from this since I want the whole film to feel like a moment of significance. Each song should represent feelings being expressed; feelings that words cannot express.

interviewer

You made your main character gay. Why did you choose to do this?

andres

Well, I wanted to represent an issue that is very common in a group of people that, I feel, are not represented properly. People think that being gay means you're very happy with your boyfriend and that you have a bunch of female friends and have all these hobbies, when it's not true. Most of LGBTQI+ teenagers suffer some sort of mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. I wanted to represent something that didn't have a happy ending, but rather expressed pain and growth. Also, I did not want his sexuality to drive the narrative. Most queer films have the characters' sexuality be the focus of the plot. And, while this is a great thing that really helps shine light on important issues, I think it would be good to have a character be gay without it being part of the narrative. They're just a normal person going through a normal life. It's a new take on representation that I feel is very important.

interviewer

In the opening, you have a very interesting use of shots. Please elaborate on that.

andres

Well, what I did was have the shots create a feeling of zooming without actually zooming; you're just being brought closer and closer to the character. This does two things. First, it creates a feeling of building intensity- that emotions are becoming stronger and stronger. This is difficult for me to explain, since I feel technique helps me elaborate better than words, but you understand what I mean. Also, I have this feeling repeat over and over again. It represents a feeling of repetitiveness, that things cycle around and around with no change. That's a lot of what I went through with my depression, feelings of things getting better then getting worse then getting better again and then getting worse again. This makes it feel like the character is stuck in a constant loop, or that he is stuck in this emotion.

interviewer

This creates engagement with your audience. How else do you engage with your audience?

andres

Well, my target audience is mainly teenagers 13 and up and young adults under 25. Having a teenager protagonist helps bond with my target audience. People enjoy having their problems represented on screen, especially with people who look like them and are in the same age range. I also connect with the LGBTQI+ audiences with a queer protagonist. I don't have a particular social demographic I am targeting, as this can apply to people from any socioeconomic status. As for gender, although the story does focus a male, gay character, it can be applied for female and people of other gender identities. My work is not really trying to isolate a specific group- I am trying to isolate a problem and express how I feel about it.

interviewer

How do you plan on distributing your piece?

andres

Well, I'm no Tarantino or Scorcese, so I don't plan on going all out and showing my films in big movie theaters with red carpet premieres. South Florida has a great number of film festivals, which I believe can help me distribute my film. Also, YouTube is a great help, as it is one of the greatest media distributors in the world. I plan on uploading it there, and have YouTube recommend people who are interested in similar genres. This includes musicals, LGBTQI+ films, and coming of age films. This serves as a form of promotion, as well as distribution.

interviewer

This is your very first film- what was your process when creating it?

andres

Well, I wanted to do something unique. Something that would challenge me out of my comfort zone. Something that no matter how I did it, I would do it. I started from the very beginning- a feeling. I thought- "what is the mood I am trying to evoke?" Once I had that done, I got to work on the music. I began to draw inspiration from songs, as well as many songwriting podcasts. One podcast in particular that really drew my attention was one with Solange Knowles on how she wrote her song Cranes in the Sky. She said that she drew inspiration from her surroundings- while she was in Miami, she saw all these cranes in the buildings. Miami was a place that she felt was peaceful for her to write in, and seeing it all under construction made her feel flustered. This way, she came up with the lyric "It's like cranes in the sky, sometimes I don't wanna feel those metal clouds." So, I decided I should also take something literal to create a metaphor about how I feel. One day, I was walking lost in Miami with my family, and we couldn't find our way about. We kept turning and turning and turning, still lost. I felt that represented my situation very well. That I kept trying to find a way out of this mess but I couldn't. No matter where I turned and how many times I looked, I felt lost. And it was as if I wasn't meant to follow. That's how I came up with the lyrics.

interviewer

And the camera shots- how did that idea come to you?

andres

Honestly, it just came naturally. I was thinking- "how can I evoke repetition?" I thought about making the music repeat, but I was scared that would come off as lazy and would not work. I thought that maybe the camera movements, but I just wasn't satisfied with how those storyboards came to be. Finally, I came up with that, and pitched it to some people, who all agreed that could work very well. For the costume design, I did my research on color schemes. I found that keeping color patterns minimum and using bold colors show a character that wants control.

interviewer

Now, you filmed this project during the COVID-19 pandemic. How did this come into conflict with your schedule?

andres

Well, first of all, I was alone. I had no cast and now crew for the opening, which I had to finish by a certain date. I filmed it entirely by myself as the star, cameraman, and director. Thankfully, this allowed me to find set very easily, as most parking lots were already empty due to the social distancing. It was a difficult obstacle, but something that allowed me to appreciate how much work goes into as little as two minutes.

interviewer

How would you say your abilities as a media producer developed because of this project?

andres

Well, first of all, I learned organization. I have typically not been a very organized person, doing things at the last minute and in random order. That doesn't work for film. It's a culminating process. I start from something very small- a thought- which builds an emotion, and then a mood, and then a rough draft, to a storyboard, to several other processes, such as costume design, script writing, final drafts, shooting, reshooting, editing, and making final cuts. My editing abilities were really put to the challenge, as I had to sync audio to video. I came around this by recording the video and audio at the same time. I had a small microphone on me during scenes that would pick up my singing; no matter how far away I was. This way, I can pair the audio to the video perfectly with no problems. I did have to buy this out of my own money, as I did not have a budget or any grants. You really put a lot more effort into ensuring your work turns out the way you want it when it's your own money being inverted.

interviewer

How did technology help you in this project?

andres

Well, I had to use my iPhone camera for recording, which was more than fine. I got high resolution video that was really satisfactory, which shows that anyone can create films. I used the microphone to help catch audio from afar during the long and extreme long shots, as well as to sync the audio properly. For editing, I used Apple's Final Cut Pro, which provided me with many resources to edit. After a few classes, I became quite proficient at it.

interviewer

Well, anything else you would like to add?

andres

I feel like the visual and performing arts are special, because they help bring to life many emotions that you can share with the world. This project was very fun and very therapeutic for me, and I am very happy with how it turned out. Of course, I feel I could have done much better with more time, as you can never have a perfect project. But I hope this will inspire other people to see media as more than a movie, and as a form of expression.

How Am I Gonna Pull This Off?

I have decided to stick with my original idea for my film opening. Since I have worked very hard on it, I feel the least I can do is see it to the end. This is how I plan on doing so.

First, I have to replace cast and crew with myself. I will do this with a tripod, so I can replace my cameraman. I will simply set the shot type I need (long shot, mid shot, etc.) on a tripod and then film. I have an Apple Watch, so I can set the time the phone starts recording or set it from afar. I was planning on borrowing a microphone from my teacher so that I could pair the audio with the video perfectly, but I will probably have to buy one myself to do so. I am buying the tripod and microphone myself, which I did not think I would do.

Now, the costume design. I was planning on buying clothes for the characters, but will probably have to use what I have. Oliver's costume design is set, but now I have to work on Max's. Speaking of which, I need to somehow find someone to play Max, which will not be easy in the middle of a quarantined pandemic. If anything, I can find a way to stretch out the first scene to two minutes so that I can cut out the second scene all together.

Location. Finding an empty parking lot should not be too difficult for me now, as people will probably not be near parking lots at the moment. I can go around nine or ten at night, and hopefully find a promising location. The actual setting of the parking lot is very important for what it represents, as I have discussed multiple times before. I just need to get to work if I plan on finishing on time.

Pandemic

So, with the recent pandemic, I have encountered many issues.

This was the week I was planning on starting my filming. Unfortunately, my crew is unavailable, as we all are in quarantine. I will try to film the first scene by myself when I can, if I can find an empty parking lot where I won't be encountering many people. It will be very difficult to be the cameraman working on the project and acting, as I will have to limit myself to no camera movements. Luckily, my film is based on movement of the cut, as the change in camera shot is what is driving the narrative.

I was also planning on finding costume before the pandemic started, but everything is closed now, so that is not an option. I will have to limit myself to clothing I have in home for this, which I hope will be sufficient. This is what I plan for my character to be wearing.

It goes with the black colors I had posted about in my clothing research post, and the jeans and graphic tee give the vibe of a teenager. I don't have the costume for Max yet, but I will have it done and it will follow opposite coloration to create the effect I am trying to achieve- that of opposites. Who I am going to have play Max, I do not know. I need to find someone, which will be difficult, due to social distancing.

Costume Design

Since I am starting filming soon, I need to start thinking of specific choices in costume design I need to make to help develop mood. Obviously, the best colors for depression are blue, black, and grey. My character will be wearing black and grey, since the black will represent the darkness and pain he is feeling. From my research, I have found that to create a feeling of a character who desires control, I should have little to no differing patterns, with the costume having matching palettes throughout. This is where the dark and dull colors come in. To create the feelings of separation between Max and Oliver, Max will be wearing bright white colors, which will be a contrast from the dark grey and blue.

The white color represents innocence and purity, which is meant to communicate that Max is not a villain. He did not do anything wrong or try to hurt Oliver; he just simply fell out of love. This color choice helps make sure the audience understands the role of the character. The black is seen as a symbol of sophistication as well, which we know from "black tie" events. This black not only represents pain and darkness, but it also represents maturity. It shows Oliver has grown a great deal from this process and is not just a child. It helps present him as a more mature figure, which makes sure the audience takes his issues seriously.

Brainstorming for CCR

SO.

Pretty soon I have to do my CCR, and I want to do this creatively. Therefore, I decided to do a interview of the production process for the film. I will be including a comedic component to the process, as it reflects my personality and makes it more unique.

I will be talking about my production process, while adding bits of footage from the actual project to show how I developed my process. I will also try to add posts from my blog into the video so that I can give examples of specific posts and processes. I will be focusing a lot on my music production process, and how I came across many obstacles and had to modify my plans do to them.

I will also include other questions aside from the main four that I need to answer to really shine a light on my process and how I struggled. I want to help the audience understand that this was a really difficult culminating process for which I had to work very hard for.

Representation of LGBTQI+ in Film

For my project, I am portraying a gay character in a new style. Normally when a queer or transgender character is used in the plot, and their sexuality or gender identity drives the story. Two examples I researched that had this were "Love, Simon" and "Those People".

Love, Simon (2018)

In "Love, Simon", Simon is a high schooler boy who is hiding his sexuality. The plot is driven by his quest to come out to his friends and meet his secret "lover" who he meets online and whose identity is hidden. It does a good job of representing gay sexuality, in terms of how teenagers struggle in hiding their identity and can be threatened and made vulnerable. In the movie, another character threatens to reveal his sexuality if he does not help him make a girl fall in love with him. It represents a real life issue many teenagers can relate to, and reveals that, even in a supporting family, being gay can be difficult.

Those People (2015)

"Those People" is a drama film about a young boy in New York who is in love with his best friend. The plot is less driven around his sexuality, and focuses more on the relationship aspect. It represents the difficulty of being in love with a person who does not reciprocate feelings. 

Both of these films have the sexuality of the main character as a major component of the plot. Thankfully, neither of these films oversexualize homosexuality or make gay people seem like they are sex obsessed, unlike many other films. In my film, I want to portray my character independent of his sexuality, and focus on him finding love in music and other aspects.

Screenplay

I have finished my screenplay for the project. It is only 2 scenes, and it was written on Celtx.

I decided to focus less on specific details here such as camera angles and movement, because I focused on that in the storyboard. I decided to include Max as the love interest as a male, for terms for representation.

The majority of the screenplay is in italics, to indicate it is the singing part. I describe the details of the opening shots in small detail, stating that the credits are appearing. I describe character actions through parentheses so that we can remember specific movements and factors to include.

Storyboard- Creative Process- Scene 2

This scene will be planned out very shortly, as it would only serve to reach the time limit, but would be what the film would be. Basically, it would be the main character meeting with his ex in the car, as he asked if he could meet them (haven't decided gender, as A) I have to see who would be willing to play this character and B) it's not an important detail to the narrative). They would basically go over why their relationship ended and how they each feel about the situation. Again, I am over-planning to make sure I have enough footage.

This scene would be about 30 seconds long. First, the character would be shown at an OSS walking to the car. The next shot would be the character entering the car. The shot would be filmed from inside the car. Next, the ex will enter the car from the other side, and they would begin talking. In order create an awkward feeling in this scene, I would leave the same mid shot from the dashboard throughout the whole scene. The dialogue will be developed more when I do my screenplay, which I am starting next.

(Sorry this post is so late, I made a draft and forgot to post :/)

Storyboarding- Creative Process- Scene 1

Today, I am starting the storyboard. Since I want to be able to properly write my screenplay, I will be documenting, in detail, what I want to do in each shot for the scene.

The scene opens in a fade in at an extreme long shot of the subject. The lighting is high key to convey that the setting is in a parking lot, and the subject is in the middle third of the screen. The character is wearing a dark blue shirt with a black leather jacket, as well as black pants and black shoes. The camera then cuts to a shot of the beginning of the credits and then back to the film. The next shot is a long shot of the character. The character is looking straight into the camera, and the camera cuts to more credits. The next shot is at a mid shot. Each cut, closer each time, is used to help build the feeling of heaviness that the character is feeling. The camera cuts to an extreme close up on the character's mouth, and the title appears.

The camera then cuts again to an extreme long shot, in order to show how empty the parking lot it. This helps to build the feeling of emptiness I am trying to convey. The character then begins to sing again, but at an extreme long shot. I plan on repeating this cycle of zooming in and out. This is in order to show that the feeling I try to create is a cycle- things begin to get better, and then they go back to the way that they were.

The chorus begins, and it goes from an XLS to a long shot. The long shot is a profile to make sure the camera movement is not too boring and the same throughout. The chorus begins again, and this time at the mid shot and close up. Once the singing is done, the camera cuts to an extreme long shot with a slow zoom out with the character walking off to show the plot is moving somewhere else.

In my next post, I will be storyboarding for the second scene, in case I am unable to meet the time limit with the first scene.

Group Meeting

Today, I met with some fellow students to discuss my progress on my project and ways I can improve my project. It was unanimous- my project will be very difficult to complete and pull off. But, if I do so, they said it could turn out very well. I did receive some very good feedback on my ideas. The thing I have been struggling with most is the music production, especially with the violin. One student mentioned someone who could help with the violin aspect, so I will be looking into that.

The focus of any film opening is to introduce the main character, and a student mentioned that I have to focus my attention to that. They suggested that to create the feeling of the growing emotion through the opening, I should have the music be soft in the beginning, and then have it build up louder and louder. In case I do not want to do my project a cappella, I can use the same instruments from the songs I want to with the same chords, and just change the melody to make it my own. To develop this as an opening, I could have the music only be present for a minute to 90 seconds, and then have the opening end with the character walking away, and then introducing the next scene.

Most of my technique will be coming from the set design. The set here will be an empty parking lot, which will not be difficult to do. I can shoot in a specific area that has low key lighting to create the feeling of sadness. I can also focus on the costume design by using dark and dull colors, such as dark blue, black, and grey.

Song is Done!!!

I have finished my song. I have decided that I will follow a cappella, for two reasons. One, I am very behind and need to start on my storyboarding and script writing. Two, it will help me develop my feeling of emptiness. Having the music missing will make it feel as if an aspect of the film is missing, like something is not right. That is the feeling that I am trying to evoke. This is what I have.

Love has always been a street that I cannot follow

I turn and turn at every intersection

And I feel as if maybe for some reason

I'm not meant to follow

And I took your hand in mine and led it through my soul

Until you took and settled on every nerve

But now, even in my dreaming

I wish your hands on my own

And I gave my heart

To you with will

Now everything is gone

I have nothing left to feel

I will be the one singing, as I feel my voice naturally has a feeling of unhappiness. Yes, that sounds weird, but I also feel like only I can portray the emotion I need to portray. The lyrics came to me naturally in a moment of inspiration, and I feel as if it is perfect. I drew inspiration from Florence + the Machine's "The End of Love" and Sam Smith's "Nothing Left For You". Next post, I will be discussing how I plan on using the cinematography to develop the mood.

Backup Plans

Writing the song has posed many challenges for me. The violin is very different to control on GarageBand, so I have requested permission to use songs from other artists such as Florence + the Machine and Troye Sivan. If I am able to do this, then I will be able to start storyboarding and script-writing much sooner.

I started writing this post on Wednesday, and am yet to hear from either production company. I tried requesting acmes for a song by Bleachers, but Sony does not license songs for commercial use for free. I am still working on the same pieces of music I had from last time, but it is not going very well. I am becoming very frustrated, as I do not truly know how to express my feelings through the music. Yes what I am creating sounds fine, but it doesn't truly create the feeling I want it to. It creates a feeling of just pure heartbreak, which is not what I am trying to do. I am trying to really involve that feelings of emptiness and being sick and tired, and I don't know how to do that. Actually, I just had an idea in my rambling.

I may try doing the whole opening a cappella. It would really create that feeling of emptiness if the singing is unaccompanied by instruments. I may try this for the opening, but it would truly have to vary on whether I used a song I licensed or that I wrote myself. But I really do feel that the use of a cappella would create that feelings of emptiness I am striving for.

God, I'm a genius.

Experimenting with Fonts For Title

I have decided that, due to time constraints, I should start working on the early production aspects of my blog. I want the title to be "The End of Love", but I also want a font that can adequately represent the mood I am going for. I decided to strikethrough the first three letters of the title because it develops the plot of what the whole film would end up being- the character believing a heartbreak was the end of love, but it later is proved to not be.

This is the first font I have in mind:

I like the fact that it appears to be more handwritten because it adds a more personal feel to the tone that the opening establishes. It is also simple, and not too elegant, which represents how I am trying to express a simple emotion.

WeVideo does not have many fonts available, so I am trying some in Final Cut Pro. Here are some of my ideas.

This one has a handwritten feel that feels elegant, but also feels personal. It conveys a feeling of personal emotions of not sadness, but emptiness.

This one is similar to the last, but it feels like it takes up more space and is more spaced out, which makes one feel as if the feeling completely takes over one's personal lives. This indicates that the movie will be exploring a person's full experience, that is spread out. However, the font is not very bold, which I feel would be very important, as the bold helps to establish a feeling of strength and passion.

Between these two, they are very similar. They have more elegance than the last two, and appear as more formal. This indicates that the tone set for this film will be serious. The last one seems more serious, as opposed to the first, which, honestly, feels cliche. The second feels unique, yet common, as is the experience that I am trying to create for my character.

I am still working on trying to get the strikethrough, but I will mostly focus on the effects of the font.