final pre-production (and production day one? kinda?)

Filming Tomorrow!! Ah! Today I wanted to get the set ready and I did. I pretty much just trashed my room to a reasonable extent. Didnt take much time I think that says someting but Im ignoring it right now. I wanted to make sure the room looked not taken care of at all, books are unorganized, clothing on the floor, extremly messy desk you get it. I also didn't want to go too far, like hanging a shirt of the ceiling fan too far, because that would make it look less dumpy and more like the aftermath of a movie house party. I also tried removing any mark of a hobby in my room since the Protagonist really wouldnt have any. A guy with no aspirations wouldnt have aspirations or spend his time valuably and all that. Point is: set is done, trashed my room I made a little timelapse of me doing so and put the king of the hill theme over it because Im hilarious and everyone agrees.

Also a photo of the room after. I forgot to take a before. Whoops.

After this I was pretty much done until tomorrow, but then I remembered that I could totally film the part where the Protagonist reflects on his life today. Score. The idea I got for this sequence is from a montage from The Bear where actual childhood photos of the actress is shown, I remember that concept coming to me during the brainstorming process and I found great use for it here. To film the scene I got childhood photos of myself and filmed them. That is it, very straightforward. I was originally going to shoot them on a plain wooden desk but I thought it didn't look quite the way I wanted it to so I got a blank shirt and just used that instead! Also good practice for using the BECON equipment.

Im all set for tomorrow! Still a mix of anxiety and excitement! Hope it turns out good! Need it to turn out good! Kay bye!

pre-est production

 I went to pick up production equipment from BECON (mentioned them earlier) on Monday and they gave me the deadline of returning the equipment on next weekend. So. I am definitely filming everything this weekend. The original actor for Jim (Graesen) is unavailable this weekend, so I do have a back-up person (actually two back-up people) to play the character if I can't find a good alternative by Saturday. All things considered, the role will probably end up being played by one of these people, which I'm okay with, they can definitely do it.

Anyway, I got a bunch of equipment from BECON: Camera, tripod, lighting, and a boom mic are the main ones. I'm very lucky to have this equipment for free, like I can't overstate that this I am insanely fortunate. I'm planning on giving them a "Special Thanks" in the credits. 

BECON equipment

The plan at the moment is to shoot the film on Saturday, starting early around 2PM, and there will be around 5 people on set, 3 cast and 2 crew. I'll start setting everything up on Friday, specifically set design. That'll be its own blog post but the plan is to make the place a slob-mess-slob with clothes and trash everywhere. Everything's pretty much ready except that, props are all here, cast and crew are on standby, doing pretty swell right now. I am feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety which is normal. Not much to do until Friday, so I'll see you then..... Goodbye........

postcard research

 Getting some research in for my postcard early on. When I look up film festival postcard examples 90% are other media projects while 9% are templates, I'm avoiding analyzing either.

URBANIA:

The front of Urbania's postcard is super engaging, especially the emphasized image surrounded by a full black background. The title's red and huge text also emphasize it, making it eye-catching and clear that it is the title. I like the tagline placed right under the title, although I know it's not a requirement, it continues to advertise the film in a simple way. If I were to include a tagline in mine, I have to make sure its role as a tagline is apparent through its position to the title and to avoid it taking up too much space. The postcard also includes a quote of a review and production credits, neither of which will be included in mine, but the age-rating and festival it is being shown in also seem interesting to me, I might include both when making mine. Which film festival it is being shown in will be included regardless, but I'm curious if I should include it in the front, back, or both. Just something to keep in mind when developing it. 

The back of Urbania's postcard is much, much less engaging than the front. It's blank.  The only things that represent the film is the bold title on the top left. I do like how the text is formatted, though. Having the names be all caps while their role is in standard capitalization is cool, like "A film by JON SHEAR." The back also has the branding of the postcard production company for some reason? At first I thought it related to the film but nope it's just the people who made the postcard. Urbania really failed on its back cover. It also has little lines on the bottom right that looks like people would write in, but I have no idea what they would even write there. Also where the film opens is super vague and not nearly as specific as it needs to be. "Opens Friday, September 8th in New York and Los Angeles" ??? Huh? Weird how the film festival isn't even mentioned here but it is on the front. I do like how the website is advertised and encourages audience interaction, "Hear any good stories lately? Share them at our website:" Overall, the postcard had some cool ideas I will definitely keep in mind when developing mine, but it really fell flat in a bunch of areas, especially the back.

WREN BOYS:

I was only able to find one side of a postcard for Wren Boys, there is other key art of the film but I'm not sure they are the back of the post-card. The image used for the post card isn't too bad, it features two characters and their faces and the composition paints an emptiness(?) between the two because of all the negative space. The title is large and apparent with the film festival it screened at also large and apparent. It does feature a hefty amount of production credits but that isn't necessary for mine. Honestly the card feels very empty, to me, it leaves a lot to be desired but that could have been intentional with the tone and themes of the film I'm not sure. Also the placement of the text feels off, there's a lot of empty space on the entire left side of the card, I think I would have placed the text there instead of on the bottom, I like how large the key art is though, especially in contrast to Urbania, Wren Boys' key art is to the point and just straight-up shows a shot of the film. I think I'll take inspiration from that and make my key art take up a majority of the card.

part 2 to the last one and storyboard

 Okay so, because of cast and equipment availability, shooting will now happen next week (hopefully). What really dictates this is the availability of a new Jim actor, since Graesen (the last one) is not available next week. If I do not have an available Jim alternative then uhhhh.. ****! (Idk if I can curse on here or not). Some props have come in already and they're great! I'm picking up equipment on Monday and in the meantime I'll look for a new Jim actor. Reflecting on my process now, I should have pre-planned production much sooner and effectively, contacting actors and finding a good shooting day should have been done much sooner instead of the week of or week before production starts. I'll keep this in mind in the future.

Also made the entire storyboard in two days because I assumed we might be shooting Saturday, so it is not good at all. All it really is is a rough outline for how the shots are going to look, but I plan to get much more creative during actual shoot day and plan them better in real time. Here it is (I recommend clicking on each one if you want to see it): 

During this week, I want to continue to develop my social media more heavily and begin researching the print aspect. Then, hopefully, production can start and finish by the end.

casting and props and scheduling and rescheduling (the many toils of short filming)

 This week I have been working on and off on getting everything ready for filming on Saturday(??? maybe. Getting to that). I asked my friend in this media class, Ale, to ask Graeson, her boyfriend, if he is up for playing Jim in the film, he said yes (THANK GOD) but during this discussion I confused them being available on a Saturday as this Saturday instead of next. You see, I wanted to film next Saturday, but in the confusion of the conversation, I thought that filming was only possible THIS Saturday. I find out today that filming was actually not very possible this Saturday but it is next Saturday. Cool. So original plan after all? Everything's cool? No. 

After Graseson was casted as Jim, I ordered all the props needed for the film on the same day. I ordered a prop heart, a grey hoodie, scalpels, latex gloves, and I sent the business cards to print (which have already arrived!) (Made a post on the social media and everything) (caption’s super clever too hehe) (“Not living the life you want? Maybe your heart’s not in it… #LifeandGo #LifeandGoDeptClinic”)

I looked for prop blood to buy but couldn't find any good options, every review I read said the blood either stained clothing heavily or skin or the floor and I don't want to make a mess. So, I decided I will be making my own blood following a video I found on YouTube. I'll be making a separate blog post where I describe the process in more detail and talk about whether I messed up or not. I expressed my want to make the short film high quality to a friend a few weeks ago and I was directed to BECON, where if I messaged their Instagram account, I would be able to check out some equipment since I'm a student and it's for a student project or something I don't fully understand it but point is I could get equipment. I messaged the account and was permitted to check out equipment for over the weekend but I had to return it by Monday. Problem now is: I'm not sure if the equipment is available for next weekend. I messaged the account again and they have not responded yet as I'm writing this. Either equipment is available next week and I can shoot next weekend or it is not and I ball my heart out and shoot everything this weekend. Christ. I'll figure it out fine, I'm not too worried... TOO worried.. a little worried. It'll be fine. 

I sent a message to a friend I made while teching a theater show a few weeks ago, Ayami, to see if she was up for playing Cricket and she was!! (THANK GOD) so now I have my full complete cast. Yay! Cause I'm playing the Protagonist. I don't think I mentioned that. Honestly, I don't know anyone who's miserable enough to play the character. Not like I'm miserable or anything I just know how to act miserable. Not a role that requires a lot of acting prowess I think. Anyway, if it were up to me I would find someone more suitable but I'm limited here. Opportunity sampling and all that.

script

 Script is done! May make a few edits after this post but it's basically done. I had my friends Ale and Gabi read through it and give notes and they liked it so that's good. The only notes I got was that the exposition dump was very exposition dump-y, but given the time constraints I really couldn't do too much about that. The script is long, I know that, but it isn't reflective of the film's actual time limit. A lot of the script is devoted to descriptions and feelings of scenes that I want to make sure to capture. Also adding a space in-between each line gave me an extra two pages haha. I am and will be doing my damndest (is that a word?) to make sure the film is five minutes. Honestly I don't want it to exceed at all, I think the piece works and flows much better if its short and conforms to the five minute rule. Doing more would make it much more convulated than it needs to be and I don't want that at all.

Anyway, THE LIFE & GO DEPT. CLINIC script

group meeting 1

 We had a group meeting in class with other students working on their portfolio, but everyone in my group was doing documentaries so... I didn't get too much help out of it haha. Also means I couldn't help them as much as I should have or wanted to. I did recommend a title for my friend Gabi for her doc about queer youth. I suggested We Are Young cause it's a cool title and a reference to a cool song. 

I shared the entire idea for my project without getting into deep specifics, I didn't want to spend so much time on mine when we had a few to get through. If we had infinite time I would've asked them to review my script. I did get more assurance on my concept and was pointed in the direction of approaching the film as more of a comedy than any other genre, which I was keeping in mind and it does make sense. The Life & Go Dept. Clinic is a very out there idea, to approach it in any serious manner (especially in 5 minutes) would be too difficult and cluttered to really develop and flesh out. I'm now approaching it as a more comedic film with an honest theme/message behind it, and I think that's a good slight shift of mindset. The concept in itself is fairly comedic, especially the idea of doing tasks on a list while crawling to your ripped out heart, so that's good. Script is done I'm just waiting on peer review before I post it on here, but I will also make sure that the dialogue is more comedic. This makes The Nice Guys more of a production to take after since it is a comedy about two guys (woah. it's like I'm making a kinda comedy about two guys kinda). Group meeting helped me center my whole genre better which is good!

character development/background

 I wanted to do a quick post on the characters specifically before polishing the script and putting it up on here!!

THE PROTAGONIST:

About 18 years old, The Protagonist is unemployed (obviously) and spend his day to day doing nothing except consuming media and wallowing in self pity. "Woe is me" is the most commonly repeated phrase in his head despite not knowing what woe means. Currently, he is the victim of an eye infection which explains his eyepatch, a not so subtle symbol for his narrowed vision on life. He believes himself incapable of living or doing anything, it simply isn't in him to do so. He is a spectator of his life and the lives of others. He never changes so nothing ever changes for him. His life has been the same for years, and he does everything in his power to excuse himself from blame and nothing else. Sometimes he thinks about calling his grandma, but he never does. He thinks about doing a lot of things, big and small, but he never does. He is sad and pathetic. His favorite movies are Akira because he likes the visuals and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind because he relates to the main character. He listens to The Smiths, Radiohead, and Current Joys (cause he's a loser) (joke) (sorry). It takes his heart being removed and dying to push him to reality and to start living his life. Good job champ.  

JIM:

Employee at the LIFE & GO DEPT. CLINIC, has a habit of calling the clients old sport because he read The Great Gatsby twice and it stuck. He likes to read, prefers it over movies and TV. Does have a slight superiority complex about it. Has a slight superiority complex about most things. Cricket is the only co-worker he really gets along with. Joined the company after his mother passed away, she was an addict and always refused help. He joined as a means for purpose, to help people who are see themselves as helpless, to help them to the extreme whether they like it or not. The morals or ethics of the job are up to debate. He likes to help through the job, so whenever a client fails and dies, it hits him hard. A part of him does hold resentment for the clients, to act so helpless when a majority of the time they have not experienced a relentless life like he has. They haven't experienced the disparity and helplessness of life but they still act so mopey, it can really build a resentment in him. He wishes the company would do more to help them, so he has discussed with Cricket many times about staying with the clients and guiding them through completing the list. Cricket knows better though, Cricket knows the principle of it is to let them do things themselves. Jim still feels heartaches about it from time to time. Of course none of this would be in the actual short film, it's just additional background stuff. Yay. His favorite books are The Thin Man and The Great Gatsby. He listens to Nirvana and those 50's silk-voiced singers like Frank Sinatra (he has a fascination with the time period). (I only have one concept sketch of him that's good but it feels weird to have one image so. yeah).

 

CRICKET:

Employee at the LIFE & GO DEPT. CLINIC. Joined the company for the paycheck, jumping from job to job y'know how it is. Does do the work, puts in the effort, understands the job, and gets paid handsomely for it. They could honestly be whatever gender: boy, girl, etc. anything works for Cricket, they're just a dude trying to get paid. They've always been interested in space and its cosmos, if they could pick any job it would be whatever the hell Galileo was up to that made him discover all that space stuff, the necessary math included. Cricket's best subject is math, probably not Galileo level but still good. They have a pet cat named Jupiter and a goldfish named NASA. In their free time, Cricket likes to go to the cinema, alone or not doesn't matter to them, and paint. They usually paint landscapes, they're not very good but it's a nice thing to do. Likes cocktails. The feeling they have about the clients is like the feeling you have about stray cats. You feel bad, you hope they get food and shelter but you know you can't really take them home for a multitude of reasons. So you give them some food and wish them luck and bid them farewell. The clients, to them, is a mix of passing kindness and apathy. Whether they complete the list and live or don't and die, doesn't really matter to them morally. It was on them to make a change, and they didn't so, yeah. They do prefer when they live though cause that means more of a chance of a bonus. Jim has more of an attachment and feeling for the clients, Cricket understands its just a part of the job and life. Sure they feel bad but what can ya do? (maybe not plant a killing timer in the place of their heart. maybe). Favorite movies are Fantastic Planet, But I'm a Cheerleader, and Vanilla Sky. Listens to PinkPantheress and Michael Jackson.

What Cricket and Jim and the entire company really represent is a visceral reminder of our morality and the preciousness of our life. We can't spend our days not living, trapped in a 4 by 4 room, anxious about the past, present, and future, our life is too precious and can be too short for that. The LGDC symbolize an extreme reminder of our morality, our hearts are ticking timers and we must live before they hit zero, otherwise ya die. Cricket views morality as a part of life, that's that, Jim views it as something to really fight against and make the most of. The company at large views it as something to be conscious of and live with. 

Will any of this be useful for the actual short? idk. Will I cast people who actually look like the concept arts? No probably not. Is the script done? Nearly. Will I cast and buy props this week so production can start next weekend? Yeah.

OH and I made a Spotify playlist that captures the film's vibe and its messages. Thx. See ya.

THE LIFE & GO DEPT. CLINIC concept playlist

business card prop development

 In the midst of writing my script right now (almost done) and a key prop of my story, regardless of any script changes, is the Life & Go Dept. Clinic's business card, so here's a quick post on how I developed the prop.

The first thing that comes to mind for inspiration for the business card is the American Psycho business card scene. How those props look, with their simple design, is what I envision for the prop whenever I think about it. It creates a sense of professionalism but also makes it ominous, as limited information is provided along with its straightforwardness. 

I found this article(? idk if that's what I'd call it) that discusses Bateman's card design at length, mentioning the font that aligns the most with the card which is what I used for mine. I pretty much just looked at the card for how to design mine and did that, super simple, just a little post to document that process. Here's my final card design.

social media research

Obligatory social media research so I don't just focus on 1/3 of the portfolio. Idea for my social media page is for it to basically be the Life & Go Dept. Clinic's (LGDC) social media account, so I'll be roleplaying as the company while marketing the short. It's a cute quirky idea, I am running with it, it sounds fun. None of the productions I researched have social media accounts dedicated to advertising their films/shows so I'm working with what I got here.

Media Text: The Nice Guys (chose this because my short has a similar dynamic with two of its characters as two of the characters in the film do, so I think they would be advertised in similar ways. Also, the overall tone is similar except that mine is more emotional and much less focused on comedy haha)

Social Media Tool: Instagram 

Description of types of posts: The posts mainly focus on the principle actors, Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe, to do most of their marketing since these are names and faces that people are familiar with and would want to watch a movie of. I do not have this luxury. They also focus on the film's comedy, featuring many clips with funny snippets of the movie, though they are often presented in creative ways. They have a "the nice guy'd to..." series where they post funny clips of the film poised as a giving tips. Importantly to mine, they have one post that parodies 70's agency commercials where they highlight the character dynamic and comedy. This is important to mine as in that post the account acts as if they are the detective agency advertising themselves, which is similar to what I'm doing. I did check their twitter and it was the same posts from Instagram but on that site, except for more tweets with gifs from the movie that included the hashtag #TheNiceGuys.

How the brand is developed: The film is set in the 70's, so this is a major part of the brand development. Almost every post is stylized in a 70's TV style way, using bright, warm colors, lower quality audio, and filters that replicate the 70's style. Each post also emphasizes the film's comedic aspects, the major appealing aspect of the production next to the actors.

How I will use this: I will take heavy inspiration from how the account puts a focus on its two principle characters, focusing my account on the prominent duo that the film is primarily centered on. The account also puts an emphasis on its actors, which I want to do as well through conventional means like interviews or having the actors market the film while still in character. Mostly, though, I will draw from the account often posing as a fictional detective agency since that is the idea for my marketing campaign.

Media Text: Mr. & Mrs. Smith (The Amazon show) (Seems like a weird pick but I found a second account for the show on Instagram that acts as the company in the show, HiHi. So obvious great source of inspiration there)

Social Media Tool: Instagram

Description of types of posts: Most of the posts consist of audience interaction. HiHi selects viewers to participate in a planned challenge, like a kidnapping or a heist, that relates to the Mr. & Mrs. Smith show. They also post set photos from the show that the company provided the characters in that narrative world. 

How is the brand developed: The account develops the brand by featuring its viewers participate in spy like missions, similar to the ones the characters do in the show. The consistent use of the HiHi message screen in the videos and set/prop photos on the account develop the overall look of the brand/show, highlighting the style of the show's production and its iconic imagery through the messaging screen.

How will I use this: I really like the idea of interacting with the audience through little challenges, though, I think that might require too much planning and scripting for me to pull off in such a limited time frame and budget and reach and et cetera. Instead, I like the idea of making little sketches that have different people go on different 'missions' from the company. I can get friends to act like they are employees of LGDC and make sketches around them going to help clients of their own, maybe one goes incredibly wrong, who knows. Either way, it's a very creative idea I will definitely keep in mind and most likely do. Also, taking pictures of the costumes that Cricket and Jim use as if the company is showing off their pristine employee uniform is a cute idea I am inspired by the account by. Also works for the business card.

Media Text: Everything Everywhere All At Once (I lied EEAO does have a social media account) (Similar themes is why I chose it. Both are also weird productions, though EEAO is much weirder, in a good way).

Social Media Tool: Twitter & Instagram

Description of types of posts: Scrolling back to before the film's release, the account did not exist during pre-release, but what their first posts were mainly retweets of Twitter accounts watching the movie and praising it. They also retweeted art and articles about the film. To advertise the film's digital and physical release, the account shared videos of bloopers and behind-the-scenes clips that are featured in the digital, bought version. The videos also included interviews with actors about the film and their experience working on it. Still, the main way they promoted the film was through retweeting people's thoughts on it (which were positive). Looking at A24's Instagram account to get an idea of the film's marketing before its release, most of the posts were trailers and teasers actually made for the film but posted on the account as well. Props of the film were sold on the A24 website, which was advertised on the account alongside showing the press tour of the actors and stills of the film.

How the brand is developed: The twitter account doesn't do the best job of developing the brand as it mainly focuses on spreading the word of mouth that the film is good. Snippets of the behind the scenes and bloopers also don't necessary do a good job of developing the brand either. The Instagram does a much better job, posting trailers and props from the film to illustrate the production's absurd, out-there nature. Still, both accounts could do better to develop the film's brand.

How will I use this: I like the idea of posting stills and props from the production, they're very simple but can build interest if done right. What the Twitter account does is impossible for me since this is a student project short film that does not have the reach of a studio produced theater released film. Obviously. I also like posting pictures and interviews of the actors together, another really simple but practical way to market a film.

This research helped me a ton, I feel like I have a better idea on how to approach the social media aspect.

story re-development

After discussing the film's plot with my teacher (Mrs. Stoklosa) (shout-out), I got back heavy notes on how to rework my plot since it was wayy too long and a bit convoluted. If I go with my original outline, it would be better to end it at the protagonist dying, which I don't super want to do because I want my piece to have a much more hopeful ending and overall message. She then suggested I rework it so the story is through the view of the company, in that way I can fit all that I want to in it and have that more hopeful message, which is the route I think I will end up taking. Also that means the title of the production can be the name of the company, which right now is Life & Go Department Clinic, still working on it though. Also might not be able to do as many weird stuff as I wanted to because of runtime and production limits and prioritizing theme over style :heartbreak: but we'll figure that out when we get there. Realizing I'm kinda making a buddy cop short now haha. ALSO ALSO I've decided to cut the afterlife scene completly, its very very cheesy and preachy and I simply don't like it. Instead the protagonist will come back to life by his own choice and he doesn't have to be preached upon. It works infinitely better I think.

Okay new general outline is this:

- Jim and Cricket stalk the protagonist, watching him rot in his room

- Once it turns night, they sneak into his house and take his heart out, replacing it with a timer that acts as a heart until it counts down completely

- The protagonist wakes up, startled, Jim and Cricket explain the situation

- Jim and Cricket leave and continue to spy on him, the protagonist plans a bunch of things, doesn't do any of them and dies

- Disappointed, Jim and Cricket leave and begin to move the body

- The protagonist's ghost stands over his body, eyes locked to the closed ones. He thinks of where it all went wrong, where it could have gone differently. The LGCD's business card lays on the ground, he looks at the slogan "The meaning of life is its verb." He stares at the card, then back at his body as he reaches out hoping for one more try, this time, he will live.

- The protagonist is resurrected, he gasps for air, Jim and Cricket stand shocked for a moment then realize that his heart is gone.

- They leave to search for it, the protagonist sees it tucked behind a desk, he tries calling to them but to no answer

- He crawls to his heart, on his way he slowly completes the list of things he was assigned to do, Cricket and Jim continue to search for the heart.

- The protagonist reaches the heart just as Jim and Cricket arrive with empty hands, they begin to place the heart back in, the protagonist mutters "I will live."

That's what I got so far. I'll start and finish the script this week! Laterzzz

developing story/outline

I was watching a video essay on Pinocchio and God (idk) and I was struck with the idea of a Jiminy Cricket type character guiding the protagonist to the story's message. That, somehow, led me to conceptualizing an organization called the Life & Go Department Clinic (working name) that steals the hearts of people who do nothing but rot in their rooms and replaces it with a ticking timebomb that explodes unless they kickstart their life and do a list of things. Idk. BUT ITS WEIRD AND KINDA COOL MAYBE AND THATS WHAT I WAS GOING FOR!! I do think it's a cool idea, it will probably serve as the basis for my plot. The department will consist of two people named Cricket and Jim, a very obvious nod to Jiminy Cricket hehehahah. ha. Jim is gonna call the protagonist old sport, cuz they do that in the Great Gatsby and I think its cute bite me maybe he's a book guy bite me. He talks like he came straight out of the roaring 20's too. Also had the random idea of the protagonist wearing an eyepatch cuz his eye rolled out of his head out of boredom. Idk it's weird and cool maybe. Thinking of not giving the protagonist a name because I want him to be a character you really see yourself in, almost imprint onto. Still not sure if I will but hey something to mention. Also maybe going to have a narration throughout for the protagonist's thoughts. It's important to really get into the character's mind and mental processes, although I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of the idea, it might be necessary. It is done in the productions I am inspired by, The Tatami Galaxy, Mind Game, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, etc.

(Here's some crappy little doodles of the characters)

Ok "basic" outline is this: 

ACT I: Protag. spends everyday rotting in his room: eating junk food, playing games, mindless scrolling on his phone, etc. etc. Throughout this act I want to establish his desire to do something with his life. It's not like he wants to live life rotting in his room, he feels he is incapable of doing anything else. To him, living life is something that hibernates in the forefront of his mind forever. I'm still unsure on what his wants are, frankly, they don't even have to be wants, they could be simple things to do. In life we have goals, but we also have little things to do, like calling your grandma. Protagonist goes to bed like normally. MAYBE cut to Cricket and Jim breaking into the protagonist's house, carving into his chest and ripping his heart out. Protagonist wakes up with a sharp pain in his chest, his heartbeat replaced by a ticking, and two people in suits looming over him in his bed. The protagonist is startled, thinks about attacking, but doesn't. Cricket and Jim introduce themselves and explain the situation, the protagonist has until midnight to accomplish a list of tasks (still don't know what those tasks are yet) or else he dies. They exchange more dialogue, banter, whatever. Cricket and Jim leave the protagonist to do everything he needs to; instead, the protagonist overthinks and goes through every scenario in his head, maybe he plans the perfect way to do it, etc. Eventually, he ends up laying up in his bed, he has given up. Probably convinced himself of some false truth to assure that what he's doing is okay. He dies.

ACT II: Protag comes to in the afterlife. Afterlife might be a void or it could be a diner or bar of sorts, still figuring it out. Jim and Cricket sit across from him. Jim explains how the protagonist has fails, which under the threat of death, doesn't happen often. What basically happens in this scene is Jim monologues and gives a speech which is the message of the film. Jim recounts an encounter with a weird orange mass that looked like a wolf that put the fear of death into him, and since then he has been trying to live his life as much as he can, with its imperfectness and all. Eventually, the monologue ends, the protagonist understands where he went wrong and pleads to get another chance. Hesitant, Jim and Cricket agree because they like him. The protagonist comes to in the real world.

ACT III: (Still iffy on how I'm doing act 3, or if there even will be one) He looks around his excruciatingly too familiar room, no more ticking where his heart is supposed to be but no heartbeat either. He looks out his doorway to see his still beating heart lying on the floor. Uh oh. UH OH. In a final crawl to live. The final crawl to finally have the life he dreamt of with the drive to live that once seemed a brief fantasy, the protagonist uses all of the strength left in him to pull himself towards the opportunity for a life that he had ripped out of himself years before any suited men appeared in his room (I feel like I'm writing a book or something). During the crawl I really want the protagonist to do all the things that he couldn't before, again, still not 100 on what those are. But for instance, during the crawl he calls his grandma, uses a fishing rod to fish the heart (he always wanted to try fishing), finally talks to a girl he likes (she would later reject him), signs up for a gym membership, gets a driver's license, etc. etc. I know this may seem insane and a lot.. but it would all be done in quick succession in a montage and it'd be cool I promise. Finally he reaches his heart and sits up, a smile on his face, declaring victory. Again, it's fairly underdeveloped still but this is the general idea for act 3. Cut to black then credits.

Gonna write the script tomorrow, it'll be developed better in there I promise.

watching similar productions

 I asked my teacher if she recommends any productions that had similar themes to mine so I could asses how I wanted to approach representing my themes. She recommended the short World of Tomorrow, the film I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and another media project from four years ago, Minimalist. I watched all three yesterday, my favorite was World of Tomorrow, just a stellar film, so good. You can watch it free on YouTube here!

The main things I got from each production is the different ways to approach representing the themes. With World of Tomorrow delivers its themes VERY straightforwardly, and I think it really works! A character literally tells the protagonist the message of the film, "Live well and live broadly. You are alive and living now. Now is the envy of all of the dead" - Emily from World of Tomorrow. I'm Thinking of Ending Things and Minimalist are much less straightforward with their themes, giving hints throughout instead of outright stating it. The Tatami Galaxy and Mind Game, are a mix of both, giving hints throughout before outright stating their message once the character realizes it. For mine, considering the limit on its length, I think I will take the approach of little hints before the outright stating of the message. I don't want the message to come out of no where with not set up. How I will do this I'm still not sure but we'll figure that out when we get there.

When considering target audience, World of Tomorrow definitely has a target audience of an older age, especially considering the character of 4th generation Emily, which can be very relatable to the older audience who has a similar understanding of life and its experiences to her. Its themes can also be fairly heavy. This is the same case for I'm Thinking of Ending Things, although not necessarily targeting an older audience, its concepts of reflecting on a life that has already past with regret can definitely reside with an older target audience. I think I am way too young and inexperienced to target an older audience with this messaging. My target audience will be more aligned with the audience of The Tatami Galaxy. I think how that production tackles its messaging is something I can actually handle and develop/expand on. An older audience simply wouldn't work with the film I have in mind and my inexperience in life.

Overall, the main things I took away from viewing similar productions (besides enjoying them haha) was how to approach my theme, and the piece that I want to take the most away from is World of Tomorrow, especially the scene where 4th generation Emily gives advice to Emily Prime. I'll probably end up taking more from these productions throughout the way haha.

steven soderbergh's analysis of staging

 Okay so I found this blog post by Steven Soderbergh (director of the Ocean's Eleven movies) that discusses staging in film. Soderbergh defines staging as "how all the various elements of a given scene or piece are aligned, arranged, and coordinated." Its purpose is to really expand the storytelling as much as possible, he believes that a film should be watchable and understandable with the sound off. He demonstrates the art of staging in film by desaturating Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark, removing all of its audio, and adding the score from The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

He did this to emphasize the film's spectacular-ness in its staging (the legality is. debatable).  What's notable is how Spielberg is able to change frames in one shot, his use of background and foreground to depict focus, and his overall use of mirrors, framing, and shadows. It's really insane. I haven't given Sodbergh's Raiders a full watch as of yet, I'm not sure I will have the time but I will do so if it is possible. A brilliant video by CinemaStix dissects Soderbergh's version of Raiders. It's amazing how different shots and what is or isn't included in their composition can tell a story on their own, no sound no dialogue necessary. For context, I had known about this article for some time, but it was brought to my attention again through a random tweet that I can across (lol) and the idea of using staging as a pivotal part of my visual component struck me. I really want to do this. 

Another film I watched that does this amazingly as well is In the Mood for Love. In the film, the faces of characters are very often obscured, either due to blocking or staging. This in itself creates a sense of disconnection between the characters and the viewer, but also between the characters themselves. A character that holds an emotional shield is not entirely in view while the character pouring his heart out takes up a majority of the shot. The film is also shot either far away, or through windows/in between objects. This really creates a sense of disconnection between the viewer and the story and the emotions at play. It's only in the tender, genuine, intimate scenes where we get to see the characters in their entirety. It's brilliant, I hope I can capture a bit of that skill in my work. Realistically, I have doubt I'll be able to even do a percentage of this haha, but I still wanna try. So I will. I'm going to focus on developing my story and characters now haha

schedule timeline

 Week One:

- Develop Story

- Develop Characters

- Develop Genre

- Research similar productions/genre

- Blogging

Week Two

- Begin script

- Continue research on how to create production

- Research social media marketing/print component

- Blogging

Week Three

- Finalize script

- Character/Story mood boards(?)

- Storyboard

- Continue print research

- Create social media marketing

- Blogging

Week Four

- Begin production

- Continue social media marketing

- Blogging

Week Five

- Continue production

- Begin post-production/editing if possible

- Continue social media marketing

- Blogging

Week Six

- Finalize production

- Continue post-production/editing

- Research print component

- Continue social media marketing

- Blogging

Week Seven

- Continue post-production/editing

- Begin print component

- Continue social media marketing

- Blogging

Week Eight

- Finalize post-production/editing

- Finalize print component

- Continue social media marketing

- Blogging

Week Nine

- Begin planning/researching critical reflection

- Continue social media marketing

- Blogging

Week Ten

- Critical Reflection

- Finalize social media campaign

- Blogging

day 1 number 1 (one)

Starting the A-Level portfolio today! Wahoo! Yay! Etc. The last project we worked on in class was the film distribution project where we were given a story developed by another student in a creative writing class, and we had to create a trailer, teaser, poster, and distribution plan for it. I did not like it very much admittedly, so I feel my work on it was subpar. But now I get to work on a project I do care about and want to explore! Yay! Etc. 

I've been thinking about this project for a little while, brainstorming idea, and jotting down any random thoughts that come to me, and since last year's project, I've had in my mind of doing a short film this year. It was in between that or the film promotion option, and after my non-liking of the film distribution project, I'm certain I want to do a short film. What the story is I'm not sure yet, but I do have some idea of the theme I want to present. I want to explore how there is no correct path to live life, there is no perfect life, and that we all have to quit moping or trapping ourselves, we must live life. We have to take chances and opportunities, we can't miss out on living out of fear or sadness or whatever. It's an important theme to me, one I find to be explored greatly in the pieces Everything Everywhere All at Once, Mind Game, and The Tatami Galaxy. I think I may be due for a re-watch of all of these to refurbish my mind in all of its themes. I'm not sure how I want to approach this concept, but I do know I want to make it really, really weird. Making it weird brings a certain charm, uniqueness, and freshness to the exploration of these themes that may be boring to sit through if not for presenting it in a maybe outlandish way. I also really want this to be good haha. Something in my brain clicked and I decided to really put my all into this project. I was recommended by a friend to rent out high quality cameras and equipment at a local place called BEECON (or something along those lines) and I definitely plan on doing so when production starts. 

                                    (Random thoughts in my notes app)

I found an article that discusses The Tatami Galaxy at length, it's called The Tatami Galaxy - Life Does Not Have to Sparkle to be Beautiful by Starkfyre. It has two quotes which I think really encapsulate my idea for the film, "A perfect life does not exist. We must appreciate the little things and enjoy the imperfections that make up this world. There is beauty in silly adventures, meaningless pursuits, and crazy friends. Life does not have to sparkle to be meaningful" and "It is important to go after what you want. Even if that means putting yourself at risk for failure. The worst possible mistake you can make is to do nothing." GAH THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANNA EXPLORE!!! I'm very excited, I want to make this good. Still don't have an idea of a story, but I do think the genre will be comedy/drama (since those are the main genres of the pieces that I am inspired by) with a target audience of young adults (about 16-22ish). So excited. Gah.

Doc Critical Reflection

My documentary, ‘Mic Check,’ focuses on techies in theater and the work they do, which is often not fully known.

For my doc, my team and I knew that we wanted to conform to basic documentary genre conventions. So, when researching, we paid attention to the common and prevalent techniques used in documentaries we viewed. In Abstract I noted how prevalent b-roll was used, with interviews being used as more of an audio technique, through voiceover, than used as visual substance. I found this to be a conventional characteristic of documentaries, as other docs reviewed such as Exit Through the Gift Shop, having b-roll serving as the visual storytelling to the audible storytelling of the interviews. In the docs I watched, indirect interviews were being used more over direct interviews, with direct interviews only ever really being used with children subjects in American Promise. I found that indirect interviews were much more natural than direct ones, as indirect interviews do achieve their purpose of making the interviews feel more like discussions rather than answers to questions. So, I opted to use indirect interviews in ‘Mic Check’ to make the doc flow smoothly and feel more natural, like the interviewees were discussing techies and their thoughts instead of being asked about it. This also allows the audience to connect with the interviewees better.

Notes taken during American Promise

The docs I viewed heavily impacted how I approached my own doc. The minimal use of b-roll in A Robust Heart informed my decision to challenge the genre convention of constant b-roll use at the end of my doc. I wanted to focus on Andrea’s expression and body language when she described an emotional connection that the teenagers, she works with, have within theater. Conventionally, b-roll would be used here to accompany and highlight what Andrea was saying, but A Robust Heart made me consider the approach of no b-roll, and only focus on what she is saying, and how she says it. I liked the approach, so I implemented it in the doc. Besides that, the doc followed standard genre conventions, conventions I reviewed and explored through viewing docs like Exit Through the Gift Shot or American Promise. From these docs, I learned the basics of doc conventions, like the use of b-roll in between and during interviews to keep the doc engaging, and the use of music to highlight emotions. American Promise (51:30) has a scene where its two subjects, Seun and Idris, hug when saying their goodbyes as an emotional music track swells up. I thought of this moment and the doc’s use of music when finalizing ‘Mic Check,’ as I wanted to highlight the emotions Andrea was conveying not only visually, but audibly. So, I used a slower piano track during that last interview segment, emphasizing what Andrea was saying and her emotions. My doc was able to convey its emotions properly by challenging and conforming to genre conventions at the same time.

The target audience for my piece was teenagers or young adults of ages 13 through 19, of any gender, who are interested in theater and the work that goes behind it. The doc entirely focuses itself on techies who are teenagers. Interviewees Sam and Isabella are both teenage techies, and Andrea works with mostly teenage techies on productions in Inside Out, so a target audience of adult theater fans would not correlate with the production since that aspect of the techie community was not explored. To engage this young target audience, the documentary uses b-roll during interviews to add more visual substance to the doc, instead of only having the interviewee answering questions as all the visual content. This is a decision and process I discussed in my post-production blog post. Only listening to the voices of the interviewees can become stale, so to keep the doc engaging, music would accompany the interviewee’s answers. The doc is able to be engaging and keep away from monotony through its use of visual and audio techniques.

It’s important to note where the doc fails to engage its audience, that mostly being with distracting technical issues. The placement of b-roll throughout the doc is not structured or planned out well enough, to the point where it’s distracting from what is being presented. B-roll should have been spaced out and aligned more with what was being said in the interviews, instead of being placed sparsely throughout. Audio was also an issue, with the music being too loud at times, which can be quickly solved by lowering its volume. The clear times the doc doesn’t engage the audience, is when it distracts them instead.

The main social group represented in ‘Mic Check’ is teenagers. Three out of four interviewees are teenagers, Sam, Andrea, and Natalia, and they discuss their experiences and thoughts on techies. Andrea, the only adult interviewee, works with teenagers in theater, so all discussion from the interviewees was focused on teenagers in the technical department of theater. We gave freedom for the teenage interviewees to discuss the topic in whichever way they wished to, so how they represented themselves, and their group, was genuine, it came from the source. Through their responses, the doc ended up representing teenagers as being extremely responsible people. Techies must manage lights, sound, sets, and costumes, tasks that take a great deal of attention and time. Teenagers were represented as being able to handle the work that is given to them, but they were also represented as being highly passionate about their interests. This is shown throughout the doc, like through Sam expressing how much being a techie and being a part of that community means to him. Notably, this is also shown through Andrea expressing how important the work and space is for teenagers, as a handful of them only have the techie community as a safe space where they feel comfortable. ‘Mic Check’ represents its social group of teenagers as responsible, passionate people who have a deep love for the work they do and community they are a part of.  

Watch Mic Check