The final step

With both happiness and sorrow, I would like to present the final part of my portfolio project: my CCR. Thank you to all for sticking with me through this tiring journey!

I hope to post here again in the future with my next big project!

Until then,
Alexa :)

Film Opening

I'm so happy to announce, the release of Seeking Lucas!! This took a bunch of work, so I hope you guys enjoy it!!

Here's the link to the video in case the interactive doesn't load in :)


Alexa :)

A quick reflection

As I'm coming to the end of the road for this project, I wanted to do a quick reflection on the process. Originally, I was unsure of how I'd be able to make a quality film opening, as my writing skills weren't something I actually worked on before. This is why I chose a genre I'm familiar with, detective fiction. My favorite movies are normally ones with twist endings or mysteries that are uncovered throughout the movie. I casted my mom as the lead role, as I felt it would be easiest to find a time to film with her than it would be to film with a friend or actor. In terms of filming, it went very smoothly. The coronavirus didn't affect my production at all if anything it gave me more time to get what I wanted to get done done. After 2 days of filming, I hit the editing stage. With this stage, I had a ton of fun. I worked with color, something I've never done before. I was able to play with camera shots and angles, along with working on some cool animation you can see with the title card. This project has allowed my creativity to flow in more ways than I could explain, which made it extremely fun to complete. I can't wait to put out the final product!

The finishing touches...

This is it!

With this blog post, I am gonna add the final foley sounds I need for my film opening. This is the sound I'm gonna put on top of the title card when it's glitching!

I recorded this through a DSLR and audio box I got use to record segments for my school show. I used it because it is the only AUX cord I have readily available, which is what I needed to record that sound. 

This is the title card look now. Take this as a little sneak peek before the posting of the film opening :)

Can't wait for you guys to see the finishing product!!!

Until then,
Alexa :)

Voice editing and sound effects!!

I'm a bit of an audio pro now
In order to get a better feel of naturalism, I added voice effects to some of the audio to make it sound as if it were coming from another room, or through a phone call. 

First, I edited the audio I got off of my phone to record my brother's voice during the conversation between Melissa and Lucas. Originally, the audio sounded a bit unnatural, so I imported it into adobe audition. 

From there I opened the effects tab. Effects -> Filter and EQ -> FFT Filter. 

Then, I chose the option "The Club Downstairs" and played a bit with the audio levels to get the desired muffled effect. 

This is what the audio ended up sounding like. 

I also edited the audio my friend Oliver sent me to use for Officer Tippit's character through a phone call. 

Going through the same route, I used this effect that is in the same location as the muffled sound effect I used earlier. This was the result of using that effect!

I also recorded the special sound effect to transition between the old footage and the new ones (I followed this tutorial here!!)! After generating some pink noise, I put a default pitch bender on the audio. 

Then, I added a Parametric Equalizer to the audio and boosted the bass. 

After adding some reverb, the audio was perfect! I imported into premiere to get the desired woosh sound effect by cutting the audio, adjusting the gain, and adjusting the speed at which the audio played. 

In the end, the audio sounded pretty close to the woosh I was going for, which is awesome considering I made this noise from scratch! But to keep the suspense, I won't link the audio to this one (You'll just have to wait to hear it for yourself :p).

Until then, 

Alexa

p.s. CCR script is done! Once this is exported, I will be putting together that video!!

Title screen

It's title time!
So, now that I'm running towards the end of my project, I thought it might be time to create the end title card; and what better way to tell you guys about it than to run you all through the process!

Since I'm new to the whole "effects" scene I haven't figured out how to use much of the tools in After Effects or Premiere so Youtube videos and online tutorials have been my go-to. This is the tutorial I used for this effect (CLICK ME!!).

Anyways, I'm gonna take you through the steps I did to get the effect I used for the title card!

So, first I wrote out the text in After Effects. Then I created a ton of layers, each layer masking out a different part of the text.  

I added the inner shadow effect afterward, which you can see here. 

Afterward, I messed around with positioning (using keyframes and such), color, and shading. 

And after all that work, this was the final result!

I'm putting the finishing touches on my project and CCR so stay tuned for those by the end of the week! 

Until then,

Alexa :)

I just used a cool effect!!

Fast Forwarding 101
So for the beginning of the film opening, I have a home video of my brother and my mom interacting to show a small bit of backstory before I lead into my opening. The problem was, I wanted to add two separate pieces of video from the same clip. In order to make the transition between them smooth, I looked up a little fast-forwarding effect tutorial (creds to Adobe Masters) and got to work!

 The video basically explains how to use an effect called Wave Warp to make the footage look like it's fast forwarding on a VHS or some sorta disc player (I don't think VHS's could fast forward). 

I also sped up the clips at the end of the first clip and the beginning of the second one to get the desired effect. 

Here's a video of how it looks like!

Little bits of cool effects like this makes editing worth all the struggle and stress because check this one out, I made something super cool!!! I'm thinking of adding the same effect at the end of the baby montage to transition between the video and present day. This has been super duper fun! I can't wait to show you guys what else I have in store. 

Until then,
Alexa :)

I've figured it out!!

After a little help from my friend Dean, I have figured out color-correcting!! This is the equivalent of being able to see color again, except way less of a light changing moment. But regardless, I am proud of myself. 

Before

After

Before

After

After messing around with the shadows and highlights, I am happy about using these images for the base of the images I'm going to color grade. I've done a few more bits of research and figured out how to color grade without making my images look bizarre. There's a little effect called Lumetri Color that Adobe Premiere Pro has. In that effect, there are 6 subdivisions. Dean taught me how to the Curves subdivision, which looks like this. 

Not only am I presented with a super cool rainbow, but I am able to achieve a color scheme that better fits the "depressive" tone I'm going for that most detective fiction films have.

Image taken from Skyfall

Films like these tend to have a more grayscale, brownish color palette. So, after a bit of copying, I present you my images:

Before

After

Now, I'm going through my film and making all of the images look similar to this. I'm super excited because before I was so upset with how my images looked, and now I know how to fix them. I'll update you guys once I've made more progress.

Until then, 

Alexa :)

Life is like a box of crayons

And sadly, I am color blind. 
Not actually, but when it comes to color grading and color correcting I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING!!!! Which isn't good because I don't like the colors my shots have. 

Since this production was low budget, I don't have the equipment to light the area the way I'd like to. In that case, I've fallen to having to color correct more than I would have needed to originally. 

From Taken

Gorilla Film School

The GodFather

I did some quick research on ways I could make my color scheme look like for my final edit. In detective fiction films, I found that the shots lack color. They're more gloomy and dark to set a tone. I'm hoping that after I consult a couple of Youtube videos I would have enough knowledge to continue editing and be happy with the way my shots look. I'll update you guys on the progress afterward!

Until then,
Alexa :)

The editing has begun!

Whenever I review any of my own footage, I remember why I stick to editing. 
It's always been my stronger suit, I tend to lack that cinematic creativity when it comes to filming my own footage. Anyways, day one of editing has begun :)

So far I've laid out the entire film before I start to go into details. 

This will include trimming the video to hit closer to that 2-minute mark, color correcting, sound editing, sound effects, etc. I'm super excited to edit as it's always my favorite part of the film making process!

I'll update you guys once I've made significant progress.

Until then,
Alexa :)

That's a wrap!!

Day 2 of filming is complete!

I just finished filming the last bit of footage yesterday and the filming process went super smoothly!! The shots are looking great and I'm hoping things come together as quickly and high quality as I'd like them to. For the time being, no major problems have come up in my production which I'm extremely happy about. I'm gonna put some screenshots from the clips below like I did on my last post. 

The next update will be the editing phase!! 

Until then,
Alexa :)

Day 1 of Filming!!

DAY 1 OF FILMING!!! WOOHOO!!!
Considering everything that is happening around us at this current second, I am happy that I ran into very few problems in terms of filming. Day 1 went really well!!! I shot all of the night scenes and anything else that would require my brother to be in them. The biggest challenge was honestly getting my brother to want to film 
(typical brothers, am I right?), but he ended up being the best actor ever! I also got the shot I needed for the title card!!!

Anyways, I wanted to post some screenshots of the things I filmed today.

I'm hoping to get the finishing shots tomorrow and Monday so I can start editing. 

Until then,
Alexa
(p.s I'm giving my mom mad credit for being able to act so well with no experience.)

Change of plans.... again

Hey guys!
So quick change of plans. I wanted to start filming the film opening, but sadly it's looking like I won't be able to film today since my mom is a bit too busy to start. I'm hoping to start as early as tomorrow or maybe over the weekend. Thanks to this extension, I actually have the time to not stress about not being able to film until the weekend. Once day 1 of filming starts, I'll post a quick update here explaining how the day went and if anything else needs to happen.

Until then, 
Alexa :)

Music Update!!

Hey guys!

Just wanted to make a quick update on the music situation. Since I haven't gotten any emails back, I will be using the royalty-free music I got off of YouTube Audio Library. I wasn't too shocked about not receiving an email (I probably didn't send them out properly) so I'm happy that I had a backup plan. I'll link the blog that talks about what my backup plan for music is here.

Filming will start this week after Wednesday (my birthday!!), but everything else has already been set up to start filming. I'm super excited to start filming and update you guys!! 

Until then,
Alexa 

Melissa's Costume Design!!

What's up people!

I'm excited to announce the final costume design for Melissa!!

A lot of thought was put into this outfit because I wanted what she was wearing to fit Melissa's character. The entire film opening will take place on the same day, so no costume changes will be needed. I wanted to stick to less colorful clothing since Melissa's character is less eccentric and bold. She is more mellow, so I picked the flannel listed above. Her shirt is also white, portraying the innocence her character has as well. 

For makeup design, I was planning on doing something simple. 

The film opening will take place on a weekend, and since Melissa isn't as eccentric or bold (like I said earlier) I wouldn't picture her wearing makeup on those days. However, even if characters aren't supposed to be wearing makeup, the actors still will have makeup on using a subtle look. 

Mise-en-scene is actually really fun, I had no idea this much thought went into it!! I'm super excited for everything to come together.


Mrs. Stoklosa just updated us on the situation of school a couple days ago. Because of the whole epidemic, she has extended our due date for the project by a week, giving me more time to edit (thank goodness!!). This will hopefully allow me to put out a higher quality film opening.

Until then, 
Alexa :)

SELF QUARANTINE

Coronavirus is honestly the WORST

Since last Thursday, I've been stuck at home (which has been a blessing and a curse). Remember when I was so overwhelmed with things to do I wished for a break? Well, currently, school has been canceled until AT LEAST April 15, the store I work at got shut down indefinitely, and I have only left my house to go to my local supermarket. I got so bored that I reorganized my whole room.... it was years worth of mess. It has never looked this spotless. 

Lucky for me, none of my scenes require any special location or people I don't already associate with. This will make filming much easier since my mom is always readily available. It's honestly kind of scary how easily this virus can spread so I'm glad I can stay home and still get this project done. Filming will start next week, since the time I will be out of school is much larger, I can spend more time editing my project than I would have if I had to go to school for 8 hours a day. Also, I can do any school work on my own time since I have no big plans until all of this blows over. 

Get ready for some awesome updates!! I've been working with my mom on the costume and set design so she can have a better understanding of what the project is. 

Until then,
Stay healthy my dudes
Alexa :)

Change of Schedule / Big plans coming up :)

WHAT'S UP PEOPLE
Since I came home early (and school has been canceled), I realized a couple of things. The first thing I realized is I have a lot of free time on my hands. Then, I realized that I could start filming earlier than I planned. 

Throughout this week, I plan on starting to film some scenes with my mom (most likely the last scene). We will go over costume design and all that jazz and then I can take the poster cover work I wanted to do!! This time off is perfect since I'm realizing that spring break will already be hectic for me since my birthday falls right in the middle of it. Anyways, it's better to be ahead of schedule instead of behind soooo :) this is why I loooove planning ahead!! 

I shall update my next posts with the final steps of pre-production and the first steps of production!! Can't wait!!!!

Until then,
Alexa out
PEACE

It's music time

Hey everyone!!

I'm officially back to writing blog posts since I came back from my competition trip. Right now, I'm a little worried about everything considering my district officially canceled school at least until the end of spring break. Without school time, I won't be able to prepare for the other component for this class. In the meantime, I will continue putting my best effort into this film opening!!

I have found a couple of songs I'd like to use for the background of my film opening!!

The first one is Time by Hans Zimmer (my favorite composer!!) and comes from the movie Inception directed by Christopher Nolan. This choice is suspenseful but also dramatic if I can edit the song in the right way. Here's the link to the song.

The song I would like to use as my backup is called A Quiet Life by Michael Giacchino. This song comes from the movie A Quiet Place directed by John Krasinski.  Here's the link to the song.


I have already taken the steps to request the license for Time and will be taking the steps to request A Quiet Life soon after. Obviously, however, I need a backup plan just in case I can't obtain the rights. In that case, I have found a couple of non-copyrighted songs I could use for my film.

The first one is called We'll Meet Again by Jeremy Blake.

The second song is called Slow Hammers by The Mini Vandals.

The third is called Decision by The Tower of Light.

The final song is called Thinking Back by Max Surla/Media Right Productions.

Hopefully, I will receive an email soon.

Until then,
Alexa outtie

"I'm not an artist"

The long-awaited storyboard has arrived!!

I have finished developing my storyboard for the opening!! Developing it really helped me visualize my thoughts and put everything together into one cohesive thought. So.. before I link it, I will quote every teacher before they draw a simple shape on the board: "I am not an artist". Ok, now that I've warned you, enjoy my poorly drawn blobs with neat handwriting underneath. (CLICK ME!!!!)

If you noticed, I am taking an artistic choice to keep Lucas's face out of the shots. This is done so Melissa seems more isolated from Lucas. The only time I plan to show his face is when he's a little kid. 

I'm officially home (but I'm still on schedule!! Talk about responsible) so more of the actual filming will be coming soon. 

See ya peeps soon,
Alexa :)

(ps. I know I'm bad at drawing!!!! do not comment on it!!)

So I created a survey...

Hey everyone!!

I 've recently been looking at some fonts to use to create a poster for the film opening. If you couldn't already tell, I'm SUPER indecisive!!!! Luckily, I have amazing friends that can help me out in making these super tough decisions. 

Option 1: 

Option 2:

Option 3:

Option 4:

The results came back after about 20 responses. 

 First, I asked people what they thought would be a good first choice in font type. It was a tie between Titular Black and Titular Heavy. Poynter Gothic Black was the least popular first choice. 

When it came to 2nd choice; however, mister PGB was the 2nd most popular choice. Titular Heavy still came in 1st place, with TB coming in 3rd, and Kandin ExtraBold coming in 4th. 

After some mathematic calculations, Option 1 (TB) had a 27.5% approval rate. Option 2 (TH) was chosen 35% of the time. Option 3 (KEB) was chosen 20% of the time. Option 4 (PGB) was chosen 17.5% of the time. For font type, I was looking for something dramatic and serious. I plan on taking these results with a grain of salt since it only helped with me making a good choice based on popular opinion.  

We had a bit of an issue at nationals. The Coronavirus caused our entire convention to be shut down the day before competition but during the times I wasn’t sight seeing or doing any makeup work I’ve been planning out what I want the poster for the film to look like. Currently, I only have a rough sketch, but once I gather my thoughts a bit more, I will update you all.

Until then, 
Stay fresh!
Alexa :)