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 :)

Casting!!

Big news!!

I have officially decided who I am going to cast for Melissa and Lucas!!

Drumroll, please.......

My mom and brother woooooo!!!

This might not be much of a surprise, but my mom and brother are the most readily available people to play each role. On the schedule of a student trying to create a quality film opening, I've realized simplicity is key and it's best to work with what you've got. 

I can't wait for all you guys to meet my mom!!! (She's kinda the best)

I originally based Melissa's character on my mom, as she is the strongest woman I know. She is taking a few days off of work over Spring Break as well, which is when we could knock out the last of the filming if it's not done by that point. 

My brother will be playing Lucas. I made this decision since it is easier to pull old home videos of my mom and brother as a library shot instead of finding more actors to play a younger version of my brother. 

This decision was also made because I don't know any young children that could look like my brother, which would mean I would have to hire an actor; since my opening has a budget of $0, hiring someone is out of the question. 

For the role of the caller, I am planning on using my dad's voice, as I have used his voice in other productions in the past. 

I will develop the set and costume for the characters as soon as I get home, as I'm writing this from Washington DC!! I will update once I get home. 

Until then,
Alexa :)

Meet Lucas!

Hey guys!!

Since I did a posting on the character development of Melissa, I thought it would also be cool to develop Lucas's character a little more. Since the script isn't final (I STILL HAVEN'T COME UP WITH A NAME FOR THE DAD), it can help develop more background that would be seen in a true film opening. 

Background: Lucas and his mom were always close when he was younger. Melissa would do absolutely everything with him, from watching TV to playing at the park, or reading bedtime stories every night before he went to bed. Lucas's dad left the family because he "wasn't ready to be a dad". While this won't be portrayed in the opening, I'd like to think that Lucas feels guilty for "breaking up the family" and takes responsibility for it when he shouldn't. As Lucas got older, hormones started to kick in. At the time in the opening, he is in his mid-teen years. At this point in his life, he doesn't realize all that Melissa does for him. Instead, Lucas's priorities lie in his friends and having fun. 

Representation: Lucas would follow the cliché role of teenagers in a movie: filled with angst and rebellion. Lucas's family, however, doesn't represent the stereotypical "nuclear family". Since it is just him and Melissa, they stand out from the way most families in media are portrayed. 

Motivation: Like most teenage boys, Lucas is motivated by the party scene of adolescence. He will stay out late, not listen to authority, and get into some trouble in the name of fun. While he doesn't actually want to cause harm, he makes stupid decisions that can land him in some trouble. This toxic behavior reflects in his relationship with Melissa. 

Since Lucas isn't a main character, he is not as developed as Melissa, but I felt that in order to fully develop Melissa I had to develop those around her. Soon, I will discuss casting and do some research on fonts. Hopefully, then, I can provide an update on the music situation. 

Until then, 
Alexa :)

Change of plans....

So..... this is awkward

Mrs. Stoklosa just made it apparent to us that after spring break, our project is due the week after; so, there has been a change of plans.  

You might not notice the change in schedule originally, but a LOT has been added to the week of "finish by 3/22". If I follow my schedule and start filming by the 22nd, I can start editing earlier. This change was also made in part because I have a lot going on over the next couple of weeks. As you can see, I have a big national competition from the 10-15th, which will come with a lot of makeup work the following week. If I want to gain the right to use a copyrighted song and make time for the other parts of my plan, I will have to stay as ahead of schedule as possible. Finding music means that I would like to have decided whether I'm using copyrighted music or royalty-free (this would also be the point where I have already sent out the request email). 

The first half of the 2nd semester is ending soon (also known as the dreaded 3rd quarter). I had just finished taking my SATs and hopefully, after competition season is over I will have the time I need to finish this project, and (maybe) finally be able to relax a bit. 

Fingers crossed :)
Alexa

Location Scouting!!

Hey guys!!

For the past week, I've been working on finding some locations I can film at for the film opening. In order to make the film opening as easy to film as possible, I focused it on one location: Melissa and Lucas's house. 

Since Melissa never moves locations in the film, it creates the inference that she doesn't do much else in her free time besides staying home. This detail further implements the idea that she is isolated. 

I was thinking about filming at my house for the film, as it is the easiest location to get access to. Some locations I'll pick is a bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room. 

Bedroom: 
For the opening scene, I was thinking of filming it in a bedroom. The opening shot would be a tracking shot moving away from a picture of Melissa and Lucas and moving towards Melissa on the phone with her ex-husband, creating a contrast. The layout of this room would allow for the camera movements I was picturing. 

Kitchen:

My kitchen is a good location for my film opening because it's an open area without many walls. Using wider shots, I can further implement the idea that Melissa is alone as I can show the emptiness of the room in my film. 

Living Room:
The living room is also a wider area with many couches. I could also use wider shots in this area, I can show the empty couches as well. 

Planning this film opening has been such an enlightening process and I'm so excited to see where it goes! Until then...

Alexa is outie

Adios!

My classmates are kiiiiinda helpful though...

Yesterday was our group meeting!!!

I sat with 4 of my classmates and we each gave each other feedback on how we can improve our openings along with any problems we've run into. I heard their ideas and how they were planning on conveying them, which was super fun!! There's just something about hearing what people have planned for their films that is just so entertaining!

Recently, I've been thinking that the way I ended my screenplay was a little bland, and asked for any feedback on what I could do to improve it (whether it be a little action or a certain line). My classmate had the idea of zooming into Melissa's face at the end, have non-diegetic music in the background that would crescendo, revealing the title screen. This worked really well in conveying the suspense I wanted to create, along with the fear Melissa had at that moment.

Hans Zimmer:

Hans Zimmer is a composer who has composed music for almost all of Christopher Nolan's films (which is part of the reason why I love his work so much).

He worked on films like Inception, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight. Each of these movies has a dark tone, that aids in the suspense. The music I'm looking for in Seeking Lucas would follow a more suspenseful tone to go in hand with the mystery of what happened to Lucas.

Justin Hurwitz:
Justin Hurwitz is another composer who has worked on award-winning movies. While La La Land doesn't fit the mood I'm trying to convey in my opening, he worked on an extremely suspenseful film called First Man. First Man also falls a little bit in the Sci-Fi genre as it tells the story of Neil Armstrong and how he stepped onto the moon.



I want the feel of the song to be this tone, but I can't use these exact pieces so I'll have to work on finding a song with a big climax that I could use at the end. And if I decide to use a copyrighted song, I'll have to make the decision soon cause I know the process takes a while.

I shall keep you guys updated.

Alexa :)

The official name is....

SEEKING LUCAS


After taking a quick poll (aka asking people what title they found to be the least cliche and picked my favorite title from the most popular choices) the last two options were "Motherly Love" and "Finding Lucas".  So, then I took it to Google... and I found out both titles were already titles of books/productions. With a bit more thought and adjustment of my favorite title, I made it a bit more unique: "Seeking Lucas". 

When I was doing research, the "best" detective fiction films all had some sort of allusion to the main conflict or crime in the title. Some examples are Seven and Murder on the Orient Express. 



Seven plays on the seven deadly sins from the Bible, and links it to a serial killer. The movie follows a detective who is trying to apprehend a serial killer who targets people he feels represents each sin. This makes Seven the best title for the film because it relates to one of the main points of the plot.



Murder on the Orient Express takes place on a train called the "Orient Express" where one of the passengers is killed. Luckily, a detective is on board. It is up to him to solve the crime. This title plays on the main conflict of the film. 



While Motherly Love is a great title, I felt it would fit a film in the drama genre more than it would fit a film in the detective fiction genre. Seeking Lucas plays on the main conflict of my film, figuring out what happened to Lucas. 

Soon, I will begin to storyboard the opening and begin location scouting as well as casting. More on that coming later :)

Alexa