John 19:30

FOLEY AND FINAL TOUCHES

Foley was an experience. I think this was harder than filming. Getting the right sounds and even mixing the sounds. Everything had to match and be synced perfectly. Finding DIY options for sounds and having to get even the smallest detail. I think this was the main obstacle in producing this film opening.

This was the sequence for my Foley project. I decided to put the mute version of the film opening into a new project and work on audio there so it wasn't too much on my computer and it could run smoothly. I started with easy sounds such as bed sheets rumbling and sitting down. I think the easiest but also the hardest sound was doorknobs. I could not get my house to get completely quiet so getting those sounds was almost impossible. Luckily, my trip to Tampa helped a lot as my aunt's house in Tampa is so much quieter than my house in Weston. So I recorded most of the doorknob sounds there. I think mixing was a huge obstacle but I enjoyed getting through it. As a musician, mixing is a big part of my process. Equalizing footsteps was something I never thought I'd do, but I did it. Putting the exact reverb preset and equalizing the right frequency for some sounds, just to make them sound a little bit more realistic and for them to match the film correctly.

I was not going to add music to Joshua's section but it just felt too empty. I used an original instrumental I had made some days before filming so it would fill up that space that was missing. All music in the film opening was written, recorded, produced, and mixed by me. Wanted to keep some of that originality :)

Exodus 19:3

EDITING

In terms of editing, this was a quick process. For 2 minutes, I just had to sync the shots, browse through the disk, and do some minor color correction. Obstacles came in with choosing the right transition for the text and syncing music and shots. 

This was my first time coming this close to Premiere Pro and even though I had to do some research, it was an amazing experience. 

In terms of transitions for the text, I decided to use the Find Edges Stylize video effect with automation so the color change would serve as a transition. With that, I added a small fade in so it wouldn't be as harsh.

During this part of the film opening, I decided to automate the warmth of the shot for it to rise as the music started. This decision was made for 2 reasons.

1. So the next shot wouldn't be so harsh for the viewer, as it went from very dark lighting to very bright lighting.

2. To symbolize Luz's mood was improving and the music served as that catalyst for her emotions to brighten up, hence why the warmth of the shot was automated. 

There was very little I had to do in terms of fixing. Lighting really worked in our favor and all the shots were in very good framing and locations. 

John 4:28

 FILMING DAY

Our filming day was incredibly successful, we didn't have to set up a second date as we got everything in one day. We had to go to a bunch of different houses but it all paid off. All the shots for Joshua (Alex) were shot in my house and the shots for Luz (Martina) were shot in Bia's (Cinematographer), Martina's, and my friend Mafe's house. Every setting fit well with the other one and we were able to get the perfect shots, using Bia's camera and my phone camera.

It was a super fun day, I will record my progress on editing tomorrow and Foley.

=

Psalm 118:24

FILMING (Again)

I say again because we are going to film the same shots we had already filmed again. That means the part where Luz comes out of her house and sees Joshua on the other side. Tuesday, March 26th is my next filming day, and all of Luz’s scenes will be done then. Wednesday, March 27th will be Joshua’s turn, as he is available then (nobody else was).

After filming some scenes for my friend Beatriz’s short film for A level, I realized how good her camera is! I asked her if we could use it for mine and she agreed, all I have to do is get a memory card. Also, my dad came for Spring Break and while shopping at Aventura, we updated my iPhone up to a 15 Pro! Meaning: Better camera = better shots. So we don’t have to rely just on the camera, we can use my phone!

With the 15 Pro camera I can play with focus depth, swap focal length and get an overall better quality for my shots. This update is an amazing opportunity for easier and better scenes, especially for the ones I have in mind.

Genesis 5:2

 THE CAST

Martina Rodriguez as Luz

In previous posts, I showed my friend Sofi as Luz, but due to medical family issues, there had to be an urgency call. Martina checked all the boxes and let’s not even mention her amazing acting, shown in multiple of our school plays. Martina fits perfectly with the character of Luz and what I had in mind for her.

Having to take Sofi out of the film opening was a tough decision, mainly because we already had shots filmed and we already had established a lot with her. But obstacles always have solutions, and Martina came through to save the day. I’m very excited to work with Martina, with the certainty it’ll turn out great.

Alex Gomez as Joshua

While brainstorming for the character of Joshua, I had a talk with my friend Male whom had already taken the class and is in TV Production. I asked her if she knew a guy who could dance and act (now the film is more about acting than dancing but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) and the first name that came to her mind was “ALEX GOMEZ!!!!!!!!!!!”. I had met him a while before that but then the night after Male told me about him, I talked to him at our school’s Middle School night, where we exchanged numbers and began talking about the film opening.

Exodus 33:11

CLOSE UPS.

I want to begin my film with a close-up, the first shot that will be seen is a very tight close-up of Luz wiping her tears away after she is done crying. So I decided to do some research on the effects and composition of close-ups. I found this video by Studio Binder that explains really well all composition aspects for close-ups even about camera lenses and how these decisions affect meaning and effect.

The purpose of a close-up is to show emotions and clearly, that is my main effect with the shot I have in mind as teary eyes are shown, symbolizing the character just got done crying about something tragic or sad in her life. The purpose of this shot being the first shot in the entire film is to foreshadow that something negative will happen with Luz as the film progresses as explained through the plot of the film in my blog post Luke 15:7. 

There is one close-up that really inspired me in terms of how close the shot is and the aspect ratio. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' Little Miss Sunshine uses a close-up as the first shot in their film. It shows Olive Hoover's eyes behind a pair of glasses. This shot is shot in a 2:40:1 aspect ratio which leaves a wide perspective on the character's eyes. This aspect ratio is the one I chose to use in my film. I want to make it feel like there should be space but there really isn't. In the Studio Binder video, it was explained that wider aspect ratios are meant to leave more background space. Even though I will use a wider aspect ratio, I want Luz's eyes to fill up the screen, to convey that there should be space in the shot, there should be space for peace in Luz's life, but there isn't.

In terms of how much of Luz's face will be shown, it'll only be her eyes, to show her private life IS private, she hides what goes on behind closed doors to even her most appreciated people such as Joshua. But then all of a sudden, when she's outside, her full body is shown. This symbolizes she acts a certain way at home and a different way when she's outside with Joshua or anyone else. Her personality changes according to the situation and who she's with.  

2 Samuel 6:15

 Sound List for Luz’s fragment.

1. Hands moving/Rubbing face

2. Sobbing

3. Bed sheets

4. Headphones moving

5. Diegetic music

6. Footsteps

7. Stings/Swells/Rumble

8. Door

9. Leaves rustling

10. Birds chirping

11. Wind

12. Street ambience

13. Small Breaths

14. Humming

Foley Ideas for each

1. Rubbing hands against each other

2. Dialogue/Record in set

3. Rub clothes or bedclothes

4. Move cables against each other/Slightly rusty headphones moving around, kinda cracky sound

5. Editing

6. Shoes that fit the character against desk (for natural reverb)

7. Sound libraries

8. Door (???)

1. According to Instructables, most door foley sounds are just recorded from a door recorded at a closer proximity

9. Moving paper against each other

10. Whistling (Most probably sound library)

11. Blowing/Fan

12. Sound library/Live recording

13. Dialogue/ADR

14. ADR

Foley Artistry for an Action Scene. (n.d.). Instructables. https://www.instructables.com/Foley-Artistry-for-an-Action-Scene/

Acts 2:1

 FIRST FILMING DAY!

We filmed a very small 25-second fragment of the opening but I think it came out very good! Some changes had to be made and we didn't get to film a dialogue part but we will do that next week. We were a little limited on time so I think we might even redo some shots, but overall it came out very good. Next time I'll make sure to bring a bigger speaker so Sofi (The actor for Luz) can follow the music better and with more confidence. The headphones were blocking most of the sound which led her to rely more on cues than on the actual song. 

My back still hurts

  My idea was to overshoot, so I took some shots of Sofi's shoes as she walked from the side. I also took another one from the front but didn't emphasize that one much as it came out a bit rough. I still tried to include it but I think I'll end up removing it. with a different shot. Maybe one that circles around her or tracks her from the front. 

Beatriz was there to help! She helped me with transportation and filming some of the shots. She did an amazing job especially with tracking shots and following cues. 

The Team (Mafe behind the camera)

2 Corinthians 6:2

FILMING!

I am so excited to say today is the first filming day for my film opening. With help from my friend Beatriz whose taking AICE Media A Level, we're gonna record Luz's shot outside of the house, where she dances and finds Joshua across the street. I made a group chat with everyone involved in the film opening, but 2 of them are off to field trips right now, which means I will have to do the rest of filming next week. The good thing is next week I have more time after school to work on it, and so do the people helping me including the actors and production team. 

For today's filming, we're going to film on my friend Mafe's porch (I'll include a picture when I post about today). Beatriz is gonna bring a small microphone to record a small dialogue from Luz and we will use our phones to record. I have a phone camera stand but it'll be mostly tracking Luz as she walks and dances, so I borrowed Mrs. Stoklosa's stabilizer to help with that. 

I chose to film at 6pm because it is close to the sunset with daylight savings. It's not too dark but also not too bright. It also works for everyone due to school hours considering the actress for Luz lives considerably far away. 

I had some issues and questions in terms of sound with this scene. Luz will be dancing along to music, which means she has to listen to the music while filming, but I also need the music somewhere in the background to sync the scene with the song. The problem is I don't want the mic attached to Luz to extract that music and be heard within the dialogue audio. I asked Mrs. Stoklosa about it and she advised me to film the dialogue part first and then record the choreography, they do transition from a mid shot to a close-up which works to film them separately. 

After filming this shot, I want to start researching LUTs for the shot. I do want a softer, kind of pastel feeling to the opening and film overall, so I want to look for LUTs and filters with these characteristics. I am gonna use freshluts.com to look for possible LUTs and get a feeling for the film. Some possible options for the LUT include The Bubble is Pink and YELLOW&PURPLE. But I do want to reflect on these after I film to see if they fit with the scene. Magenta Day 01 also looks good

I will update you on today's success in my next blog post!

Ephesians 5:19

 MUSIC CHANGE

After the group meetings, there were a lot of decisions I made that I started to doubt. Not in a bad way, as these decisions might've been unrealistic and difficult to execute with the resources I have. I decided to change the music, it'll still be original music made by me, but one I've already made. This means the genre will also change, this is actually a positive change. This will fit more with the American setting of the film, if it were set in South America, salsa would be a good choice, but it's set in Florida.

In terms of the song I'll use, I have some choices.

1. A composition I worked on for my French competition. 

After performing this song and winning in the competition, receiving a lot of good comments from my teammates and even the judges, my friends even asked me to make it an actual song and release it. It is a very nostalgic song, it has a soft sound with a simple chord progression. The structure of the song would assist well with the opening shots of the film, especially with Luz's introduction. I can picture her dancing along to the song's instrumental.

2. A song I made last year titled 'Candles'

'Candles' is a grand song, it has big samples and bouncy drums, and it leaves space for choreography. I think it would suppress a lot of the soundscape though. Even though for a musical, the music is essential, I do want the soundscape to still be heard, so the viewer can be immersed in what is happening. This would be a great song if I decide to create a more resolving sense to the opening scene, if not, it wouldn't be a good choice.

3. A song I made last year titled 'EVERYTHING'

This song would work well if I decided to go for a more dreamy style to the scene. I would have to make the colors and the song agree which could work well, it all depends on the final production decisions. This song has a more hip-hop vibe, which allows for more dancing and does leave space for the soundscape, but it sounds a little bit too modern. One of my biggest pet peeves with films is when the music doesn't really correlate with the setting and idea of the film. 'The Great Gatsby' is an incredible film, but I think using music from Kanye West and Jay Z's 'Watch The Throne' and other modern compositions really threw me off, I expected more coherent music with the setting of the film, the 1920's.

The best option from these 3 would definitely be the song I made for my French competition. The song checks every box, it is just the only one that isn't produced, so it brings more work to the table. But it'll most probably end up being the better choice.

Songs of Solomon 1:2-4

 POSSIBLE SCRIPT (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Genesis 22:14

 'LA LA LAND' Script

After the group meetings, I found a lot of different resources that would help me a lot with my production. One resource that really stood out was the script for La La Land, my main inspiration for my film opening. I wanted to analyze one scene to have a sense of direction for my script. which I will be working on next week.

Proverbs 27:6

 GROUP MEETING!

Last class, I met with a couple of classmates to discuss our projects. I would've liked to have a picture with them to include on my post but we forgot to. Everyone in my group had great ideas for their film opening, every single one was different but creative and some were even surprising. A lot of the ideas they had actually inspired a lot of the thinking I'm doing right now. Editing techniques I would've never imagined and story fragments that would flow nicely with my story.

My group had very good advice for the questions I had, they advised me to stay realistic with my locations. To keep it simple and work with what I can not necessarily with what I want. Budget, time, and accessibility are important factors. I had an issue with one scene as I was debating on how to access a certain location I wanted to film in, but my classmates directed me well on making the more accessible decision rather than the one I wanted the most.

Corina was one of my classmates that really helped. Away from being a big part of those who gave me advice for my location issue, her blog had some resources that would really help with the development of my film opening. The script for La La Land and even videos to inspire techniques. Corina's blog had great content and noticing she had similar ideas to mine, her blog has become a great bunch of resources for me to access.