Last Filming

 Going into this last week, there is still so much that needs to be done for my film opening. It feels like there’s a weight on my back, and the more I think about it the heavier it gets. I thought it might help if I made a schedule for this week, so I can have a secure plan to follow. I just made a simple outline on my notes app, but I think it will help me stay on track and get everything done.

    Today I filmed the last few shots in the gym so that I could finally be done with that part of the process. I was in a sort of time crunch since I had to film when there was no one training in the gym. However, I think I got good shots that will be perfect for the parts of the film I am missing.  Now I can finally say I am done with the filming process!! Although I am still not working with the most comfortable time frame, I feel a lot more relieved now that this major chunk of the production is over with. 

 

I added the last few shots in and now the clips are all compiled in one place, and it is time to get through this editing process. I cut off extra length from certain videos and made sure they all meshed together well. All that’s left for the actual opening  is adding music, credits, and the title!

Starting to Edit

So even though I still need to film 2 parts in the gym, I began to compile the videos that I had onto the editing software. 

I put every take of the shots we took so it was a lotttt to look through. I thought this part would be really easy, but it actually got mentally exhausting watching the same thing over and over again. So I did half of the opening and then decided to start another task.

I continued to look for music! I found a great source of non-copyrighted music on YouTube. I listened to a few different tracks and created a playlist for possible options, but I think I need to see the opening done before I know what music to pick.

This last week is going to require lots of hard work and grinding, but Im excited to finish it up and see what I created.

Finally Filming

 Today I finally started to film!! After several days dedicated to planning and perfecting, the filming process felt like light work. The only part that was a small challenge was being on both sides of the camera while only physically being on one. I had to explain every angle of every shot and what movements to make to the person filming for me. This meant we had to take lots of practice shots and takes until it was exactly how I wanted it. I had the other person take a picture of this process.

 

I also ran into an issue because when I wanted to start filming in the morning, the sun hadn’t come through the window enough to create good lighting, so I had to wait until later in the morning/afternoon. The window isn’t very large so we only had limited time to film all of the scenes which definitely added to the stress factor.

 

However, having everything planned out and story- boarded before hand really helped and it was just one less thing to have to worry about. I still have to film two short scenes in the gym but I have to wait until one day that I can go once it’s so can have it to myself. I’m not sure if I mentioned before but my family owns a gym so it will be easy to access it whenever I need to. 

 

I still plan to put all the footage I got into a project and begin editing so I can just add in whatever I need to at the end. I can’t believe we’re nearing the end of this project I’m so excited to see the finished product!!!

Set Up

 I have two people helping me film tomorrow. So today I started setting up to film to make tomorrow’s process easier. I got the ring light, so I had to set that up. I wanted to put it somewhere that would be in the shot of Stella on the bed without it looking like it was awkwardly placed there.

 I also had to test out different lightings and see if I was going to use the natural light or if I needed to produce my own lighting. The natural lighting ended up looking nice and didn’t take away from the professional quality so I decided to use that. 

The last thing I needed to do to set up is create an account for my character so that I can have her looking at the comments on her video. I created a YouTube channel since that would be the easiest platform to see comments on her laptop. I also needed to create a project in my editing software to have her toggle onto during the opening.

 Once all of this was done I laid out the outfits that best matched the mood boards I previously created. I’m so excited to begin the filming process, especially because I feel like the prep for this step has been forever long!

Re-Scouting

     Sooo my excitement to continue filming was brutally killed. The room in my house I was filming the majority in is my sisters room. However, my sister tested positive for Covid. Just when I thought this pandemic was done interfering with my life, my family got Covid for the first time. My dad and I are the only ones who did not get it so we are isolating with family. 

    With this being said, I had to look for other places to shoot. Nowhere in the house we're staying at would even be able to pass as a filming location for my film, so I started reaching out to a few friends to see if I could use their room. I ended up just deciding to wait.

    For now, I wanted to get as many things out of the way that I could because I feel like I'm running out of time. I began to research music for the opening and I made a large list that I will share once we dig deeper in post-production so I can see the footage first. I also got a ring light for the props in the room and confirmed a good time to film at the gym next week.

   

    All of these setbacks have been very stressful and I feel like I have no time left. I am just trying to push through for now and I think that once I get the filming out of the way, everything will be smooth sailing. 

Script

     Since I decided dialogue was needed in my opening, I needed to create a script. The part where Stella is on the phone with her best friend is the only part I needed it for so I figured it would be an easy task. However, I was mistaken. 

    I had to start by thinking of a reason that her friend could've called her. To stay on track, I made her call with the intention of reassuring Stella after seeing her rude comments. I also had to think of a personality for the friend to put behind these words. Since Stella is a confident and strong woman, I would expect her to have friends with the same mindset and goals. So I created Liz, her genius best friend that's always there to support her.

    In the script, Liz instantly tries to cheer Stella up by encouraging to do what she loves: going to the gym. She decides she is right and needs to continue to make content to prove the people wrong. This will lead into the next part of my plot where Stella gets ready for the gym and drives away (Which is where the scene will end). 

    It's crazy how important dialogue is to connect different concepts and make a clearer idea. Before doing this step I felt like I had a great idea, just with no structure. I'm so excited because now I am ready to start filming!

Acting

     As all my ideas were flowing I failed to think of one question... Who's going to act in my opening? I thought so much about my made up character that I forgot I actually have to bring her to life. 

    It's easy to just ask any friend to help out and be the character, but it also makes you take the chance of them being terrible or not doing things exactly how you envision. With that being said, I considered a few of my friends that I know would take it seriously. However, I ended up deciding to just act in my own film. This way I won't have to worry about explaining my thought process to someone else. 

    Acting in my own piece does pose one problem though. Having to direct and act at the same time. This means I will have to guide whoever is filming for me and explain the exact shots and composition that I am going for, without actually being behind the camera for the most part. Although it will be a challenge, I think it will end up working out for the better. 

    Wrapping up this week with a much more in depth plan is very comforting. I plan to start filming next week and I can't wait to bring you guys along with me through the process! 

Film Locations

    Now that I more or less had a story board, I needed to start finding where I’m going to film. This week I focused mostly on film locations, props, and really everything to do with mise-en-scene. I made collages to plan how I imagine the film locations to be structured:

    I decided on her bedroom being pink to give her that feminine and approachable vibe that influencers go for. I also think that adding the ring light and laptop with editing software will get the point across that she is an influencer. The last element I wanted to make sure was in her bedroom was her gym bag to also show her fitness side. I plan on using a bedroom in my house the already has light pink walls so that way all I need to do is add the props.

    The gym is pretty self-explanatory, but I like the light trendy style of it. I will use my families gym as I will be able to film after hours and make sure there's not too many people. Depending on the timing I don't think she will be shown much in the gym during the opening, so I may just need to shoot in here for when she's editing the footage on her laptop. 

Revision

     So I wanted to start filming early this week, but as I was looking over my plans and storyboards I felt like something was missing. I just didn't know where to go next or how to add to my story. I decided to just re-storyboard the entire opening. 

    In my previous storyboard that I started, it began with her coming home from the gym. However, after thinking about it more I felt that it would set the idea better if she starts by looking at the mean comments and then uses it as motivation to go to the gym. I also thought more about how to introduce her love interest since the wave from across the street was kinda vague. I think it would be cool if shes getting several comments from the same account, and that person turns out to be her love interest. 

    As you can see from the first couple of frames, I changed the phone to a laptop so that she can switch from looking at the comments to editing her fitness videos. This way the audience can tell right away that she is a fitness influencer. 

    Another addition I made is having her get a phone call from her friend. I felt that it needed some dialogue to sort of explain things to a deeper extent, but to make it easier so I don't have to add an actor, I thought talking on the phone would be a good way to do so.