Group Meeting

 Hey Blog!!

    In today's Media class, we had a productive group meeting about our portfolio projects. We got paired into random groups and discussed some important developments in everyone's pieces. I specifically made progress on creating ideas for key art and publicity for the piece. The group helped me find a balance between portraying aspects of the romance aspects while keeping the heist genre prominent. 

• I could keep any art character centered: portraying possible romance or implying drama between two subjects.
• I could not focus on the characters entirely: possibly location, or discussion table to show active participation with a group planning to lean more towards heist.

    Members of the group also emphasized to me that the dominant genre doesn't always NEED to be identifiable from the key art alone, which was helpful.

    I also contributed some ideas to other group members like my classmate Leventhal, who I suggested a fun music video idea that he is going to use! 

    Overall, the meeting was both fun and insightful. It was great to see everyone bouncing ideas off each other and contributing to our projects. It's refreshing to collaborate with such a creative group of people who are all passionate about media. I'm excited to see how our individual ideas develop and come to life as we continue to work separately.

Sadly, we didn't snap a picture together. Just imagine 6 smiling faces sitting in a unsymmetrical desk clump. 

Polished Opening Scene

Through the program Fade In, Jack and I created a proper layout of the opening scene we had completed a first draft for.

Some things to note:

• I messaged all our friends that will join Jack and I in filming this piece and asked them what they were almost named by their parents. That is now their character name. Official cast reveal coming soon :)
• Jack really helped with the understanding of intention told through Embers character- to tell a compelling narrative whilst also being slightly unrealistic with the pursuit to entertain. 

The actual PDF of just the opening scene is pretty long so here's a snippet of about 1/5 of the scene, the climax:

Note a specific detail Jack and I decided to include is a small clip of of our later revealed crime committer. During the first watch, the viewer won't really note him, but he's detectable from the second watch.

We thought this was a cool thing to create- something that could have new aspects after more than 1 watch.

Script writing is going pretty well I'd say. 

:)

First Rough Draft: Opening scene

When working with a partner and dealing with the creation of something as visual as a literal film scene, sometimes the best way to get ideas out is to just write. Messy, ugly, unorganized, improper... Just write.

So, Jack and I did exactly that. 

Heres an improper, extremely dense, tasteless version of how Jack and I want the scene to go down:

First VERY rough draft of our opening scene: 

Film opens with an establishing shot of a diner. We see a girl there (Keira’s character) on the phone. She is pacing, not nervously, more waiting for something. We hear a phone answer as she stops walking. 

Keira: Hey. Ok. What song do you want me to play?

On phone voice: Such an insignificant detail. Think of the bigger picture here… 

(Hangs up the phone)

The scene shifts to a long shot of the inside of a diner. We see a hand reach and select a song. The rest of the audio goes silent, and we only hear the song being played. 

The shot shifts as we see a boy from the back sitting in a booth, alone (Jack’s character). There is a tracking shot moving towards the back of Jack as he looks up. The camera is moving at the speed that Keira would be walking towards him at. We see close ups and tracking shots of Keira walking as well.  The camera slows and we see Keira walk and sit down across from him. 

The camera is set on a close up of Keira, now staring at Jack. Shot reverse shot- Jack is confused. This happens a few times. 

*The song is playing- the first break in audio we hear is-

Jack: Keira why are yo-

Keira: (seemingly sarcastic) Sh. Don't talk! Just listen. 

Jack: What? I don't even know what you're-

Keira: You think I don't know? Come on Jack we both know why I asked you to talk. 

Shots start here of onlookers in the restaurant, briefly. 

Jack: Keira, I genuinely dont understand. Please just calm down-

Keira: You did not just tell me to calm down. 3 Years. Down the drain

Jack: What are you-

Keira: Do I not mean anything to you? Does this song not mean anything to you? What about this booth huh? Dont you remember? Anything we ever did together? Did it ever mean anything to you?

Jack: I didn't mean to it seriously was just a stupid mistak-

Keira: Save it. Some one else can here it. Everyone here knows what a damn cheater you are 

**Water is splashed in Jack’s face,

Chatter and Ooos are heard, Keira storms out… 

A little update on me : )

As it is crucial to document project growth on this blog, I think it's just as important to check up on personal growth as a creator from time to time...

Last year, I worked solo on my portfolio project. I did this out of desire for most creative control and straight-forward execution of my vision.

This year, I once again had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted my project to look like- but I felt like I needed to work with someone. Not for the reasoning of my idea was too much to handle alone, but I needed to force myself out of my comfort zone. 

Jack and I decided to work together because we are friends outside of class so it would be easy to meet up and communicate about project details. 

Im not gonna lie, I was super skeptical at first if I had made the right decision. It had nothing to do with Jack as a person, rather me. I'm super passionate about media, and I often feel the need to be in control. I wasn't sure if working with someone would be right for me. But, as Jack and I were doing the character breakdown, I was proved wrong instantly.

I started typing away describing the characters in detail. I was describing their characteristics and possible quotes they would say, encapsulating their personalities. Jack suggested I was getting ahead of myself and started strategizing why and how the characters were all gathered there together instead of just what kind of people they were. He came up with some brilliant explanations that then led the motive of our heist to fall into place.

This was such a simple moment in our project development that has already taught me something new about how to tackle such a large project.

It seems cliche but I am learning everyday, even through the little things.

So, thank you Jack for unintentionally teaching me how to be a more open-minded collaborator. :)

Character Breakdown

     Jack and I spoke in class today how the bulk of our piece is the scene that consists of the group planning the heist. We wanted to get this done first, so we thought we should start the script ASAP. Before we can start on the script though, we need to think of some logistics revolving around our group. Who are these kids? What is their relationship with each other? What is their motive for the heist? How many of them are there?

Here is the character break down Jack and I created together:

Jack- The leader of the plan. He used to work at the diner they are going to rob. They screwed him over by firing him. He wants to get them back and rob them. He knows where everything is, so it makes sense he is the leader of operation. He isn't in the actual heist because they know him well too well. He becomes annoyed at Keira for being useless and constantly shooting down his vision.

Adrian- Jack's best friend who wants a cut of the money. He brings his girlfriend along to the plan. He is very into the plan but is a bit scared to actually do it.

Keira- Goes with Adrian to the planning, doesn’t know what she’s going for. She isn't into it at all, but can't say much cause she’s not really in the group. She interjects in every now and then to explain how the plan is unrealistic. She is deemed useless by Jack for shooting ideas down and eventually gets angry enough to show them all up and become the lead distractor.

Gom- Works at the diner and is past coworkers with Jack, so she got strung along. She's in on the idea as she doesn't get paid much now. She's calm and logical. Since she has an in by working there, she is going to help Connor execute the plan.

Connor- Brawn of the operation. He’s the one actually going in and taking the money. He is tough and very into the plan. Doesn't seem like he has much to lose, he just needs some cash. Brings along Skyler for backup.

Skyler- Connors backup. Doesn't have much personal connection with anyone there so he's pretty cold. He just wants money. He's a bit too selfish about needing money. He for no reason is super mean to Adrian because he thinks he's a loser for being nervous and just doesn't like how he looks. 

* Note for the sake of planning that the character names for now are just our friend's names.

Visualization and Structure

I am pretty lucky my partner and I have a pretty solid idea this early on. With such a solid foundation, it's easy to become over-ambitious with what you can possibly do in a 5-7 short film time frame. So, I decided it would be best to create a bit of a first draft structure and breakdown of the piece.

THE FIRST THING YOU SEE:

Description: A phone call outside of the restaurant/bar. 

Reliance on: Filming & editing.

What do we need?: Nothing really! An actress and a phone. 

OPENING SCENE:

Description: The lovey-dovey music plays that eventually unfolds into a fight. 

Reliance on: Filming, editing, costume, music, LOCATION.

What do we need?: Somewhere we can film inside with a nice table, good lighting, a realistic establishment, and most importantly... somewhere with a jukebox. The jukebox doesn't need to be in the same place, we could film that separately. It just needs to exist at some point.

THE PLAN BEGINS:

Description: Plotting the heist beginning slow.

Reliance on: SCRIPT.

What do we need?: We need a few actors, which is super easy because me and Jack's friend group all do theatre, so they'll be thrilled to participate. On the more difficult side, that script will take a while to perfect.

THE PLAN HEIGHTENS:

Description: The heist planning builds in intensity.

Reliance on: SCRIPT and filming.

What do we need?: Once again: it's possible, but that script must be top tier.

THE LAST THING YOU SEE:

Description: A phone call outside of the restaurant/bar. 

Reliance on: The same exact set up as the first thing you see.

What do we need?: These two scenes to be filmed back to back for minimal adjustment to portray it being the same time and the viewer has now looped back to what they saw originally. 

Now we can plan accordingly and tackle the biggest obstacles such as script and securing a jukebox location as soon as possible. :)

The Real Genre.

Now for the real deal:

    As mentioned before, the film doesn't actually encapsulate any of the actual heist, rather the planning of it. This being said, I want to do my best to use the fast paced and clever conventions used in a heist film to further portray the feeling of the heist that will occur outside of the film's lifespan.

The real genre: DRAMA/HEIST

Ocean's 8 (2018)

    The film I wanted to look into for the bulk of my short film is Ocean's 8. Not only is it a heist film, but it also has elements of comedy and planning for the actual event: the two elements of my film. 

Some major conventions of Ocean's 8 portrayal of heist are:

• Fast-paced dialogue: planning can be very specific and raise concerns.

• Underlying serious tone... Nags at one another
• The group is together for a reason and a common goal. Sure, they may enjoy each other but now is business. I would attempt to portray this feeling on a more tone-downed scale since I am highlighting older teenagers rather than older adults.

"The Plan Scene"

• Full group discussion: everyone gets a cut, everyone has to plan... 
• Not everyone is entirely convinced by the idea either. This is reinforced by...

Two shot with selective focus

• Two shot: comparing two people with different levels of agreement or interest to what is being said.
• Selective focus: highlighting who cares more or less to progress drama

These conventions are all very doable with the right script. Im aware of how to shoot this scene to make it fast-paced, but it will truly be the dialogue that is the leading component of this scene being correct. But that seems like a week #2 thing to focus on anyway. 

😉

Genre Fake-Out

     The film idea that I am working with involves a main factor of a genre flip. You start off viewing the film thinking it revolves around the story of a troubled couple, possibly a romance. Then, throughout the film the teenagers plotting together takes over as the true genre: drama/heist. Although, the film doesn't actually show any of the heist, rather just the planning, so the genre is dominantly drama.

    However, it is really important to convince the viewer in the opening scene that the genre IS romance, setting up confusion and building truth for the later reveal of the distraction.

The fake genre: ROMANCE

La La Land (2016)

    The film I wanted to look into for this opening scene is La La Land. This is because it is a musical movie- relying on music to portray emotion. I'm planning on using a song in my opening scene (played on the jukebox) in order to be a dominant portrayal.

Some major conventions of La La Land's aesthetically appealing portrayal of romance are:

• Lighting - colored lighting to portray stage-like scenes.
• The way I would use this would be more dim-lit scenes to show an intimate vibe across the screen. 

• Close ups - to show more intimate emotion.

The two conventions put together

Something as simple as that creates such an intimate look. This is what I intend to pull off immediately with shots focused on the female lead of the opening. It will look just like a typical romance. 

Little do they know...

The General Idea

When an idea forms in my head, it comes in spurts. It started with an opening scene and I was stuck on it for a few days. It wasn't until the ride to school a few days later that the full idea came to me.

It sounds a bit complicated, but I think I like it as a whole. It will definitely be tweaked and broken down to fill plot holes with the help of my partner, Jack, but here's the gist...

THE IDEA

    The film starts with a scene in a diner. You see a girl who puts a coin in a jukebox which plays a love song. She walks slowly over to a table for two and sits down. She is staring lovingly to the man across her, who seems to be confused and a bit concerned why she is looking at him. She continues to stare when he starts to ask why she's doing this. Maybe they are dating, maybe they are ex-lovers. She tells him to stop talking and just listen to the song and stop talking. He gets more annoyed and picks a fight with her. Their argument increases in intensity while the love song is still playing. She ends up causing a scene- splashing water in his face or breaking something...

    The scene cuts to a group of around 5 older teenagers (kids our age, 17-19 years old) in a different location. The girl and boy we saw in the opening scene are there but they are not seated next to each other. There are details in the set up of the scene that suggest the girl you saw in the opening is dating another boy at the hangout. The group is doing something- maybe playing poker, or simply strategizing (these are the details that I will fill in with my strategist Jack). 

   

    Whatever they are doing, they are planning a heist. The motivation is unclear now- but it will be figured it out. The dialogue is fast-paced, witty, comical, yet serious. This type of dialogue takes heavy inspiration from my friend group in real life, consistent of clever rips on each other. The main idea i'm trying to portray here is this isn't a fun and typical teenage hangout. These kids mean business, while also enjoying each other's company. 

    At this point in the film the viewer is still trying to break down the opening scene and why the girl they saw originally was so angry at the guy she doesn't even seem to have much connection to in this scene. After all, she's holding hands with someone else. Shouldn't he be the mad one?

    More planning is done by the group where they plan exactly how this heist is going down. Some are reluctant and think it's unrealistic while one or two of them are very convinced it's possible. The girl we saw in the opening scene is the most reluctant of them all. She is deemed useless for not trying to help. After some arguing and entertaining digs, they come to the conclusion that they need a distraction. The girl jumps up to participate in the distraction saying it's the only sensible thing they have said all day. They don't decide on what it is, but she claims she will deliver a distraction, and she says all the boy has to do is sit there and look pretty.

    It is implied now that the scene we saw originally was actually the last scene in the film, the distraction to the heist that is about to take place.

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

     And there you go! There's the idea. Some details are yet to be figured out but I can visualize the film pretty well. It plays with a genre flip from romance to drama which I think is really interesting and different from what I have done. With some plot holes to be filled I am really looking forward to continue planning!!

Project Timeline

Week One:

-decide on a general plot for short film

-research genre and story ideas

-post to blog

Week Two:

-continue research on project components

-character studies

-land on final plot progression

-begin script

-post to blog

Week Three:

-continue to research/plan project components

-work on script

-develop production schedule

-create shot list/storyboard

-create social media tool

-post to blog

Week Four:

-continue to research/plan project components 

-begin production of video component

-document production process (for social media and blog)

-post to social media

-post to blog

Week Five:

-continue to research/plan project components 

-continue production of video component

-start edit video component

-begin planning print component (promo)

-post to social media

-post to blog

Week Six:

-continue post-production of video component (editing)

-continue planning of print component

-post to social media

-post to blog

Week Seven:

-research information relating to ending Critical Reflection

-work on print/digital components

-post to social media

-post to blog

Week Eight:

-research information relating to Critical Reflection

-finalize short film

- work on print/digital components

-post to social media

-post to blog

Week Nine:

-create Critical Reflection

-finalize print component (short film promo)

-post to social media

-post to blog

Week Ten:

-create final, overall project reflection

-post all project components to blog

-Post Critical Reflection to blog

_____________________________________

     The recommended schedule and my schedule for the project is mostly similar. I shifted script development to a week earlier as I am forcing myself to finalize an idea this week. I also added character study- something that is crucial for me to do if I am going to either direct or act in the piece. Similar aspects of the two schedules are general pacing of development along with consistent blog posts. Based on the sample timeline, I am aware of the bulk that this project is. I will plan to work both in and outside of class in order to stay on schedule properly.

Now to actually begin...

The Start of Something New

Hello blog! 

   Year #2 in this lovely class and it's time to start the A level portfolio project. Im excited to push myself out of my comfort zone and work with someone else this time rather than completing the project solo. I am working with one of my best friends Jack who i've never worked with on something like this before. I think it will be good for both of us as we both have different strengths. We decided to make a short film as we both have never made one. The other options didn't seem like as much of a challenge, so we're in for the long haul. I have lots of ideas circulating...

...and it all starts....

Now.