Week 8: Get With the Program

     As mentioned in my previous post, I downloaded a video production software called HitFilm Express for the purpose of editing the audio for our opening after Sil finished with the VFX.  Since this is a new software that I've never used before, I expected there to be some kind steep learning curve like I usually experience with these things.
     Fortunately, I seem to be mistaken.
     First off, they have a nice little reference manual for new users.  Or, "little" may not be so accurate.  Take a look at it if you want.  It is quite extensive.  This was initially very intimidating, as, while I have plenty of free time right now, I don't really want to spend an entire day reading a manual.  However, this isn't as much as an issue as it originally appears to be.
     There are about a hundred feature sections to read through, but due to my job here, the only one I need to worry about is audio.  Out of the entire manual, there were only a few sections I had to look at in relation to audio.  To sum that up, it tells you about audio tracks, syncing up audio with video (I'll get to that in a second), and audio effects.  The audio effects section will mostly just be relevant to me trying to make the audio sound like it wasn't recorded in someone's living room (which it might be, who knows).
     HitFilm has a pretty nifty feature that allows you to sync up separately recorded audio with a separately recorded video so long as the video was also recording audio.  The program then uses the video's audio to sync up the footage with the new audio file.  Very convenient stuff.  However, I believe I could run into a problem with the video being sped up.  If the lines are just spoken at the same speed as the mouth movements in the sped up video, then there probably won't be an issue.  On the other hand, there may be a situation in which I also have to speed up the audio, which could lead to it sounding abnormally high pitch.  To be honest, this sounded like a bigger issue before I started writing this, but it'll probably be fine.
     I'll have more updates on my work with HitFilm and I expect Sil will be done with her VFX work somewhat soon as the final week quickly approaches.  See you then!

Week 7: Looking for some sounds

     As I've gone over several times in the last week, Sil is going to be editing and adding affects to our footage.  I would show the clip here, but apparently the file's size is larger than 100 MB, so the site won't let me upload it.  I digress.
     The video speed was increased to 120% since she realized that our footage may have been a little longer than intended, but it's always good to have more footage than you need than having less.  My only issue is that it looks a little chopper, which I think is due to the slight movements of the camera while Gus is walking also being sped up.  Sil said she'd try stabilizing the footage while editing.
     In the meantime, I'm looking for a bunch of sounds that you would hear in a diner, but one that doesn't have many people in it.

Diner sounds: https://freesound.org/people/AllenStacy/sounds/240652/

     This one is just some all encompassing diner noises.  The clinking of glasses with some barely intelligible chatter in the background.  I think it's pretty good, but we need more than just this.
     The last time we needed sound effects for a project, I made sure to find a bunch of ambient noises to make it clear that the scene was taking place indoors.  Here are some such sounds:

Buzzing electricity from lights: https://freesound.org/people/lukaspearse/sounds/149734/

Air conditioning: https://freesound.org/people/mikevpme/sounds/273620/

     The volume of those sounds will be adjusted so that they're audible but still not too loud.  We'll also need some asynchronous sounds such as Sil walking and her sitting down at the booth.

Steps in high heels: https://freesound.org/people/anagar/sounds/267933/

Sitting down: https://freesound.org/people/jpkweli/sounds/154785/

     I can probably find some better sounds to use later on since we still have a lot of time left in this editing process, but these are just some examples of what I'm looking to use.  I'll have more updates in my future posts.  See you then.

     

Week 7: Editing Software

     In preparation for editing the sound for our opening, I've had to find a free program to use since I don't like spending money on things I'll probably only use once.  Per advice obtained from one of Sil's friends, I'm going to be using HitFilm Express.

     Just from looking over their website, it seems like they have a lot of really good materials to use for video production and editing.  I may actually use this in the future if I decide to start my own YouTube channel.  The program is free, but there are paid options available to help support the creators and I guess get more tools for the program.  They had some emoji line chart to show how each purchase makes them feel and getting the free one makes a crying emoji.

     I respect the hustle, but that sort of emotional manipulation is just really gross to me.  Especially because I'm such an empathetic and that stuff gets to me.
     Complaints about marketing strategies aside, I plan on using the next day or so learning how the program works in preparation of having to work on the sound.  I'll also be searching around for some royalty-free sound since I really don't like having to ask people I don't know to use their stuff.  Anticipate updates on these efforts in the next post.  See you then.
 

Week 7: Relatively Important Update

     First thing, I have confirmed that we have an extra week for this project.  Turns out the update was on Canvas of all places.  Who would've thought.  You can find my thoughts on this in the previous post.
     Second thing, which is not that important to this production process but more so to this class over all.  Due to the corona virus, Cambridge has cancelled all AICE exams.  This is a very big move considering the exams are what all the AICE courses, including this one, spend the entire year preparing students for.  So I guess that means that this project is just a class grade now?  Okay then.  My primary concern with this project was how it would affect my class grade since it was only half of the exam, so these developments don't really affect me personally all that much.  Although I am quite happy about not having to take any exams at the end of the year.
     Third thing: I need to find a free editing software to help Sil put together the opening.  I originally planned on just using WeVideo, an online program that we've used for editing projects in the past, but Sil thinks that it's not very good when it comes to editing audio, which is going to be my major contribution to this part of the process.  I don't know of any free editing software, I don't have any money to buy a program, and I have no intention of ever spending money on a grade, so that may make this a little difficult.  Sil said she'd ask some people from A Level if they know of any programs, so we'll see if I get any help there.
     I'll be back with an update on my progress in the next post.  See you then.

Week 6: Lights, Camera, No Actors

     I probably should have made this post a few days ago right after we did this, but I kind of forgot to.  It is what it is.
     At last, we finally got to go film at Lucille's on Thursday.  We couldn't have had better timing for it either, because the governor just ordered that all restaurants not let people inside.  So it seems we pretty much lucked out.  Or you know, as much as we could luck out while not being able to have our actors show up for the scene and have to fill in the roles ourselves.

     On the bright side, I don't look terrible in this greaser outfit.  I would perhaps go so far as to say I even look good.
     Filming lasted a little under two hours.  Sil brought her boyfriend Gus to do the filming and it was a big help.  He's in Media Studies A level, so he's got a lot of experience with this stuff.

     I really don't like acting, especially not in front of a camera, so it was very fortunate that I only had to be in the scene for two shots, only one of which shows me talking.  Due to the music playing in the restaurant and a few other factors, Sil said that we're going to have to dub over our lines in post.  That's fine I guess, since it means that we won't be able to forget our lines.  Something great though is that we're apparently getting an extra week!  Now I have not had this confirmed, but Sil told me this, and she is fairly trustworthy and seems to know a lot of people, so I believe her.  I will edit this post if I find this to be false in the future.
     This means that we have an extra week to do editing (yay)!  What to do I think of this?  Well...

     To be entirely honest, I'm not sure it will really help improve the final product of our opening.  Over the last 5 days or so, I've been losing faith in this project.  Prior to this whole corona virus thing, I thought everything was gonna go really well.  But now that we weren't able to use our actors and had to do last minute changes, combined with the uncertainty caused by this whole situation, I don't think that the opening we're going to produce will be very good.  I mean, c'mon, dubbing our lines?
     Who knows, maybe I'm just a very negative person.  Actually, I think I'm generally regarded as being a cynical person, so I'm probably over blowing this.  We won't know for sure until we're done.
     Now that filming is complete, we can start editing.  That means we'll be working on color, sound, editing techniques, all that good stuff.  My future posts for the next week or so will likely cover these topics.  See you then.

Week 6: Corona Conundrum: Everything Is Cancelled

 

  Alright.  Okay.  So I expected that some bad stuff could maybe possibly happen when we first started this project.  Insert some old proverb about plans not working out here.  However, this sucks.
     Due to a global pandemic of the corona virus, pretty much everything is shut down and a lot of people are staying hunkered down in their homes.  This just so happens to include our lead actress, Veronica, as well as everyone else who was supposed to show up to be in this.
     Now fortunately, things are not as bad as they seemed when I started writing this blog post yesterday.  We originally thought that Lucille's wouldn't let anyone in because of a bunch of state mandated stuff about social distancing, which would mean we would be without our shooting location and we'd be pretty much screwed.  It's just our luck that they will be opening tomorrow, which means we will be able to go in.  Although I don't know how important that is since we're going to be filming before they open anyway.
     Unfortunately, since our actors are now unavailable, Sil and I have to fill in the roles ourselves.  Which sucks.  I don't particularly like acting, especially not on camera.  It feels very awkward and unnatural, and I feel like I'm making a fool of myself when I do it.  I guess I have some sort of stage fright?  Whatever.  It doesn't really matter at this point.  The show must go on regardless of whether I like it or not.
     Since we're going to be filming tomorrow, my next blog post will be about that.  See you then.

Week 6: I Finally Got Some Food

     After several weeks of trying to find opportunities to go, I finally managed to go to Lucille's on Sunday.

     The place itself is very nice.  I was worried about the outside showing through windows during our shots, but fortunately the booths are up against a wall connected to the next business. 

     And here's my lunch (most of it, anyway).  I got a tuna salad sandwich with a bowl of New England clam chowder.  It was very good.  I highly recommend Lucille's if you want to stop by a diner for breakfast or lunch.
     I don't really have much to say for this post, I mostly just wanted to show off these pictures to prove I went to our shooting local.  I'll be back with more updates in my next post.  See you then!

Week 5: Target Audience and Distribution

     Today's post will be a mild detour from our regularly scheduled update and will instead focus on some information that will pertain to the Creative Critical Reflection I'll be completing after we've finished working on the opening itself.  Today I'll be talking a bit about target audience and the distribution options for our short film.
   As discussed in one of my first blog posts, the typical target audience of science fiction films consists of white males between the ages of 18 and 29.  This is reflected in the usual demographics of sci-fi move casts, aka a bunch of white guys, one or two women, and a token black guy.

   
     Aliens (1986) was and still is a pretty rare exception to this rule.  Not only does it have a female main lead, but it also has (gasp) multiple people of color!  They also have names and some of them are quite memorable, even if they didn't survive that long.  Most of the white guys are also either evil or incompetent, so that's a nice change of pace.  It's notable that Aliens is widely regarded as a classic and all-round awesome movie, so its defiance of genre conventions clearly did not do anything to harm its reception.

     Something we have to address in our CCR is the distribution of our theoretical short film.  We need to do this from the standpoint of an amateur film producer, which we are, so doing a worldwide theatrical release is off the table.  The most obvious distribution platform to use is YouTube, as it is the largest video sharing platform on the planet.  It's also frequently used to distribute actual short films, so us using it wouldn't be out of the ordinary.
     Another option is releasing our production at film festivals.  These events can draw pretty large crowds, some of them get a fair bit of attention, and a lot of the time you can win money if there are rewards for best film.  This would be a cool, more professional way to initially distribute our short film, as well as potentially getting us some publicity.  There's actually a film festival today in Miami while I'm writing this, so that's a pretty interesting coincidence.  Or it may not be because of this whole corona virus thing.  I don't know, and I don't really care since either.
     Next week, we'll finally be starting our filming (yay), so expect at least one post on that.  I also finally got to Lucille's, so my next post will be talking about our shooting location.  See you then!

Week 5: Storyboard and Trying to Get Some Dinner

     The storyboard is done.  It's a lot shorter than the other storyboards we've done this year, but this is a pretty short scene and we'll probably use a few more shots in the final product.

     As mentioned in previous posts, I'm pretty awful at drawing, which is why I originally wasn't going to do the storyboard.  Alas, here we are.
     There's one problem with the storyboard that may or may not be a big deal: I have yet to actually step foot inside Lucille's Diner.  Yes, Sil has been there, but I feel like I need to see the place for myself so that I can adequately prepare to film there.  This leads into the other thing I want to talk about today.
     For the last two weeks or so, I've been trying to go to Lucille's.  Since I can't drive myself yet, I need to find an opportunity to go with my family.  The problem is that such a situation has yet to present itself.  Either we already have plans to go to another restaurant or my parent's not in the mood to go out to eat.  It's a little maddening.  Not being able to go there isn't too big of a deal, as Sil and I should get a grip of what exactly we plan on doing when we get there, but I'd like to try and get a head start on that process by going ahead of time.
     Also I just really want to try their food.
     I'll be back next time with further updates on our progress.  See you then.

Week 5: Script

     Here you go, folks.  Our script is here.

     The script was written on a site called WriterDuet and there were issues with  being able to share the original document with me, so instead Sil sent me screenshots.
     Sil has a pretty full workload when it comes to her existing responsibilities for this project combined with stuff she has to do for other classes and extracurricular activities, so now I will be working on the storyboard.  This is good because I don't want Sil to do all the work (which would be bad for my grade anyway) and I like being helpful, but also not-so-good because that means I'll have more work to do, which I generally don't like.  Such is life.
     My next post will likely revolve around said storyboard depending on if anything important happens before I finish it.  See you then.

Week 4: The Package Has Arrived

     Not much has happened in the last few days; however, the dress we ordered has arrived.  Sil plans on having Veronica try it on tomorrow so we can see if it fits and is comfortable so we know whether or not we need to return it and get a new one.  However, since we're going to need a few more actors, that means we're also going to need a few more costumes.  So, I've been looking up some 1950's clothing on Google to try and find anything that looks nice.  Here's some of what I found:

     Fun fact: the default results for "1950s clothing" were all women's clothing.  I had to specifically look up "1950s mens clothing" to find stuff for guys.  Just thought that was pretty neat.  I also think it's pretty interesting how while women's clothing pretty much went completely out of style, men's clothing was just relegated to various occasions, because seriously, all of the men's casual wear from the 50's is just bowling shirts.  Although I do think that guys just using their old clothes for something else when a new fashion style comes out is a very dude-thing to do.

     I'll be back next time with more developments and (hopefully) our finished script.  See you then!

Week 4: Dress Shopping and Script Writing

     Here's a nice general tip for you guys: if you find something that you like, buy it now.  Right now.  Do not wait a week or more until someone else buys it.
     Mild exaggeration aside, the dress we originally planned on buying is no longer available.  Why did we not get it as soon as we found it? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
     It's not really that much of a big deal, it just means that we needed to go dress shopping again.  After some discussion on the exact look that we were going for, we settled on a nice sleeveless burgundy dress.

     In other news, we restarted the script since Sil hated it.  She thought that the character she was writing was extremely unlikable and would rather scrap it and start again instead of work with a script that she already despised.  On the bright side, this has led to me having a much more involved role in writing the script than before.  To give a summary, the main character, Anne-Louise, is walking into the diner while talking to her friend, Donna, while looking through the "Flame" app and waiting for her date.  Their dialogue reveals that marriage or long term relationships in general are very uncommon and looked down upon while going out with a bunch of people each for a short time is the norm.  We have a bunch of holograms showing the news stories and the phone is projecting the app and the video call with Donna.  The opening lasts for about 1 minute and a half now when taking the credits and title card into account, so we've got a little left to do.
     I'll be back next time for further updates on our progress.  See you then.

Week 4: Hologram Time

     As promised last time, I have some experimental footage to show you folks.  I've previously mentioned a few times that Sil plans on editing in hologram projections of news headlines in the diner to help with the whole sci-fi setting.

     Using Premiere Pro, Sil edited the rectangle onto the top of the whiteboard and then added the moving line of text on top of it.  The text originally continued from all the way on the right of the screen to the left past the rectangle, so Sil got some help from other people in class who work with Premiere all the time and figured out how to put some clear layer onto the video that would hide the text where ever she put it.  The line also used to be a solid blue color, so she turned it into a gradient and made it translucent so it has more of that holographic feel.  She was upset that she wasn't able to figure out how to make the hologram glow, but I think it looks good the way it is.

     In my next post, I'll be discussing our work on the script and further preparations before we (hopefully next week) we start filming.  See you then. 

Week 4: Group Meeting

     In class today, we had a group brainstorming discussion about our projects.  I spent about an hour with five other people from different groups talking about our progress and obstacles in producing our films.
     The first person to go was Camila Criscola.  She's working on a film about bullying and how it can provoke suicide.  She wasn't sure what to have as a title and had considered using "Wounding Words" but Mrs. Stoklosa didn't like it.  I suggested that the title should be "Sticks and Stones" like the old saying, although instead it turns out that words really can hurt you.  Everyone seemed to like the idea and Camila fist-bumped me.  That was probably the highlight of my day since I quite like feeling helpful.
     The second person was Ana Jurado and her opening is for a film about a teenage girl trying to decide which half of her life she wants to devote herself to; her more nerdy, school centered side or her music loving side.  Pretty basic stuff, but I think it can really appeal to a teenage target audience since that's the time in people's lives when they're trying to figure out who they really are.  She also needed to think of a title and she settled on "My Own Way" by the time we got to the end of her part of the discussion.  Pretty basic, but I think it does its job.
     Third went Sydney Surico with a film about a girl living in the 1970's realizing that she is a lesbian.  It's definitely one of the more interesting film ideas we heard at the discussion.  Having the story be about self-discovery and setting it in that time period definitely makes it very unique.  She didn't have a title when we started the discussion, but by the end she had landed on "Dynamite."
     Fourth went Jessica Briceno with her film "Affliction."  It's about a teenager dealing with the death of her father and the loneliness experienced in the absence of a parent.  I'm not sure how well she can portray something as traumatic as someone losing their father, but I she seems to have a decent grasp of what she's doing.  She originally planned on having the first chunk of her opening being a montage of memories with the late dad, but then said she didn't want it to be too much of a montage.  We suggested that she have scenes of the main character going about her day with the shots composed in a way that would emphasize loneliness or isolation.  A really vivid one we thought of was the girl and her mom sitting at the dinner table at the left and right thirds of the shot with the middle third, the head of the table, being empty.  There would also being a shot at the end of the opening showing a family photo with the father, who has been absent for the entire opening, making it fairly clear what has happened.
     The fifth and last person to go before me was Oliver Sulla with his film "Valid."  It's about a social media influencer struggling with keeping up her online persona and being herself.  He had just about everything down but was trying to figure out some of the mise en scene elements to use in his opening.  I suggested that he watch some vlogs from female influencers and see if he could find some inspiration there.  I also suggested that he start using a shot from the phone or camera recording the main character and then switching to a shot of their set up in the room around them, showing just how artificial her persona is.  It sounds like he'll have a pretty good production when everything is said and done.
     Last, of course, was me.  I'm not going to go over everything we discussed since it's basically everything I've gone over in this blog.  However, everyone else at the table did think that our opening is very unique, creative, and that we seem to have everything ready to go through with filming.

(That's me on the left in the back)

     I plan on showing off what Sil has managed to do with editing in holograms for our opening in my next post.  See you then.