Editing is DONE

 Can you believe it?! Editing for the film opening is finally complete! CCR's are being edited next so stay tuned for the final products!!

CCR Decision

 For my CCR, I knew I needed to try to think outside the box and come up with a creative way to express the aspects of my film. I thought I'd stick true to myself and do a get ready with me video as well as a solo podcast. These two options are a perfect way to wrap up the Portfolio Project in a way that's not only creative but also a way to express my personality in my work.

Sound

I've thought about sound for the opening and I've really been pushing off making a decision as to what I plan to use. After taking this time to think, I've reached the conclusion that I will be using diegetic sound. The settings I've chosen for the scenes each have their own unique sounds and I think adding anything to it would take away the focus of the film. For example, the beach has the sound of waves crashing and the empty road has the sound of cicadas. It'll also help with the suspense factor I'm trying to portray. 

Costume Update

 So, as I said in another post, one of the scenes will be at the beach. I've had a hard time deciding what time of day I want it to be. Unfortunately, going to the beach at night is not the safest option for me so I think for this scene only the costume will change. Jeans and a sweater are definitely not beach safe. Instead, I'll have the main character wear shorts and no sweater that way it ensures that the main character won't overheat while we're trying to film! Below is the pictures I used as inspiration for this change.

Costume

 Let's be real, costumes and makeup are one of the most important factors in developing a character. For my character, it's pretty simple. Because she is just a normal teenage girl obviously she will dress like a regular girl. She will be in the same outfit for most of the film since it's supposed to be as if that's the last outfit she was wearing. Now for the costume! Below are some pictures I looked at that inspired my character's outfit. 

.

Lighting

Lighting is a factor I'm going to try and incorporate quite a bit. I think with the overall story I'm trying to tell, it's a technique that must be incorporated. With the contrast in colors that I'm looking for, playing with the lighting and adding it in with brighter colors is a MUST. I am not very tech-savvy though... but I'm going to try my best.

I need to grab a little bit more equipment before I start digging into the big scenes. 

For example, a camera stabilizer!! This is extremely necessary to get the clips I'm looking for. A beautifully captured video can make or break my film opening!

Character Background

 Okay, let's talk character's background. A great story always relies on a good character background story. Since most of my posts have been about what the film openings going to look like, I thought we'd switch gears to the actual plot of the story. 

Clara, the main character, is a young adult who has recently passed away. She is fully unaware of this though. Yikes. Anyway, she is forced to go through random moments of her life over and over again in little snippets. She is extremely confused (I mean I would be too) as to why her life keeps replaying over and over again. She then realizes that she is in fact dead and must use the clips of moments in her life to figure out her unfinished business. Each of the moments holds a key to her figuring out how to move on to the afterlife.

The film's opening will be focused on her confusion as to what is going on. I mean, if this was you wouldn't you be freaking out too? This will start the film off with a gist of what is likely to be seen in the rest of the film.

Colors

Colors are a big part of my film opening, however, I'm a little uncertain about how it'll come together. Because of my idea, I want a contrast in the colors I use. For example, going from a scene with pretty pastels and flowers to a scene that is dark and contains shades of grays and browns. I want the scenes to seem like they're jumping from memory to memory at random. 

The whole idea around the fact that each scene is supposed to be a memory requires very specific locations. Obviously, I need to keep going to possible locations to scope out the area and see if I can use it in the opening. Taking the colors into consideration when deciding is turning out to be quite difficult. Don't worry, I'm finalizing the locations this week and will start filming clips for my opening. I'm so excited to see what I'm able to capture and create!

CCR Lesson

 So today in class my teacher went over the CCR. Honestly, after hearing about it I was super excited to start but, obviously, I need to finish filming first. The questions that we need to answer give room to explain my creative thinking and the reasoning behind everything. I think it will really allow me to appreciate and be proud of the film opening I will be creating.

My favorite part is probably needing 2 different types of media. This really will allow me to be creative so I'm excited to get started.

During class, my teacher showed us some examples of each part of the CCR. This was super helpful when it came to fully understanding how it's supposed to look. She also gave us a lot of tips like creating a script, incorporating research, and overall just really letting the creativity flow. I can't wait to get started on the CCR and I'm excited to see everything come together.

Casting

  Alright, let's talk casting. Being a theater kid myself I know how important it is to cast the main character correctly. After thinking about it for a few days, I've decided that I will be cast as the main character. With my background in theater and my knowledge about different media and strategies this year I think that I'll be able to portray the main character very well.

 Because my film opening is focused on the main character and there really won't be many actual background characters, casting is done. My biggest issue right now is filming locations. As of right now, I'm leaning towards the main character being a ghost and not realizing that they've passed. The idea is that the subject is stuck in a constant loop of random moments from their life. So I plan to have 3 main sets: a library of some sort, a flower shop/garden, and a lake/body of water (at night). Obviously, these might change as I finalize my ideas and also see what works.

One location I've been looking into is a local flower shop in my area. 

I'm really looking for a variety of colors and I think it will fit what I'm looking for perfectly.

Another location I'm thinking about is the beach located nearby.

This will most likely be my final shot for the opening. I think it will set the tone of the film for the audience.