Finding Our Subject
Right off the bat my group and I knew that we wanted to a mockumentary. One the sheet one of the topics that was suggested was "The War" and thought that it was so funny and we wanted to do something based off of that premise. After a little brainstorming we came up with making our mini doc about 'the war' between meat eaters and vegans. Once we had this idea we already had ideas for who we wanted to be casted as our main actors, both who are naturally funny and play off each other so may group and I decided to create an outline of what we wanted to be said and the rest would be improved. Verifying the actors made our job easier by not having to write an entire script and more straight to storying boarding. During this time we naturally just fell into production with Cas as cinematographer, Miles as editor, Shelby as art director, and me as director. Storyboarding didn't take very long which allowed us to move into production fairly fast especially since we knew editing would take a while because Miles only has video 3rd hour. Filming was stressful because on the way to set one of our main actors told us he couldn't make it but luckily Cas was able to step into the role and I took over camera. The rest of the day went pretty smooth and it was a lot of fun. Post went smooth with Car becoming an editor as well working with Miles to order clips and find music and everything. After we finalized the video Cas and I worked on color correction and then I worked on audio. Overall the entire process went really well and the video turned out just how we wanted.
Educational
Throughout it, being in the director role, I worked on areas of the film learning new editing techniques like how to take out wind noise and how to color correct to make people look pretty and the shot more clear in post. I also learned how to adapt on the fly and how to communicate with several people over phone and keeping everyone on track and knowing whats going on. However, I learned that having everyones phone number would make connecting people easier and more efficient. But I was able to use my leadership and project management skills to make sure that the overall project was completed on time.
On to the Next Topic
For the majority I wouldn't change anything besides a few of the criticisms people gave the video. This is probably one if not my favorite project from this year both in the process and the finished product. I will use the experience to help me be a better leader and group member through my new communication skills and lessons as well as a better film maker with the new technical skills and what to look for and add to a film like this.
One of my favorite projects from this year was the short film we created. I picked this as one of my favorites because it allowed me to express myself creatively and without boundaries especially since I took the role of director. I overall had a great time because of everyone I worked with, the finished project is something I am really proud of, and I was in a role were I was really happy and able to be artistic. The actually filming process took the least amount of time with editing taking the longest and pre-production taking a good amount of time while being the most stressful. Overall, the film most likely took a month to produce with filming only taking a few hours and the rest of out time being dedicated to pre and post production. Some challenges we faced were finding actors that fit the roles how we wanted them to fit in pre-production and figuring out how we wanted to achieve the blogger style and what camera to use and such as well as what shots would look the best during production. Through teamwork in pre-production we were able to find actors that really enhanced the film as well as using teamwork on set to figure out the shot and camera issues that appeared. Being a director during this short film allowed me to learn new leadership skills and what the responsibilities of a director look like, and realizing I basically do all the responsibilities for all the projects. It also helped me learn how to refine my ideas and create them into something that I am really happy with and can be proud of which is something I struggle with a lot. The feedback we received is that the film would be better and feel more coherent if we kept the whole thing in a vlog format instead of starting with it and then coming out of it and then going back in, as well as one of our shots being used to many times. Sadly we didn't have the shots to change any of the non vlog shots as well as just not having the time to change the repetitive shots. I plan on going over all my projects from this year and making reedits however. Overall, I am very happy and proud of how this short film turned out.
Pt.2
My other favorite project from this year is our music video, even though I can never listen to this song again. This one took about a month as well but the time spent of pre, production, and post being about the same. This one took a lot more work and had a lot more components to it but really the only challenge we had was conflicting opinions. When deciding on the song I came into the discussions with a very clear and strong vision for one song that I presented to the group with everyone supporting but one person. Due to this one person disagreeing we spent the entirety of class time looking at other songs but eventually agreeing to do my song and idea which was "Talia" by King Princess. Along the way we had more disagreements but instead of shooting it down immediately we would talk it out as a group and possibly try it and see how it would look. Through this project I learned how lighting can be a really powerful part of a film and made me appreciate lighting a lot more. Once again being in a director position but also acting in the video made me learn how to communicate what I wanted the shot to look through words instead of just showing which I am really happy I learned how to do. We got feedback about some shots being to shaky but also that the acting and actor choice was really good because the two weren't weird with each other. We couldn't go back and reshot so we did not change anything. I am also very proud of the vide but I feel like it could look a lot stronger and our location for the interior scenes could be different to add to it even more.
So. Much. Stress.
When there is a project going on I am always so stressed because I want everything to go well and the finished project to be great. I use class time to talk to my group about what we have done, what we need to do, and who would be able to do what. This allows a schedule and plan to get made so that way we know when things are happening and need to get done;this is also when most of the storyboarding would happen as well. Post-production class time is working with editor and other group members to figure out what shot goes where and any corrections that need to be made. Outside of class I use my time and work on projects by finding actors and telling them whats up as well as finding any costumes, props, or locations as well as texting back and forth with my group telling them what I'm doing and hearing if they are doing anything or have any questions. In all the projects this year I have taken a leadership role in some way so most of the time if theres a problem then people turn to me, which is stressful sometimes but I don't mind it.
Area
Throughout the course of this year I have been able to see that my strengths are in pre-production work as well as cinematography. At the beginning of this year I started out with a very strong passion for editing and really wanted to go farther in depth with that but through the course of the year, really starting in first quarter I was gently pushed away from it. I was able to go to the cinematographer position however and apply my eye and abilities to this role and grow in this area. I used these new found strengths in the music video for lightening as well as what shots were needed in the short film to make a coherent story and journey. Being first assistant camera for the feature film definitely helped me grow as an artist and I can see a big improvement in my skills and new found strength. My organizing skills and strengths definitely came in handy in pre-production by allowing me to get everything organized and not have everything be complete chaos. While I can see myself growing I definitely still need to work on keeping my pans and tilts smooth as well as keeping lighting and camera settings looking sharp and in focus as well as continuing to work on my communication skills. I still have a long way to go.
That's A Wrap
My role in this years feature film was first assistant camera. This role means I am the DP's right hand gal, helping them basically bringing the film into and actual film from the script by creating storyboards and shot lists, working with the directors and gaffer to hear what they are thinking and want so we can make the film the best it can be. Oh yeah, I was also responsible for helping film the movie. I helped the film be successful by creating a visual and plan for what filming would consist of and what everyone could expect to see as well as being there to get a different angle at the same time the DP was getting one to make the process go faster. I helped get camera equipment get set up and taken down, lens switched out, find the correct storyboard and shot to see what needed to happen, as well as make sure the shots I was getting looked good and that there were no errors so we could the least amount of takes possible. I didn't realize how much I did but yeah, thats how saw my role and how it helped the film be a success. In class I worked with Lauryn, our DP, on storyboards and shot lists, planning scenes, and how the day would go, as well as talking to directors and confirming scenes. Outside of class I worked on storyboards and shot lists that didn't get quite done sometimes staying up to crazy hours to get them done. This was probably the most fun and stressful time.
The Memories
I loved all the people I got to meet and talk to and create relationships with because without this class I wouldn't have probably even talked to them. Not only did I get to meet these people also create lasting memories with them and create wonderful videos and films as well, and thats something I would never give up. The one thing I wish I did was work with different people on projects because I felt that I only worked with the same people for every project and I wish I got to work with a variety. Overall, I am taking away so many new skills with me from this year both technical and professional. I would like to do more cinematic, professions looking videos and films next year instead of just comedic non structured ones. I just want to say thank you to Mrs. Smith for believing in me and giving me awesome opportunities like being first AC and get ready for next year.
Senior Year
Okay, I'm going to keep this short and sweet because it doesn't need to be long and I'm tired of typing. I don't really know what class I want to be in next year because for me it really just depends on the people. It would be really cool if we could keep most of this class together because that would a legacy, but if I have to choose I'd probably go with Hours 3&4 again because I want French 7th Hour and I don't want this class 1st Hour because then the rest of the day would be gross. Having it 3rd and 4th is a nice break in the day. As for feature film production role next year I really want a leadership role as most seniors probably do, I would love to director because who doesn't want to be director because I would be able to be organized and lead people which are things I enjoy and I would be able to be as creative and out there as I wanted to be but I would especially love to be director if it's a script I am really passionate. DP would also be amazing because that way I'll be able to be hands on the camera more but still being a leader and being able to work really closely with my 1st AC and lead them especially if they are a junior. DP would also still allow me to create something beautiful and something I could call mine in the shots I filmed. Overall, any leadership role I would be honored to have, with DP or director (or AD) being my top picks.
