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Showing posts from March, 2023

The Edit

       With more footage in our possession, I started the process of weeding out what we do and don't want. Because the last filming day was so fun, we got a lot of footage we don't necessarily need. However, the clips we did get felt very authentic and natural. This was very important to the direction I wanted to take in the film. I wanted to ensure that the characters felt like real people. Thankfully, the actors were able to deliver that with ease. I started with a mock-up of the opening that I had made previously. Using that as a base, I compiled the clips that were reshot and replaced the previous takes that weren't up to par. After this was done, I continued trying different methods to add the titles and names. I have a general idea of what I want, but I'm still open to changes. Because I haven't heard back from anyone I emailed for music, I searched for royalty-free music that could be implemented into the project. I primarily used Youtube for this. When all

Training Montage

       After a week without any new footage, we were finally able to film. Naturally, there was a lot we needed to get done. One thing that was definitely prioritized for us was the scenes we had to reshoot. After reviewing the footage we already had, and having several discussions, some clips just did not do what we needed them to. They were either too loud, blurry, or just shot in a way that was confusing for the audience. Reshooting was definitely needed, and it provided us with much better content to work on. Today, we focused on shooting the training montage present in the film. This involved shooting several close-ups of the actors playing volleyball with each other. They practiced passing, setting, and hitting just like they did during the practice run. I used several different angles of their playing. I focused on their hands and arms and how they moved when receiving the ball. I also go several shots of the ball in motion. Sometimes getting in bushes or hitting the sand, the b

The Conference Call

       Unfortunately, the group could not come together to film this week. This was extremely frustrating because it set us behind for a few days. Many of us were working, and when we weren't, others had obligations they couldn't miss. Despite this minor setback, we still made time to talk about our film. The group decided to do a phone call to work out the details of the project. Again, we were focusing on the opening. We are unfamiliar with the formatting of the intro. As a result, we all had many different ideas on how we should execute it. All of us provided input on how we could change certain scenes and dialogue to accommodate the opening. Though small decisions like the font have not been ironed out, we have a clear idea of how we want the names and titles to be displayed. This may require some of the scenes to be reshot, but we are perfectly fine with making this adjustment to get the best product we can.      The group agreed that we should implement landscape shots to

Spring Breakers

       After our first attempt at filming, the group realized that we had to work more things out about our project before we try filming again. With spring break upon us, we were thankfully able to get a lot of things done. Our main focus was the CLAMPS of the project as well as the editing. I reviewed several new editing applications to see if I could incorporate something new into the process. For the past two projects, I used Video Leap for the majority of the editing. While I have no issue with using the program again, something new could provide me with more unique effects that I otherwise would not have access to. I ran some of the scenes we did shoot through several applications to see what things could be changed. Because we are so early in the filming process, I'm unsure of what to cut from the footage at this time. However, I still played around with color and sound to give myself a general idea of what I will do in the future.      While I was looking at editing softwar

The Iconic Beach Episode Trope

       To prevent the issues the group faced when working on our previous project, we started the filming process really early. This proved to be advantageous to us because we worked out a lot of the structure of the film today. I will admit that I kind of lost sight of the direction we wanted the film to go in. Once I joined the group, this was cleared up completely. For our first day of filming, we went to the beach. Unfortunately, this did not prove to be the perfect set that we thought it would be. The beach was very windy, which made it hard to film. Additionally, there were way more people than we anticipated. The weather and crowd made the dialogue very difficult to hear. As a result, we searched for an alternative setting for the scenes that were supposed to be at the beach.     Hagan Park, a park near our school, proved to be the perfect substitute for the beach. It's a small sandy volleyball court in a neighborhood. There was no one using the court except for us, so it ga

Practice Makes Perfect

       In preparation for filming, all the actors practiced playing volleyball together. To make the project more authentic, each actor needed to brush up on their skills. For one, he had to be completely taught how to play. This worked out perfectly fine because the character he plays is in a similar situation. What resulted in this practice was a fun day of preparing for what was to come. Watching the actors play with each other gave me ideas on what angles to use when filming. I also got to practice filming them as they played. While it was challenging to get close shots without the threat of being hit, it was still a fun and educational experience.     The day started with each actor warming up. Everyone stretched and took long breaths to help avoid injury. Volleyball is a sport that can be played both indoors and outdoors. For the purpose of our film, the boys practiced outside on a sand court with a net. They practiced both in a group and on their own to grow their skills. Volley

Hey Mr.Dj - Project Preparation

    The team has been working very hard in preparation of the film. While we haven’t started filming yet, we have watched several films to help us form a better idea of what we want to do. Each movie sets up the mood, idea, and setting in a different way. A major way that they do this is through sound, and more specifically music. Because of this common theme, our group has been examining different songs we can include to enhance our project. The group has looked at several songs coming from different genres to see what would best work for our project. The requirements to put a song into consideration for the project included a generally positive feel with simple lyrics. This led us to songs like Hell n' Back by Bakar.\, Malibu by Anderson Paak, and California Girls by Katy Perry.  These songs are mainly being considered for the opening. More deliberation is needed to determine what songs and sound editing will end up in the final f ilm.     Though they were all listed together, th

Map it Out

      After the storyboard had been completed, the group needed to meet up to discuss a few aspects of the project. Once we got together, some important details were worked out. Each member had a different set of ideas on how we should film, direct, and edit the project. Despite this, we were able to come to an agreement pretty quickly.     One major aspect of the project we talked about was locations. We all agreed that some locations were required fro the project. Because we can not film at school, we have to get a little creative with the sets. Locations like the beach or parks are definitely on the list of places we want to film. The only issue with these places is how filming would play out. Because these areas are often loud and heavily impacted by the weather, it might be hard to film with good sound. Having the actors’ voices clear is imperative to the viewing experience of the project. Additionally, there may be a few scenes in homes or gyms to fill in certain moments. These s

Storyboard

  Scene 1: Two boys, TOM and JIM, are playing volleyball on the beach. Scene 2: Tom spikes the ball and scores a point.  Scene 3: Jim looks disappointed. Scene 4:Dialogue between the two characters about their reactions and emotions. Scene 5: Tom looks a little hurt based on Jim’s response. Scene 6: Tom and Jim talk and work through things together. Scene 7: Tom and Jim are both embarrassed about the situation. Scene 8: Tom smiles again. Scene 9: The Volleyball game continues. Scene 10: A voice from far yells and both Jim and Tom look over. Scene 11: Rick a new character is running towards them. Scene 12: Rick introduces himself and ask cam he join in on their game of volleyball. Scene 13: Tom's face lights up. Scene 14: Rick and Tom are having a lot of fun playing volleyball together. Scene 15: Jim rolls his eyes and mutters under his breath. Scene 16: Jim is sitting out on the sidelines as Tom and Rick play more volleyball games together. Scene 17: Jim angrily is jealous about th