Putting Together All of My Shots and Post-Filming Reflection

 I'm happy to say that I have all the shots that I need for my film opening. Maybe a little too much - I got a little carried away, but it's fine. It won't help my partner during the editing process, as he has the fun and joyous task of cutting certain shots that go a little over time, or included things that I don't need in the project. And as expected, we have to cut out a lot of the introductory shots that we took. What we choose to include will be a really tough decision. They'll also be trimmed down a little bit. Again, time is a huge factor, and I have my two characters that I have to really focus on. 

I also really had fun bringing my characters to life. My dialogue did include some dry humor that I believe worked well out loud (I'm pretty proud of it, but it was kind of necessary as the genre of my film is the dramedy). The acting is, well, not professional to say the least, but I do think that my partner and I did pretty well for our acting abilities. And as expected, there was some trouble with wind during certain shots. But, my microphone did really help in getting the dialogue as well as the surrounding noise from the beach (the dialogue is still really clear and crisp). The wind would pick up at times, but overall, my mic limited its effect on the sound quality and I could stress less about getting my other shots (filming the shots with lots of dialogue was what I was most worried about). 

Because of all my shot planning (and my shot list with the dialogue matched up with the shot), the actual positioning and execution was much easier. I knew what I wanted to do and what I wanted each shot to be. I also really wanted it to be cohesive, with the transition out of the intro shots into the actual story with the close-up of the waves and then my partner's foot running through them. I might have to cut out some of my inserts, and I wasn't able to film one two-shot (don't think I really need it in any case). But overall, I got all of my shots and just need to put them all together. I have everything prepped for the post-production sounds that need to get put in, and I have my song ready to go (as well as the font of the title and credits). 

This is more to show the conditions and the space that we worked with. The beach was a little busier than I would have thought, but we chose a relatively more secluded area. This was taken a little later, when there was more wind, and this was without the mic. The wind would definitely have distorted the audio, so I'm glad I went the time that I did and filmed with my mic. I'll show another shot that I filmed (not an introductory shot):

I have already edited the saturation and color scheme of all the shots, I just haven't edited out the seconds I don't need. Just wanted to show the entire process for filming our shots, and this is a little sneak peak at my full and total project. This is one of the two-shots that I included. It serves to be more of a transition out of the beach setting and showcases the setting well. 

I've made some changes to what shots are included in the dialogue sequence, but they were more fillers and meant to showcase my setting. While it would've been nice to include them, they don't add much and take too much time. Same thing goes for the intro shots. Just want to focus on my characters for the opening.

 

I've also changed my mind on where I want the credits. I'm thinking of including them in the transition shots away from the beach and right before the title card, such as the one above. I feel like I have the space to include them, and not have to cram them all on one shot. And with the right color for the text, it will still be noticeable but not drawing any attention away from my subjects.

I'll have the finished product very soon. But, before that, I'll show my Creative Critical Reflection, which I've also been working hard on.

Dissecting a Shot Sequence

 Before I filmed the final shot sequence of my film opening, I wanted to fully develop my sequence (I even made a full shot list for it with the specific depth-of-field that I wanted for each shot). This blog post will be more for me than anything, as I want to get prepared before I go out and film the last part of my project.  Collecting my thoughts beforehand might really help me. I also found inspiration from another film that uses that same sort of tone and has a scene that is sort-of similar, at least tonal and character-focus wise. 

These are my final, reworked shot lists for the last sequence of the film opening. I also matched up the dialogue with the certain shots so I wouldn't have to figure it out when filming, which is how it's usually done, but I almost forgot. I did have to change around some things, which is why they're not the neatest shot lists in the world, but they include a lot of information (even the specific depth of field that's needed in the shot). I start off with the close-up of the waves, and then the pan and tilt as Dallin runs through the waves, acting as a sort of transition from the introductory shots that show off the setting to the actual story with my main characters. The very next shot is going to be a low angle with the depth of field shallow until Dallin comes running into frame. Will be a focus on Maya as she comes running into frame. From there it will switch to a two-shot.There will be some shot/reverse shots as Dallin and Maya are talking. I've added some inserts, especially when there are pauses in the dialogue. I also have some close-ups of Maya's face to show her reactions to what Dallin says (sly comedy, I know). I will also add an eye-line match to show Maya's POV of her setting (the saturated colors another sign that this is from her POV, and shows how she sees this particular beach). 

This sequence will end with a tilt of the camera as Maya gets up. And will focus in on Dallin scrambling behind her. There will be a two-shot of them on the boardwalk, which will be another time to showcase my amazing setting. And then comes the ending shots, which I've already discussed (and partially filmed already). 

And now, a film I used for inspiration:

Minari (2020), directed by Isaac Lee Chung, is a movie that I got to watch fairly recently and I really loved it (highly recommend for anyone that loves dramedies). It has the dual-tone that is common among dramedies, and balances between the two tones really well. It really encapsulates the happy-sad movie.

This scene has no fast cutaways or editing. The shots remain static for a longer time, relying more on the movement and the dialogue of the characters. It really works well for this scene because it's the characters that are the focus (as well as the setting). There are a number of wide shots that capture the setting. However, they also serve to capture the characters, acting sometimes as sort of two-shots, to capture the similarities between the characters (the mom and the daughter; the dad and the son). It also serves as a contrast between the two pairs, as the dialogue suggests. It sets up the relationship between the characters (showing how close they are to each other) as well as setting up a potential conflict. I want to copy the longer shots, especially when my characters are speaking, the the humorous tone can be felt through the dialogue. I also included an eye-line match and some inserts so I can get some more two-shots (and show off more of my setting) as well as making the scene more captivating. I know how the movement of the objects within the shot can be captivating, as this scene shows, and I shouldn't be afraid of having shots that last a little longer so that my dialogue can be highlighted. It might add more of that sense of realism.

One Other Problem

While this blog will mostly focus on its namesake (the problem that I'm referring to), there are a few things that I'm going to talk about that will also be included later on. These are just a few things that don't necessarily make up their own blog posts, so I'm cramming them in here. Now, before I go too much into the other stuff, my problem:

How packed the beach is going to be is definitely going to be a factor into how good my footage will be. This photo is not taken at the beach that I'm going to for my setting. My beach is typically a lot more quiet and is not going to be anywhere near as packed as the one at the right. This was more of an embellishment, but I still don't want any potential problem when I'm filming. I've tracked out how I want the entire sequence to go already, so I know exactly whereI'm filming all my shots and even what character says what line at a place. I just really don't want any people to wander close in the frame, even if it's just for a moment. Farther off, I'm fine with some people wandering into the shot just because it won't look deserted then. But, n't want a lot of random background noise that would interrupt the dialogue or the background noise that I do want to get (the chattering of seagulls or the crashing of the waves). That type of diegetic sound is perfect and will only serve to make the setting more realistic. I guess, in a sense, some random noises from people will also make it realistic, but it would still distract too much from my film opening. Or it would make the humorous tone more evident. Or it would just look like a mistake. I'd rather not find out.

I've already had to adjust with some shots because of some passersby, but too many would just mean more work and time spent on shots on my end. To solve this issue, I figure I'll just have to go at a certain time when there's not as many people. I still want to go when it's generally more bright out, so I can try to keep the footage as close as possible, but I do need to think about what times people tend to go at and how I can have the best filming situation for myself. Because, again, I can't control my setting and I'll just have to work with what I've got. But, if I can find a way to film at a better time, I won't have to change the setting. With it being that time of year when people want a little vacation at the beach, I'll have to have to work little bit more to find that perfect time to film the final part of my opener.

Update on My Music:

I have not heard back from either Sony Music or Columbia Records as to whether or not I can use The Clash song that I wanted ("Train in Vain"). So, I'll just use the song that I found on Chosic. It sound like an '80s punk rock song, and it will still give my opening the same burst of energy and will make a good song to transition to the next scene in the film. Would I prefer The Clash song? Yes, but this one (called "Cherry Metal") is a fine replacement. It's meant to be more of a background song, and it works well that way. It's also a good song to introduce my title card to, especially with the font that I'm choosing. Well, that's a good a segue as I can make into my next topic, which is, as you can guess:

Title Card Font (and maybe the credits too)

I ended up choosing the SignPainter font for my film. While it might look a little more like a horror film now (might be because of white lettering on that pitch black background behind it), I'm planning on blending it onto my footage of the waves and the ball. I might also got for a warmer blue color, too, as long as it doesn't mesh too much with the water behind it. The font just has more of that hand-drawn look and not as synthetic as some other fonts that look more "digital" in a sense. The slight gradient will also make it appear to be moving with the waves, especially with the right blue for my title. I might also make the credits match the font, but I won't give them a gradient.  

Some More Thoughts On My Filming Experience

This post is going to expand upon some thoughts of prior blog posts, especially the challenges I faced filming, and just really add more depth to what I was discussing about my experience previously. I rushed my thoughts a little on my previous blog posts in regards to my experiences, and I want to kind of add to add more to my experience. And maybe some pictures of myself filming (which is definitely not the reason I chose this topic for my blog post). 

Like I said before, one of my biggest worries about filming separate parts of the opener on different days is the discrepancies in the setting (mostly the sky). Florida can be pretty indecisive when it comes to the weather, so I was really worried that too much clouds would make the footage that I would take unusable. And there was a noticeable difference. The clouds, as seen you can see right below here.

There's not that same bright blue hue in the sky, and that's mostly because of the clouds and how darker it was. But, I'm glad that I have a couple of shots to choose from, just in case when I film the last part of the opener, the sky can look either cloudy or sunny. I did make adjustments to the saturation of the sky a little, but there was not that bright, fully-saturated blue that I got from my previous shoot. I'll try to edit the shots a little more, adjusting the saturation, but I doubt it'll have much effect. It's a little disappointing, I really like the shots that I got, especially when it comes to the composition and the contrasts, especially between the beach and the water. 

But, I did have a fun time filming. This is the first time I really got to test just how much my microphone could pick up and how well it works, and I really like how it's able to pick up some of the softer sounds that are closer and differentiate between those father away (mostly the crashing of the waves), and the softer voices. My main concern was (and in many ways still is) how much dialogue the mic can pick up (and if it's clear). The wind can still be a factor, but there was few times where the wind was a factor in the sound at all. The mic even picked up the gurgling of the waves, so I got to have some foley sound. I'd rather get the authentic gurgling than have to record myself slurping on a drink (or have to somehow replicate that noise myself). And there were times where I got distracted and started filming from random angles. That wasn't as much of a time waster than my trying to film birds. I'm pretty sure I got some weird looks from people because I was spending half my time chasing after a random seagull and then having to retake shots of the little sandpipers because I wanted to get them doing their weird waddle. But, I think I got weird looks anyway because I was just filming water up close, so I'm not really concerned about that. I actually had a little bit of fun with it, because I really didn't look like I was prepared to go to the beach. And again, you can see the difference in lighting and how cloudy the sky is. I didn't edit this photo at all so you can see what a big difference editing makes and just how much I needed to do to get it as close as possible to my other footage. But I still had a good experience, and mapped out exactly how I want to film the rest of the shots. And I think I did get some footage that I can use to tie in with my previous footage. 

More Shots and Sound Design

I'll start off with some new shots that I got from my most recent trip to my location. There was some change in the setting. Today was cloudier, but it was also less crowded. It being less crowded was a positive, while the clouds were more of a hindrance (there was still enough sunlight where the difference isn't that noticeable, especially with some editing).

I added the extra saturation to these shots, using warmer blues and yellows. I wanted to get the shots next to the water, especially with seabirds. These have more movement and are generally more captivating. The same goes for this next shot:

I could choose either shot to add to the final product. Again, I just wanted to get as much as possible so I have more to choose from. I also wanted to get some shots under different setting conditions; these shots show a more cloudy sky, which might be the case when my partner and I film the actual storyline for the opener with my two characters. I had some more fun this time around, just looking for potential shots in a setting that has plenty. I also used this opportunity to test my mic and see which spots are the best for picking up dialogue. I also used it to pick up some background sound as well. Which is how I'm going to lead into my next topic: sound design.

Like I mentioned before, I was able to get a couple of recordings of the waves and the background noises of the beach on the sand (further away from the water). But, I have also used SoundBible (https://soundbible.com) to find some good diegetic sounds for the opening. Since I'm most likely recording the conversation between the characters live, I might not need to include as much diegetic sound from the website, but it's still a good tool to have. There's even more websites that offer up free sound recordings, but I've already found some typical beach sounds on the SoundBible website (including sound of waves, seabirds, etc.). Of course, for the music I'll be using Chosic (still an awesome website). I might even add a smooth piano during the intro shots, just to further that peaceful tone (it would stop once Dallin's feet hit the waves). It just depends on how many sounds I want to layer onto the beginning. I might not even need to add the smooth notes from the piano.

Filming My Intro Shots (Part 2)

 As I promised last blog post, I will show some more of my intro shots and discuss my overall experience filming. And again, these intro shots are more to establish the setting (and a little bit of the tone) than anything else. I also wanted to immediately showcase my artistic vision, which is another way to say that these shots show my filming ability from the get-go and might decide my fate as a filmmaker. So yeah, I would say these shots are moderately important. In any case, before I go off on any tangent, here's some of the shots:

This shot also has really saturated blues, with the greens toned and muted into a more beige color. I would say this features a pretty good color contrast and has a lot of warmth that I think viewers will pick up on. I would also like to add that some of these shots I purposefully made longer than what I'll include in the final opening. I'll definitely trim some down for time purposes. 

I figured the lifeguard "hut" would make for a pretty good shot. There is also some more contrast, with the light sand and the shadows. Some more symbolism? Maybe. I just think it works for a nice shot.

I also wanted to add some shots of the buildings close to the beach. Some of them do look old (or at least older) and adds a more rustic and somewhat warm feel too. 

This is another one that I thought would show some older buildings along the boardwalk that shows more of the background and adds some depth to the setting. I also like the movement in the shot that makes it more intriguing to look at.

I do have other shots that turned out looking pretty good, but those will most likely be cut because of the time constraint. Even some of these might be cut just because I want to move along with the introduction and establishing my actual main characters. Even though I could add a lot more, I want my opening to be dependent upon the characters and their relationship because it's what drives the story. Even then, I can still add some more pretty background shots with inserts and eyeliner matches.

Now, I wanted to talk about the actual filming experience. When I arrived at my location (which took some time, as it's farther out), it was a little more crowded than I was expecting. I had to rework some shots so they wouldn't have too many people in frame (which also took some time). I did, however, feel that the (distant) people in the frame add that authenticity and add more movement to the shots. It was a little bit of a challenge (to add to the challenge portion of the last post), but it ended up suiting some of my shots. I didn't end up staying long, as I've mentioned before, but I did get more of a feel for the setting and planned out a little more of my shots. I know the general area of where I want to film and the place I want my characters to sit down (might have found the specific sand dune). Next blog post, I might discuss some of the foley sounds I'm including and the sites I'm using to get diegetic sounds.

Filming My Intro Shots (Part 1)

I was able to film this time around and get some pretty got shots. I wasn't able to film my entire opening, as both my partner David and I did not have a lot of time to spare that day. This day was more going to be capturing my introductory shots (most importantly my establishing shot) to really set the happy tone in the beginning and introduce my setting. And I'm pleased to share them here and describe my process:

This shot is most likely going to be my establishing shot. It shows off the setting quite nicely, and gives the happy and tranquil tone right out of the gate. Now, I did already edit this shot (along with the others I took) in post production. I saturated the blue hues to where I originally wanted them (the blues pretty much match those of my mood board, so I'm happy). The over-saturation and warm hues are meant to say that this is where Maya feels most comfortable. 

As I put in the title, this is the part 1 of my sharing of how I filmed the intro shots. I will share my other clips that I filmed for my introduction for my next blog post. This is more meant to be a little teaser for some of my other shots that I have filmed. I will also share more of my feelings and my actual experience and thoughts on filming in the next blog posting that I do sometime later this week. I decided to share the shot above because it is the one that is most likely going to end up as the establishing shot. And quite honestly, it's also the only one with the actual audio. I did not use my mic during the filming of the shots (this was the phone audio, wanted to conserve the mic for when I'm filming the dialogue). So I thought this would be a good opportunity to discuss some of the challenges of the filming process and some things that I will have to consider the next time I film.

Some Challenges:

Let's just pretend I haven't mentioned wind yet. So......definitely wind. But it wasn't terrible when I was filming, the phone audio was actually able to discern many other sounds (wind distorted it a little bit here and there, but that's why I have my microphones). Wind is still very much a factor, but with the right equipment I think I'll be able to get some pretty good audio and not have to add in the character audio in post.

Shadowing and the positioning of the sun (and maybe even the sky) is another big factor. I could retake the shots if there is too much of a discrepancy, but overall this was something that I hadn't thought of before. I also don't want a glare on the shots, so I might have a little shade or covering over the camera and position the characters where there is no glare. 

A little inspirational/educational video that I found:

This video is just something that I came across that really helped and continues to help me during my filming process. This is the same channel that made the video on how to film Westerns (included in one of my earlier blog posts). This video is really educational for me. Just seeing someone else's mistakes 

when filming shows me what not to do and also that mistakes happen and are okay. The main thing that I took away from this video is that mistakes are common and that your ideas can definitely be a little too grand. You can expect too much sometimes, and if something goes wrong or is not how you planned it to be, you have to be ready to improvise. This will be especially important for me to consider as I am filming in an environment that I cannot control, so I will most likely have to change or completely scrap some shots.

Music Dilemma + Solutions

Instead of talking about some of my other tools that are going to help with my filming, I thought a more pressing issue at the moment was my music choice. I have the song picked out already ("Train in Vain", of course), but the difficult part getting the right to play the song during the film opening, as I do not want to commit copyright infringement. To get the rights for the song, I'll send an email to the record company that holds the rights for The Clash's music: Sony Music. 

I looked on their website for some contact information, and I found it easily enough. I'm now in the process of writing them an email, and it's a little intimidating if I have to say so, mostly because of the fact that I'm so worried they're just going to flat out say "no" or ignore the email. The latter is more likely just because they are such a large company that owns the rights to many artists' music. In any case, I'll try to lean into the overeager student angle to get them to respond. I'll try to message the Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Records as well (Columbia is the daughter company). The Clash songs are mainly licensed under Columbia, so I'll try to find that contact information as well. I figure if I'm persistent enough, I'll get someone's attention. I might even type up and send out an actual physical letter, as I have also found the Sony company address through their website. 

- I have found some contact information for Columbia Records through: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/columbia-records

However, if my email barrage does not work, I do have a plan B for the music. My teacher talked about a website that another student had found that has a lot of copyright-free music. It's called https://www.chosic.com and it has a large music library. I looked through it pretty thoroughly, and I found some good replacements if I don't have permission to use the song of my choice. It's a pretty simple system for downloading too, which I really like. I can easily add the song to my computer and will most likely have no trouble getting it onto DaVinci Resolve. I know DaVinci Resolve also has its own music library, but I'm not sure if they have anything resembling 80's punk rock. 

I did find one called "Cherry Metal" which does replicate a lot of that 80's rock feel. It'll be a pretty decent replacement if I don't get permission to play "Train in Vain". The song will be one of the later things put in during the post-production process, but I wanted to figure this out now. I'm really excited to start filming soon. My next blog posts will most likely be discussing that process and sharing my clips.

Some New Hardware For Filming

I'm keeping my promise from my last blog post and I'm showing off the new equipment I got for filming. This is not professional grade stuff (but it's still really good). And as a bonus, I got it at a pretty good price. So, without further ado:

This microphone, from what I've tested so far, picks up sound really well and the sound is clear. This is something that I've really wanted, because I've always found the phone microphone to be of much lower quality (especially picking up sound from further distances). I also got this mic because of the protection (the little fluff that keeps the wind from affecting the sound too much). I can always put on the regular mic covering for sound purposes if I need to, but wind will most likely be the X factor when it comes to filming at the beach so I wanted to be prepared. Some other great stuff about this microphone is that it comes with the hand-held-tripod hybrid. The legs can fold and it has pretty great grip so I can hand-held shots or I can switch to the tripod for more fluid camera movement (I also have a taller tripod that the mic and phone-holder can connect to). It does make my filmmaking job easier and allows me for some more equipment to play around with (I'll definitely play around with this a little bit more before filming).

I also have some smaller mics lying around (found them recently, didn't know I had them). The audio quality is not as good as the other mic above, but it is still much better than regular phone audio. I might use these if I really need to (maybe during the shot/reverse shot sequence during the conversation between my two characters). This mic is not exactly difficult to hide, but I do need to carefully plan my shots around these so they are not visible when filming. I really do not want to do many retakes because the small mic is visible on the costumes. Really want to limit my amateur filmmaker mistakes (I know I'll probably make plenty, but not this one). The extension cord that plugs into my phone will also be something that I will have to work around, but I'm less worried about this. I figure it's something that's easier to work around, especially with mid shots and close-ups. 

I still want to test the mics before filming, make sure there's not any problems, but I really do think they will be extremely helpful. I have already shared my complaints and all around general anxiety about the wind multiple times, but I'm just gonna do it again. Wind sucks. It's just not cool. That'll be all for my complaining about wind, but I'm a little less nervous now because of my new sound equipment. Next blog post might be about some other materials I'll try for filming, it might not be. Haven't decided yet.

Shot Changes and Troubles With Shooting

 I was going to start with the shot changes, but I just changed my mind. I figured I got easily segue into the shot changes because of my experience "filming" (I'll explain why that's in quotations in just a second) and how visiting my planned setting is how I actually thought of my shot changes. So here goes:

Florida is weird. Florida cannot make up its mind about whether it's going to be sunny, or cloudy, or windy on any given day (and sometimes, it changes its mind halfway through the day). I went off on this tangent because Florida randomly decided to be really windy the day I went to my setting to film. This filming was mostly going to be done as prep, as these were going to be the introductory shots that establish the setting. They ended up establishing that Florida is very windy sometimes. I filmed maybe one or two shots before realizing that I would not be able to use these. The surrounding foliage clearly showcases how windy it was, and my actual filming of the characters (which I'm doing soon) is hopefully not going to be on a day as windy (hopefully there will be no wind). The discrepancies between footage is going to be bad, and I want it to be as professional of an amateur film piece as possible. 

The footage pretty much looked like this (even though this is a bit of an embellishment)

So, long story short, I did not get the shots I wanted. But, it did lead me to developing some more shots for the introduction and completing my storyboard (I now have pretty much all of the shots picked out).

These are the updated intro shots. Again, I'm not the best at drawing, but I think I did manage to capture what I want out of the shots. Like in many dramedies (and as told by Lulu Wang in one of my other blog posts), there are times when there does not need to be camera movement, the movement of the objects within the shot captures the attention of the audience and makes for a great shot. That's why I wanted to focus my establishing shots on the movement of the waves in the ocean, the breeze gently sweeping past palms and tall grass, and the small movements of the buildings along the beach (many are older, and look more working class but have interesting designs). I also wanted a pan of a bird flying past, but that all depends on if I get a bird to go flying past (I'll just ask my partner to scare some birds, I'm sure he'll be fine with it). This opening sequence is going to last maybe 10-15 seconds (including the shot of Maya or Dallin stomping on the water), so as not to take too much time away. I still think the setting is really important, but I want to be able to focus on my characters as soon as possible. 

These are the illustrations of the final shots of the opening. I just wanted to create a smooth transition of them getting into the car, turning on the music (with the song being diegetic at first), before using the sound transition back to the ball floating on the water. I also put the title card there hesitantly (I might have also figured out which font I want for it, but that's going to be decided later). The list at the bottom is so I remember the costumes and the props. I've already mentioned it, but I'm going to be filming soon and I'm really excited, but I also want to be prepared. That's all for now, my next blog will probably be on an exciting piece of equipment I'm getting for filming, so stay tuned.

More Production Prep

I still have to gather some of the props and get my costumes together. I'm not shooting anything with my characters this weekend, so I have decided to move on to the prepping my actual editing software and playing around with the different color schemes and LUTs so that I can already start adding my own personal filmmaker touches to the film (color scheme can be very important, just ask the Coen brothers or Wes Anderson). I want to add a little stylistic flair, as my film opening is going to be a little more simplistic. Now, I am keeping in mind that I might not go with any of the things I like right now. I'm using some test footage, as I haven't shot any of the actual film opening yet, to see which color scheme I most want to have for my opening. This is just going to be a little more prep before the actual filming, and maybe a part of me wants to get reacquainted with my editing software so I don't have to spend time later remembering how to do stuff. In any case, let's move on to the actual details.

I'm using DaVinci Resolve (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/) as my editing software. I have already used it for previous projects, and I already have a LUT pack downloaded onto it. These are Western LUTs (what I'm mostly going to toy around with for the color scheme) and they're the color schemes taken from a lot of famous Westerns (such as 3:10 to Yuma, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, etc.), but I think that some can translate to other genres really well. Some have that more gritty color, while others seem to accent some brighter colors. I don't know which would be better yet, which is why I'm doing this.

I found this random video (shot in portrait mode, unfortunately). It's not the same setting, but it has most of the same colors as there would be at the beach. There's a lot of green vegetation at my setting, and the sandy browns and blues are what you'd expect at the beach. Now for the fun part, playing around with the LUTs.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid LUT:

There's not a lot of difference in the overall color, but the hues of the sandy brown and blues are sharpened a little bit more. I actually really like it. It's not too much of a difference, but it provides some more style and emphasis on the blue hues (something I want for my opening).

No Country For Old Men:

This LUT sharpens the colors even more, with the green and the blue gaining more of a neon. I don't like this one as much, mostly because it's a little more dramatic of a change.

The Assassination of Jesse James:

This color scheme keeps the sharper blues, but mutes some of the surrounding greens and tans. This resembles some of the color schemes of other dramedies that like to mute some colors to make others stand out. I don't know what this particular LUT will do to orange, but if it sharpens it and emphasizes it I will seriously consider this one.

The Hateful Eight:

This one refines the colors a little more. It brings out the blues as well as the surrounding colors. I like the style, it stills seems more of a color palette for dramedies, but one that brings good contrast between colors, muting some of the green while keeping the blue.

The two that ended up being my favorites are the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid LUT and The Assassination of Jesse James. I'll still keep all in consideration, but these two are the ones that have more of the style I'm looking for, keeping some of the dramedy aesthetic while adding the necessary emphasis on the blue hues.

Shooting Schedule and Mise-en-scene Prep

 This blogpost is going to be more disorganized in comparison to my other ones. It's more of me trying to get myself organized for the upcoming filming I'm doing for the opening. And I've decided to do my shooting schedule here:

03/07 - filming more of background shots (introductory, some wide shots of ocean); mostly going to use this day to lock in my shot choices (see what works in the area and what doesn't) and final setting prep 

03/13 or 03/14 - actual shooting day; will film majority of shots; could be either day. or both depending on the weather

03/20 - could be used as a re-shoot day for any shots that need it 

Now that I've gotten the shooting schedule out of the way, I'm moving on to the mine-en-scene preparation. I really want to focus on costumes and props as of right now. I'll start off with costumes.

Of course I'm starting off with the orange shirt. It's an eye-catching color that means I won't need to have to make the background a lower depth of field on the two-shots. I still most likely will, as a lot of dramedies play with the depth of field during two-shots so the characters are more in focus. I'm also toying with the idea that she also has a camouflage jacket. It's another reference to The Clash and their album Combat Rock and will make the character seem even more eccentric. The jacket that I have is more beaten-down and worn, which will be helpful in presenting the characters as more of the working class. I do not want them to have any expensive clothing or items. Again, really need to sell to the audience that they are of the working class. This means the costumes might be more beaten down or worn (especially if it's more workout clothing). I might have some other accessories that add to the characters (like a cool necklace).

         

 

Just showing again how the two colors can really mix well and are really vivid. They are more calming, especially the hues shown in the bottom picture. I still have to decide which shade of blue I'll use for Dallin's costume, but I'm thinking more of the brighter (but still relatively calm) blues. Later in the movie his clothing and the color scheme would become more of a dull grey as the pair's relationship soured and Dallin begins losing himself (but I'm not going to be able to do it for the film opening).

I'm also planning on having the close-up of the small basketball floating on the ocean be the final shot of the film opening. I might change it though to be the second to last shot, as I could also add an insert of a much wider shot of it floating along, to represent huge possibility and intimidating vastness. 

This does not really have to do with mise-en-scene, but I thought I'd squeeze it in here. I made a slight change to ending (with one of The Clash's songs playing) that really impacted the entire project. I will have to get the rights to play the song at the end from Columbia Records or its parent company Sony Music Entertainment. This will be slightly challenging, but I do want to be able to play the song (without breaking any copyright rules) during the end sequence. Hopefully either of the two record companies will grant me permission.

                                                                               

Full Screenplay and Commentary

 I am now finally revealing my screenplay in its entirety. I didn't want the opening scene to have too much dialogue (there's still a good amount, since it's a dramedy and I wanted to set the humorous tone early). I timed it out so that the dialogue takes a little less than a minute. This does not include the cutaways, but I did time it out with some pauses. So here it is (some of my commentary will be between pages):

The first thing you'll notice is a change in the title. I already had the idea of a Clash song playing during the final seconds of the opening scene (the two siblings love the band), so I thought looking through their songs to find a good movie title was my best bet. And I turned out to be right, the song itself has the themes I'm looking for in my movie, with the song (alternatively titled "Stand By Me") being about sticking together through harder times (and one person not standing by the other, hence the lyrics "stand by me, or not at all"). It's a good title and a reference to a Clash song with a lot of meaning. Now, before I go on to comment on some more of my script, I need to address what my target audience is. I'm definitely trying to make it as accessible as possible, with viewers potentially able to relate to the siblings' relationship. But, I do want to zero in on those who are in their later teens to late 20s. This story really is a lot of coming-of-age, with Maya going through her own struggles and figuring out her place in the world. And the wry humor might work well for those in their late teens and all the way through to those in their 60s or 70s. There is not a specific target audience for the wry brand of humor, but it sort of contains one in and of itself. Now, back to the script:

I made sure to add some of that wry humor. I really wanted my dialogue to capture the bond between the two, so I made sure there was some sibling bickering (and by some, I mean the entire thing). I wanted them to each have their own speaking style (though they both are very sarcastic). I made it more colloquial (there is definitely some cursing) and I made sure to add some of the paralinguistic features and prosodic features during their conversation (not sorry for incorporating my AICE Language knowledge into this), but I do want my actors to naturally include some of their own tendencies when speaking. Again, I just want the conversation to be as authentic as possible. And I did take note of the way some of my Midwestern family speaks, and made some corrections according to that (the two siblings are originally from Wisconsin). 

I'm happy with how my screenplay turned out. My next step is mine-en-scene planning (mostly props and costuming), and I'll share my final storyboard later on in the week.