The Dreaded Title

Making titles is one of my least favorite aspects of a creative project. To be fully honest, it either comes to me naturally and it's a fun addition, or I have to carve it out of the depths of my empty brain, and feels like a needle in the bottom of my shoe each time I'm reminded of it. I am devastated to report that this is one of those projects where it feels impossible. Unfortunately for me, I must title it, it is a crucial requirement of this intro. 

I want the title to be attention-grabbing, to be memorable, and to capture the essence of the movie.

My Options:

The Ghost Project

Pros: It's straight to the point, probably memorable due to its simplicity.

Cons: Gives too much away, reminds me of The Blair Witch Project, too boring, doesn't capture the essence.

Renee

Pros: It's unique, possibly memorable.

Cons: Too simple for me, doesn't capture the essence.

Tanda and Renee/Renee and Tanda

Pros: Feels appropriate for target audience (kinds), cute.

Cons: Once again, too simple and straightforward. 

All Our Shades of Blue

Pros: Alludes to the blue motif (representing hope and sadness), not simple, might be memorable, I think it captures the essence.

Cons: Might be too complex for the target audience.

Decisions:

Honestly, this is difficult because I don't particularly love any of the options. I have found myself hopelessly trying to find something that feels decent. My personal favorite as of now is "All Our Shades of Blue" Ironically enough, I only came up with it while trying to actually search for shades of blue. I appreciate creative titles, and this is the most creative out of all the ones I came up with.

So What?

Coming up with titles this time was not an easy task, but I would be happy to have "All Our Shades of Blue" as the title. I am already picturing how I could try to animate it even with a bunch of shades of blue (I am not an animator, but I love trying new things and, with it being spring break, I have more free time). Now I'm gonna look for songs, and continue through the post-production and editing process.

Downloading the Files is Harder Than it Seems

Let me start off by saying that I did not expect to make a blog post about this topic alone. that being said, it took me multiple days to figure out a successful method to sort through and download my 100 shots. Because of the time and effort spent on this usually simple step, and all the lessons I learned along the way, I thought it appropriate to dissect the process.

Method #1 - Whatsapp

On Monday I started the process of sending all the clips I took through WhatsApp to then download them on my computer through https://web.whatsapp.com/. This Method worked just fine at first, but by the time I was done downloading all of the clips, I became afraid that not all clips had successfully transferred. 

On Wednesday I counted all the clips and realized that only half of them were downloaded on my computer. (I am unsure of why this was). Not only did I have a lower number of clips already, but multiple clips had multiple duplicates. At first, not wanting to start over, I started skimming clip-by-clip and comparing it to the clips I had, to know what I was missing. This quickly proved to be too time-consuming and I decided that starting over would be a better idea. However, I knew I had too many clips for email, which is my usual method, to work.

Method #2 - WeTransfer Website

On Thursday, after asking some friends how they shared the clips, I found WeTransfer. I tried using the website on Safari. Hypothetically speaking, given that my files were less than 2GB in size total, (the max on the website) all of the clips should've been able to be transferred on one zip file. However, my phone spent hours processing the clips just for them to not upload multiple times.

Method #3 - WeTransfer App

On Friday, after discussing the previous days' events with the friend who had suggested the website, she recommended trying the app. She also recommended dividing my clips into sections so they could load faster. Since I was already planning on organizing my clips by timeline order, I decided to start the separation then and divided my files into 6 groups: B-roll, Box, Bunny, Drawer, Sowing, and Bunny 2. This method was successful, and within an hour, all the clips were downloaded into my computer.

Sorting Through it:

I spent another hour sorting through the clips I had downloaded, deleting the outtakes, and naming each file, to make my life easier once I start editing.

So What?

This step took way longer than I could afford for it to take, but I did learn some lessons. #1 - Don't use WhatsApp to download clips. #2 - Don't underestimate how long it takes for any step, even when it seems easy (this lesson is easier in theory than practice to follow). #3 - Divide huge projects into sections when transferring the clips. I have officially ran out of time this week to be able to start editing. I plan on coming up with a title and finding a song for the background this weekend. I don't have a lot of time left for this project, but luckily I still have spring break and I will spend the first half editing and finalizing the project, and the second half making my CCR. I believe I will still be able to complete my project in time.

Filming the B-roll

 Today since neither of my sisters could help me, my mother helped as the "tripod" for the lights and as my behind-the-scenes camera woman. We filmed all of the b-roll this time. This time everything went smoother than the last since I didn't have an actor on the screen to be told what to do. I would like to add that I was unable to get a camera for either of the recording days and had to settle for my phone (with no tripod or stabilizer) since that is what I have available to me.

Setting up:

I forgot to mention this in the previous blog post, but I had to reorganize my shelves a bit to fit the character of the ghost (as this room is meant to have been hers). Mostly I just removed things and placed them on the table in my living room.

The Mess

Behind-the-Scenes:

Me filming while my mother serves as the tripod for the lights.

The setup for the shot of the door with the light.

Possible Concerns:

Due to my lack of tripod or stabilizer, I am worried that the shots might come out too shaky. I know a few tricks to stabilize the shots while on Premier Pro, but it's not always effective. 

Key Props:

The tarot cards and crystals to represent how Renee got obsessed with the occult before passing.

The mini setup of the attic of the Haunted Mansion at Disney, also to represent her obsession with ghosts.

This is the medicine she was taking to treat her illness before she died. (I got the flu this week)

My Favorite Shot of the Day:

My Camera Roll After The Past Two Days:

So What?

Almost done with filming. All I need is the one shot of the other girl in class/school looking bored/sad/mad. I am pretty happy with Today's results. I got all of the B-roll I believe I'll need and I know that if during editing I need to fix my b-roll, it won't be too hard to set it up again and film some more b-roll or reshoot anything. I had my mother move around the light to show that Renee is moving and the source of light is alive and not still, but I am worried that it only adds to the shakiness. Hopefully, I'll be able to edit out the shakiness of the camera, and the lights moving will look organic like I was hoping. I am content with the visual symbols and foreshadowing. The next stage is post-production: editing, finding the music, choosing a title and font, and hoping I have at least two minutes worth of content.

Filming the Ghost

 The time finally came, and I've officially started the production stage for this project. I filmed all the shots I believe I will need of the ghost with the help of both my sisters. My little sister served as the ghost and my older sister was my tripod to hold the blue lights in just the right angle, and also my behind-the-scenes photographer. Recording took longer than I originally expected, and now I'm going to have to record the B-roll another night.

Behind-the-Scenes:

The setup (also an example of the different angles of each light)

Me slightly opening the door so some (non-blue) light came through.

Examples of my older sister being used as a tripod.

Possible Concerns:

We changed the angle of the lighting liberally (as she's the one meant to be emitting the light) which might look weird once I start the editing process. I'm afraid it might come off as a continuity error rather than a deliberate choice. I don't think there's much I can do other than hope to figure out a way to make it clear she's supposed to be glowing through editing.

My Favorite Shot:

I don't want to give everything away but I did want to share my favorite shot so far. 

So What?

I'm not done with filming, I'm gonna have to continue filming Tomorrow. However, I am happy with the results so far. It is not exactly how I pictured it during the planning periods, but that's not a bad thing, I like the way everything is looking with the lights. The addition of the bunny and sowing the eye on is now my favorite part of this project, I can't believe the idea came from an accident. The next step is to continue filming, this time focusing on the B-roll, and then film the shot of the other girl at school.

Storyboarding?

 Turns out is something I dislike. They're helpful, but I struggle with drawing what I picture in my head. After a failed attempt to start one, I decided that a shot list would be more helpful for my particular situation.

The Shot List:

The Bunny:

I realized having her just rummage through a box for two minutes would be boring. I knew I wanted her to find something in that box, but I did not know what exactly or what the relevance was. Yesterday, the eye of my stuffed bunny fell off and I was devastated, but it gave me this idea. Renee, the ghost, stitching an eye in the bunny represents how she has a need to help and fix things for others. Her role in this film, in a way, is to help Tanda see things in a new way, and her fixing the eye of a bunny is, literally, helping the bunny see (stuffed animals don't see, but that's irrelevant). In my head, this room she's in is hers before she died. The things on the shelves represent/foreshadow how she died and her mentality right before it happened. There's medicine alluding to her sickness, and occult objects (tarot cards, crystals, ghost figurines) to allude to her becoming obsessed with the idea of spirits and the undead prior to her passing.

So what?

Not only do I now have a clear idea of the shots that I need to record this week, but I also feel more confident in the content of the intro and I'm no longer afraid of not having enough content for two whole minutes. The next step is to (Finally) begin the filming process. I plan to start and finish editing next week, and to focus on my CCR over spring break (the final week).

Blue Lights? - An Experiment

Clearly one of the aspects of this project that I am most looking forwards to is having a blue light on the ghost. I ordered these lights from Amazon last week and they finally got here, so I though I should experiment on whether or not my idea was possible at all before making the storyboard. So just in case it did not work, I could still have time to re route. I bought these lights specifically since it comes with two, not just one, that way I can illuminate my subject from multiple angles and truly make it look as close to her being the one emitting the light rather than light shinning on her. Another reason I chose these lights in particular, is because I am able to configurate a mix of colors at the same time to achieve the hue I want. 

Limitations: Lights have to be plugged in and their powerchords are attached so my possible angles are a bit limited.

Materials

• The Lights
• My Phone
• My Sister

Variables

    Control

• Same Angle

    Independent

• Light Settings/set up 

    Dependent

• Does it look like she's glowing?

 

Attempts

1. Half Half, Light and Dark Blue, No Backrground Light

Results: I thought the blue was too overpowering and made the clip look too monotone so I dicided to add white.

2. 5/6 Dark Blue 1/6 White, No Background Light

Results: The white being mixed in from the light source made it look too purple so I decided to turn it more blue.

3. All Dark Blue, No Background Light

Results: The Blue was even more overpowering. I decided I liked the mix more but having another source of white light could give the set more color while still keeping the subject blue.

4. Half Half, w/ White Background Light

Results: The Background light worked but I thought the blue was too light so I decided to remove some of the light blue.

5. 2/3 Dark Blue, w/ White Background Light  1/3 Light Blue & New Angle

Results: I thought the color combo and light in the background worked well together. Slightly changed the angle of the bottom light from 90 degrees to about 45 degrees to minimize the light in the background and direct it more at the subject. Was satisfied with results and decided to test out the settings with a close up of her hand since most of the shots will be body parts that are not the face.

    a. Hand test

Results: Was satisfied with the results of the hand, not perfect, might try to make her hand glow in post if I can figure out how to do so in after effects.

Conclusion

So, can I make it look like she's glowing blue? Yes! In restrospect, I am not sure if I prefer the monotone look or the light in the back. I might decide to record both on the day of and decide while editing what actually works best for the vibes I want to give. But overall this experiment was sucessful. Now I can feel safe while making the storyboard.

Scripting

Now that I have a more detailed idea of what the plot of the film would be as a whole, I have to ask myself an essential question before planning the intro in detail:

What is the ONE thing I want to leave the audience with?

As much as there are a million choices I'll have to make for this project, at the end of the day, 2 minutes is not a long time to establish multiple aspects of what would be an almost 2 hour-long movie. For this reason, knowing what the purpose of this intro is crucial to it's effectiveness. After researching and analyzing movie intros in my genre, magical realism, it seems to me that most magical realism movie intros create mystery, so I think I should to. 

I want to create the question of what Renee is. According to my media studies class, there are a few things I could focus on to create mystery, sound techniques (especially for off-screen elements), creating content that will lead to questions, and mise-en-scene elements (creating inferences or allusions to later in the plot).

Script

SOUND TECHNIQUES - Intense music and shuffling (off-scene).

CONTENT - The fact that the ghost is looking for and finding something that seems important but the audince does not know why.

MISE-EN-SCENE - The blue lighting in a dark scene and the item that Renee finds.

So what?

I certaintly think that this intro will create mystery and questions. With the intense music and shots only showing body parts rather than the entire picture, as well as the contrast of the dark scene to the lighter scene of the other girl, I believe that both visually and through sound, the audince will be wondering what is going on, what that person? is, what is the relevance of the item, and what is her connection to the other girl. Next I have to create a storyboard now based on this script and start filming as soon as possible.