Creative Critical Reflection

To top it all off, here is my creative critical reflection about my time spent working on the portfolio project. This is going to be my final post on this blog as of now. Thanks once again for sticking along with me on this journey! Until next time...

Film Opening - The Runaway

Here it is. We are at the end of the long road that my group and I started on about two months ago as we began the portfolio project. In my last project I already reflected on the process as a whole and what I learned from it, so I’ll spare everyone from more lengthy commentary. The point is, the opening is done. Because of making these posts frequently throughout these weeks, this moment, though, feels monumental. I want to give a quick thanks to my group and anyone else who might have aided me directly (or even indirectly).

This project is titled The Runaway, based off of a rebellious teenager who despises school and the constant pressures from his father. In order to escape from his misery, he decides to act bold and take action by escaping from his house. He then runs off into the distance of the beautiful world outside, making him officially a runaway kid. I hope you all have the same amount of fun watching this as we conveyed with the opening itself is. Without further ado, here is the opening for The Runaway:

Project Reflection

The first two minutes of a movie are the most essential part of any production. These are the moments that hook the audience in, the moments that identify the film as a whole. Film openings must create a tone, establish the genre, and reveal the conflict that drives the piece. Being tasked to create a likewise meaningful and high quality film opening was a journey start to finish, one with many road bumps and heartaches. As my group and I reach the home stretch of the portfolio project’s completion, I would like to take a moment to reflect back on what has led us here in the first place.

Research

To begin with, there was research. Lots of research. The genre we specifically started our research with was drama, which would give us a broad range of options and ideas to choose from since we had no clue what kind of story we wanted to make yet. After reading the various conventions and sub-genres of dramas, I heavily aligned myself in making the opening something in the vein of a tragedy. My thought process was that by making a heavily flawed character, their personality can be used to create tone and possibly hint at future conflict. I also took a look at the film openings from these well renowned films: Good Will Hunting (1997, dir. Gus Van Sant), Schindler's List (1993, dir. Steven Spielberg), and Taxi Driver (1976, dir. Martin Scorsese). Each opening presented new ways to tackle the project, with most influence deriving from Good Will Hunting’s approach to storytelling and Taxi Driver’s use of opening credits as an introduction to the plot.

Developing an Opening (Showtime)

The title card for what would have been Showtime.

After taking a look at dramas and sharing the information I found with the rest of my group, we all agreed on a tragic approach to the opening. In order to create a flawed character, I decided to research the fundamentals in character design and narrative structure. This combined with frequent spitball discussions with my group led to the creation of the character of Keith Floyd, a once famous actor who went off the deep end. These were the beginnings of the opening known as Showtime. Showtime was the original fully fleshed idea for the project and was based on Keith Floyd attempting to make a comeback into the spotlight. His attempt would fail as his bad habits of drug and alcohol addiction, and as well as the isolation and lack of true connection he experiences, will get to him.  This idea was heavily layered in our personal criticism of celebrity culture and how dangerous it can be to those who get too wrapped up into the lifestyle. It also was an honest one, as it is a genuine problem in real life that has actually led to the unfortunate deaths of many who rise into fame. All of these elements made this opening a strong, complex concept. An opening that would have been perfect in meeting all of the previously mentioned standards to be expected in the project. With a script written, a storyboard finished, and only a few minor bumps here and there, everything was slating to turn out great...

Change of Plans

Then COVID-19 happened. The toll it had on the rest of the world is far greater compared to how it affected us, but as a result we could not get to create Showtime. To try and avoid the danger of the virus, we thought about meeting up at a county park to film a horror production in the woods. At this point it was too late. The park closed before I was even able to write a script or do proper research on horror films, and there were stricter guidelines on social distancing. By being unable to meetup and having to stay at home under quarantine, we were unable to create an opening to the scale we had planned, and the only cast and crew we had access to was ourselves.  Almost all hope was lost on being able to create a great film opening.

The Workaround (The Runaway)

The title card for The Runaway.

My partner Edward suggested to embrace making it simple: an opening about a teenager running away from home in the same vein as a cheesy teen movie one would find from the 80’s. With the obstacles surrounding us, making a complex and extremely multilayered opening is going to be nearly impossible to pull off. The thought process was that if we at least stuck to something simple and actually able to be done, we could do a lot to make it interesting by using what we have. In this case, what we had was our neighborhoods and homes. Edward took the role of lead actor and filmed himself packing up a backpack and sprinting outside. My other partner Nick did some voice acting and shouted a monologue I wrote of an angry father upset with his son, which would go to explain that the teenager’s life at home is abysmal and that he was a rebel. I got additional footage of nature at a trail in my neighborhood to use for an opening credits sequence and detail the beauty of the outdoors. These gorgeous shots make the situation make sense as to why the teenager would want to run away out of the troubled home in comparison. Once I got these various sources of media, I combined it to create an upbeat, fun final product. Due to the limited resources we shot the opening with, editing became the most crucial element in the formation of our opening. Editing took a lot of time because of this. I had to perfect each frame as much as I could, create meaning through the cuts that I made, and had to make the pacing of the opening flow nicely.  We have decided to call this opening The Runaway.

Conclusion

As I reflect back on the entirety of the portfolio project, it is apparent that what I remember the most from it is less of the technical details, but instead the experiences I had learning more about film production, the time spent with my group working hard, and using creativity to overcome the barriers in our path. The filmmaking process is one filled with rewrites and workarounds all across the board. This is seen as we had to change plots, genre, and even tone multiple times until we figured out the best approach. It is also a process where you have to pay attention to what tools you have at your disposal and be able to adapt in order to create a great opening. While tiring as it has been, I have found it ultimately rewarding to type this now being finished with the opening and realizing how much we were able to accomplish, even if some aspects never made it to fruition. I wish there was more we could do to improve the quality, more we could do to make it into something more fantastic. In the end, I am proud of what we have made regardless of the situation and hope others will enjoy it as well.

Making a film opening requires a lot of effort and thoughtful consideration into all of the elements, whether it might be shot composition, sound, mise-en-scène, or editing, to create a cohesive piece. Openings must invoke tone, develop the narrative, establish genre, and hook in an audience. A film opening that can accomplish and apply all of the above is what makes one to be great.

Post-production

Post-production is finally underway! I thought the day would never come.

How Filming Went

Like I mentioned last time, I was going to get nature footage for the opening on Wednesday, which turned out to be a success. Even thought it might of just been from my phone, there are some genuinely beautiful shots I got.

A screen-cap of a piece of nature footage collected on Wednesday. 

I also did not let the lack of a tripod stop me in this process. With a bit of ingenuity, I came up with a solution: a ladder and a tape measure.

My solution in the field.

You might be wondering how I used these common items you might find in a garage to film in an outside set. The answer is quite simple. I used the ladder to place my phone on top of a surface (the top step), then put the tape measure in front of the phone to act as a weight to stop the phone from falling off. This combined with a bit of extra support from my hands meant I was able to get much more stabilized shots than I would have otherwise. Problem solved!

Editing Update

I imported these clips and the ones Edward had sent me from his set into my editor of choice, Adobe Premiere Pro. I have already stated beforehand that the Adobe suite of editing programs are ones that I am very experienced in and are my “go-to’s” whenever putting together any production.

Funny enough, after all this experience I still cannot manage to make an organize timeline!

As of right now, the basic structure is pretty much complete. The film opening has a very upbeat and energetic pacing to match the fun tone we want to establish. The montage of the protagonist escaping is edited to the beat of the song my group and I picked last week, but as of now is lacking in sound effects. A long while back I did research on free and royalty free audio libraries such as freesound.org and the Youtube Audio Library (click here to see that post). I will check these sources as I definitely need audio clips of a person running and a forest soundscape to coherently mesh together the nature footage in the opening credits sequence. Speaking of the opening credits sequence, I think adding a mystical sounding ambient music behind the nature sounds I plan on adding will help to invoke the sense of wonder and beauty I am trying to establish. If anything, I could also get additional sounds by producing foley recordings off of my phone for minor actions such as grabbing items off of countertops, opening and closing a backpack, etc. I also feel the shots look bland and should be more colorful, especially the nature shots to emphasize the beauty of the outdoors. Other than that, all that is left is to add the title card, credits, and make any minor tweaks as they appear.

I need to get back to editing as we are rapidly approaching our deadline which is about two days away... Scary...
Either way, I cannot wait until you guys get to finally check out the opening. I will see you all (VERY) soon!

Production Update

Just a quick update about how production has been going. For me, not so great! Since I am in charge of getting B-Roll of nature, it is my good luck that makes me pleased to announce that this weekend has been nothing but cloudy. The purpose of the B-Roll is to look beautiful and peaceful, not dark and cold. Ironically, the weather has been extremely sunny for weeks, making the situation all the more hilarious (and also very insulting).

A photograph I took today showing the grey sky.

Luckily, the weather has only partially affected production as Edward recorded everything that took place inside, which is a majority of the opening. Edward will be getting the rest of the footage that takes place outside these upcoming days once everything clears up. Checking the weather app on my phone, it seems that Wednesday will be bright once again and an opportunity for us to get everything down. Since there is a week left to go on the project, there is no more time to wait when it comes to post-production. I will begin work on a rough cut of the film opening and will simply take pictures of the shots in my storyboard and put it into my editing software whenever a specific shot is missing. I believe this is a very practical solution to Mother Nature's moody attitude as once the final shots are gathered, I can switch them in with the storyboard images in a breeze.

As previously mentioned, there is no time to wait in post-production, so I took the time I was supposed to spend filming and instead used it to find music and a font to use in the opening.

Music

If you can recall way back, I got a subscription for the royalty free music provider known as Artlist in order to get music for the original idea my group was going with for the project. A month or so later, I am using it once again for the same task. For this newest production in the works, we need a track that has a rebellious and upbeat energy. I was able to do just that with Artlist's descriptive filter that you can use to pick specific moods, genres, instrumentation, and the production type to find a song. I selected "carefree", "groovy", and searched for a high tempo to get that same upbeat energy I was describing. This one in particular I thought matched the vibe we are going for with the opening:



I sent it to over to my group and they collectively agreed that it was perfect.

Font Selection

To find a font I used the service Adobe Fonts, which is an extension the Adobe Creative Cloud plan that I have for all kinds of production software. From there I selected to find a handwritten typeface. Handwritten fonts are very common in the aesthetic design of teen-oriented films, therefore it made sense to pick one as well for our opening. 

The poster for the critically acclaimed film Call Me by Your Name, illustrating the use of handwritten fonts in teen-centered productions.

To be more elaborate, I wanted a handwritten font that had the same rebellious edge that the opening is going for. This was a font that I thought fit these two categories, titled "Flood".

I sent it over to my group with the music, and they also thought it was appropriate for this production. With these elements I am now ready to start work on the rough cut.

The Storyboard

I am back with the storyboard! While not the greatest artist, I had a lot of ideas in mind to visually communicate the plot without much in the way of dialogue. Here are some key details to take note of.

Director's Commentary

As I mentioned on my post about the script, I wanted the opening to begin with scenic shots of nature. The purpose of this is to have the opening to have a serene and airy feel of the world outside, which is later contrasted with the life Jordan lives inside his house. The strongest imagery in the production is that of the window. The window in Jordan's room is a visual gateway to the same beautiful world seen earlier in the opening, but also acts as a physical barrier and a reminder that there is much more to life than what he experiences stuck inside. Close-ups of textbooks and jumbles of paperwork serve to show that Jordan's life is stressful and boring, which will be further indicated through a voice over my other partner Nick will do pretending to be a strict father. After being shown what Jordan's minimal life looks like, a breaking point occurs where Jordan's frustration causes him to want to run away. This leads to a montage of Jordan packing supplies and other goods for his escape, finishing off with him running outdoors. The shots within Jordan's house use mostly close-ups, which is intentional for a couple of reasons. For one, using close-ups a majority of the time makes Jordan's house seem cramped in comparison to the outside. Another reason is to avoid revealing Jordan's entire face. Jordan has a rebellious personality and feels more at home on the run than at his actual house, making it more meaningful for his face to be fully shown when he first leaves. This acts as a statement of "this is who Jordan is", if that makes any sense. Once he begins sprinting, the application of wide and extreme wide shots are used to exaggerate his freedom. Edward and I will be capturing everything this weekend, with editing commencing right after.

The Actual Storyboard

Without further ado, here is the storyboard in its entirety, with every shot highlighted pink being my responsibility. It might not seem like much, but I do plan on over-shooting and getting as much as I can based on what I can find around my neighborhood. Once again, I am not an artist by any means, and some of these shots look a bit messy (I'm looking at you numbers 16 and 20A). Here it is below:

Page 1

Page 2

The final shot.

Logistics in a Pandemic

In order to create this new opening, my group's production process is going to have to be flipped on its head. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, we would of met up in person and recorded the scene together, with each of us having our own roles either as cast or crew. Personally, my role would of been (and still is) to direct. With none of us now able to get together, we will have no choice but split up the production. These obstacles are the same reason why we only have one actor written into the opening and why the primary location is indoors. I began to ask myself a host of questions on the best way to tackle this situation. How do you direct without anyone to direct in front of you? How can you film without any actors available? How are you able to create a quality production with such a huge lack of essential resources? These have been the questions racing around my mind these past few days, but was able to come up with a solution after thorough discussion.

The Plan

My partner, Edward, is going to be the one filming the project. While it would make more sense for the one who has actually written the screenplay and the one who is the director to record everything himself, I am unfortunately unable to. Shooting it all alone would mean I would also have to be the actor in the opening, which in itself is not an issue, but having no proper way of setting up my camera is. I lent my tripod out to a buddy of mine a while back before this chaos ensued in my country, and therefore have no way of getting it back anytime soon. It would be extremely difficult to act and camera operate by myself with only my hands available to do so. On the flip side, Edward does have a tripod. He would be able to film the opening himself without risking the shot composition, making him the perfect man for the job. I wasn't going to make him do everything by himself though, so I am getting B-Roll footage of natural scenery that we need in the opening as well. No acting is required for these shots which make me able to get these without too much trouble. To further compensate,  I will also draw out the opening's storyboard. Edward is typically the one to storyboard these projects out if you closely remember. Doing it myself in a way would allow me to direct without being there in person as I can both show Edward what to capture and also maintain my creative vision in the production. 

In conclusion, it is clear to see that one of the biggest tasks of creating a production is overcoming any obstacles that might stop you in your tracks. With the plan we made today, we can finally get this project finished.