Filming - Day 3

The montage has been covered from front to back during today’s shoot!

A behind the scenes look of the comedy set.

With the montage being a short collection of different genres and formats, we had to move between a variety of locations and set up each accordingly. First was the silent film section, which was only a single shot, but took a while to film due to cars passing by in the neighborhood. While recording the shot, we made sure that Edward walked slowly so it could be sped up in post to match the fast yet jittery nature that films in the 1920s had. Next was the comedy section, which required lighting to be set up, but was overall an easy process to film. Lastly was the horror section, which we filmed at a park right before it turned dark outside. We had to move quickly to capture each shot as we only had a small light with us, making it a race against the sun. We were able to get the last shot in time before the sun had set completely and also before a major rainstorm started pouring down. Talk about beating the odds!

A still of the Protagonist exploring the terrifying forest.

Next up is the action and void scenes. I predict these will take the most time to film, so I will make sure to get some rest for the long day ahead. Bye for now!

Filming - Day 2

On today’s recap of production life, I will be going over the process of recording the opening scene a.k.a. the teen scene. We were unable to get to the horror section of the montage as planned, but as a result we were able to take our time to make the start of the film excellent.

A still of the Protagonist looking outside their bedroom window.

A major technique we utilized while filming was movement. By putting our camera onto a stabilizer, we were able to make the first few opening shots feel majestic. Oliver had the camera revolve around Edward as if he were a godly presence to emphasize that main character energy we are trying to parody. This combined alongside the bright sunlight shining through the room helps to sell the perfect illusion these teen movies typically give off. The lesson learned here is that on the spot creativity can be superior to the initial shot list and storyboard which had more static shots. When it came to the Protagonist and Narrator arguing over the script, we decided to change the ending where filming equipment would appear on screen. This was due to it most likely being too confusing for the audience, not having much equipment to make the scene look like a full on movie set, and it ultimately being an unnecessary detail. While on production, these moments of clarity, such as a cool idea or change, come to fully realize a film. From the perspective of a director, the best way I could describe it is as if the story is telling itself to you while it begins taking shape through the set design, equipment, and performances.

A still of the Protagonist acting shocked for being late to school.

With the opening scene done, tomorrow my team and I will spend the day focusing on the montage with the horror section we need to make up for. See you all then!

Filming - Day 1

Production is officially underway for the short film with today being our first time on set. Here’s a rundown on the experience!

This shoot was for the romance scene, which is the third scene in the film and has the Protagonist horribly attempting to act like they went through a break up. While it is not one of the longer scenes in the film, it did take a while to get our bearings both from a production and acting stand point. Edward is not by any means an actor, so it was definitely rough for him to act emotional on camera. I was personally a bit nervous in general, but as we continued pushing through each take, it was exciting to see the story we wrote come to life. The scene was filmed at a local parking lot during sunset into the night, with the dying light being a strong visual indicator of the fictional relationship fading away. The issue with it being filmed in a parking lot, though, is that at any given moment things can get extremely noisy. Since I was boom mic operating on top of directing, I heard all of this first hand. Cars, music, background conversation, all of which bleeding into different recordings that were dialogue driven. Fortunately we had the patience to wait it out until we were able to capture the perfect take.

A still of the Protagonist fake crying.

Overall, today was successful and a great start to this four day marathon of production. Tomorrow we will go cover the opening scene and the horror section of the montage. Wish us luck!

Production Schedule

Last but not least, it is time to talk about the production schedule. In order to be organized and efficient when filming, a schedule is of utmost importance. Luckily, Oliver was on the job.

Oliver created a production schedule that would take place over the course of next week. It is pretty hectic, but it must be done with the especially limited time we have to wrap up the project. We would be knocking out the short in 3 days, with most of these days having grouped together multiple scenes. Scenes were methodically chosen on specific days to match with the locations we would be at, that way we did not have to travel far in between them and instead keep shooting.  We are making sure to clear our calendars in order to follow through with the production schedule and are hoping to enter the post-production stage by next weekend. At this point we will be going full throttle to the finish line, so I hope you will all stay tuned to see the good (and possibly some of the bad) of filming and editing an entire short film. With that being said, check out our production schedule below and see you guys on set!

• Tuesday - Romance scene
• Wednesday - Teen and horror scenes
• Thursday - Comedy and silent film scenes
• Friday - Action and void scenes

The Art of Mise-en-scène

Costume and set design are crucial to any production, which is why today I will go into detail into our planning of mise-en-scène.

Set Design

In terms of set design, the void scene at the end of the short film will be the most dependent on construction and arranging it into the creative vision we had in mind. I suggested to make the final scene something similar to the void scenes in Stranger Things (2016), which had a pitch black background yet had the subject covered in light.

Example of the void effect in the show.

While researching how to pull off a similar effect, I realized that if we were able to order a black photography backdrop, hang it up, and place lights in front of it, then we should be able to recreate this dark space in an empty room. In this case, our set will be in Oliver’s garage like I had revealed in the previous post. Another element in the void scene is the table where the Protagonist begins writing their own story. I was able to find a nice tablecloth that we can cover a plastic table with, that way it is much easier to carry while still looking formal. On the tablecloth, we had the idea of using a small plant on one side and a skull on the other, which would represent life and death. By having them placed at the ends with the Protagonist’s script in the center, it subtly implies that the Protagonist is taking control of their own fate. 

A quick test shot of the table.

Costume Design

On the topic of costume design, this short film requires a lot of planning due to switching between different stories and genres. Edward has already been preparing his outfits for the role of the Protagonist, which look great! Oliver and I both think they match their respective scenes and were well done. 

Edward's action star costume.

There is a specific part of the film I would like to discuss in relation to this facet of mise-en-scène, which is the action segment. The action segment has the most characters on screen, meaning that Oliver and I have to plan outfits for ourselves. Oliver will wear a suit to match his character of a millionaire, all while being tied up with duct tape with his mouth shut and wearing a blindfold. As the villain, I decided to go all out. I will wear a bright red jacket with a matching ski mask on top. This will definitely be eye-catching on screen, while also visually communicate to the audience that the character is an antagonist. 

Me as the fearsome villain Deathclaw 👹.

There is an important element to Oliver and I’s costumes that might not be caught by many, but definitely do hold a symbolic purpose. By obscuring our facial features, we will seem more like generic background characters rather than actual people, which is an important contrast to have when the Protagonist is supposed to be the star of the show. The Protagonist is also the most human in terms of having their own thoughts and emotions, therefore having them have a clearer face makes sense.

Location Scouting

As my team and I prepare for next week’s shoot, we have decided on which locations we plan to use for the short film. 

The locations we chose met the criteria of both being accessible to us while also matching the scenes accordingly. For this reason, a lot of filming will take place near Oliver’s house, as we will use his room for the teen scene, his living room for the comedy scene, his street for the silent film scene, and also his garage for the action and void scenes. For the romance scene we plan on filming it outside of a large, local parking lot, and for the horror scene we will film at a park. Overall, these locations are simple but perfect, and we will be able to find success at these locations when we finally start recording. Here is the full list of locations:

• Teen scene - House
• Action scene - Garage
• Romance scene - Parking lot
• Comedy scene - Living room
• Horror scene - Park
• Silent film scene - Street
• Void scene - Garage

With our locations in mind, it is time to discuss other important elements such as mise-en-scéne and organizing a schedule. Expect to hear more shortly!

VFX Testing

Good morning! Since the short film is shaping up to be graphically intense, I decided that today I would test out these visual effects in order to A) confirm they work, and B) design these elements prior to filming. Let's get started.

Screenplay Text

While the Narrator is reading out the different scenes and the Protagonist is performing, we want to show the screenplay on screen. This communicates to the audience that the events on screen are part of these fictional scripts and shows how the lines translate into the scene. It also allows the disconnect to be clearer when the Protagonist breaks out of character, as the text disappearing illustrates that the script was interrupted. At first we were thinking of splitting up part of the screen with the script and the other half with the shots, but we realized this would not be a great choice. For one, splitting the screen means that we would have to compose shots with the positioning of the text in mind, which would be difficult and time consuming during filming. Secondly, it looked amateurish. I made a mockup in Photoshop using a still from one of my previous productions:

😬😬😬

In order for these graphics to work well, the text has to unify with the cinematography to create a flowing image as opposed to cutting into it. I went back into Photoshop to find a perfect marriage between both elements and came up with a solution. My new mockup overlays the text on top of the visuals, except this time, the text fades away as it goes lower into the frame. This way the text is clear yet out of the way, but also gives a lot of space for the shots. My group and I agreed it was the way to go:

😎😎😎

Narrator Waveform

A couple posts ago on the blog, I told you all how at first we wanted to have the Narrator make a physical appearance at the final scene but decided against it to preserve their omnipresence. Since the end of the short film is supposed to be confrontational between the two characters, I still wanted some form of presence from the Narrator. This led me to the concept of having the Narrator's audio waveform appear above the Protagonist. 

A quick sketch I drew on my smartphone when originally coming up with the design.

The fact that the Narrator appears as literal audio-waves would be comically fitting since they are literally using their voice to narrate, but on the other hand, the addition of a floating being would add more surrealism to the scene. With this image for the Narrator's presence in my head, I went to After Effects to figure it out. I found a tutorial on how to create waveforms that had various options to choose from. I decided to go with a spherical design as it felt more visually appealing rather than having a straight line. It also looked like a spirit orb, almost as if it was someone communicating from another existence (very deep, I know). 

A screenshot from my After Effects Project.

From here I decided to make the spherical waveform more god-like by adding a bright glow and rays of light beaming down from above. To test this in a shot, I mirrored the sketch I drew by adding a new rough illustration of the Protagonist and rotating the Narrator to seem like they are looking down. Check it out:

Conclusion

The team and I are very happy with how these VFX elements turned out and are more than confident in using them when it comes time to put the film together. Next week I will continue to work on preproduction and plan on finishing this stage of the short film by then. Wish us luck!