Portfolio Project: The riveting filming process

Are we still rolling?

I'd say I had a love-hate relationship with this filming process. Since we're quarantined I had to get very creative with coming up with new shots for the opening and it wasn't easy at all. There were so many moments where I said to myself "I have no idea how I'm going to film this". I was lucky enough to have friends that were willing to send me videos of them doing things that I asked of them and I'm so grateful because I couldn't have captured the desired essence of this film opening without their help. In the beginning stages of production, I had absolutely no intention of including myself in the shots at all but life has a funny sense of humor so here we are! Unforeseen circumstances, gotta love em.

Filming with my sister was fun but also a pain because it felt like I was pulling teeth just to get her to film with me since we're quarantined, her sleep schedule is out of wack and she has online classes that she complains about all the time. Since I didn't feel like begging her to film with me, I just took over at some points and shot scenes by myself. Everyone thinks we're twins for some reason so I figured why not since I could pass as her and her face wasn't revealed so the viewer probably couldn't even tell the difference. Being both the director and an actress in your own film can be stressful and overwhelming but somehow it managed to work itself out. I've learned a lot about my abilities and how I'm able to handle stress and pressure. I'm honestly proud of what I've accomplished so far!

Since I already had the shots my friends sent me days before filming the rest of the opening, I guess you could say I had a head start on the filming process. It wasn't the ideal situation for filming but I had to work with what I had so I figured it out. There were definitely days where I had no idea what I was doing or how I was going to pull this off but after I took that break and I eased my way back into the swing of things, I got my creative rhythm back. Being forced to think outside of the box and do things that are out of my comfort zone (like acting/ being onscreen even though you couldn't see my face) helped me realize that I'm able to overcome any obstacle because where there's a will, there's a way!

None of this was planned. I didn't think I'd have to change the entire visual concept of my film opening, ask friends to send me videos of themselves, shoot with only one actress who was my sister and feature in my own film but that is exactly what happened. Life is unpredictable and we never know what to expect but one thing I took away from all of this was that you have to be ready and willing to keep going and persevere no matter what. I didn't get through this filming process alone and even though it was rough for me and I had a creative mental block for a while, I got through it with my friends and loved one's encouragement and support. I love creating and this entire process was a roller coaster but it's finally coming together! See you in the next blog!