Portfolio Project: Mom's first cold read (video)

This is a video of my mom doing a cold read for the first time the day after I finished writing the script she's going to be reading from. She was so excited because her dream was always to be a news broadcaster and work with journalism because has her degree in communications so this is definitely her forte. I told her that the audio has to at the maximum, 2 minutes and 10 seconds because I can't go over that because her voiceover is the narration of the entire film opening.

This was an impromptu cold read and I wasn't planning on recording it and doing a blog about a cold read at all, but here we are. All I did was hand her my computer with the rough draft of my script on it and she was so enthusiastic about it she goes "can I do a could read?" and I agreed because why not! I grabbed my phone and recorded this take. I'm going to have to record more takes because this was the first one and because the tone in which she's giving the report is not the right one I'm envisioning for the voiceover. The way she read it was very upbeat and energetic but that's because that's how her personality is so she's used to speaking that way and because I gave her no direction at all, it didn't sound the way I'd like it to. I'm going to work with her on it more so that she knows what I'm going for and we can do this together!

I asked for her opinion on somethings like if I should film her giving the report and have her news broadcast playing on the Tv screen to portray a real news report but she said she liked my second option. My second option was to have her news report audio playing as a voiceover only and use this as the narration of all the shots that are occurring during certain parts of the opening. I'm not sure if I phrased that correctly but it makes sense to me and it will make more sense once I draw the storyboard.

This is only the first take of the voiceover and I have to actually direct her and let her know how I want her news broadcast to sound. We're going to meet and spend a lot more time figuring out her tonality, inflections, etc. so that the overall tone of the voiceover and the visuals don't clash together. I'll keep you updated on how this process goes! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: News broadcasting script

NEWS BROADCASTING SCRIPT (outline)

Good morning this is Ava Dior from the WFX news station in Miami here to give you an update on the vigilante group referred to by many as the Daughters of vengeance. These anonymous heroes have been able to save lives and keep the streets of South Florida safe while somehow managing to keep their identities a secret. They live in plain sight and are said to live normal lives during the day, but at night, they become fierce justice seekers. Even though the identities of this crime-fighting group are unknown, it is believed that there are 4 of them and they are all female. When law enforcement was first made aware of the group's existence they believed that the group was an extreme feminist group with malicious intentions but they soon realized that that was not the case. They seem to be targeting those that have broken the law or hurt innocent people. They've taken the law into their own hands but the local police department assures the citizens of South Florida that this group is non-threatening to the innocent but not so forgiving of criminals. There was a similar group like this in the late 70s and early 80s so some speculate that this group is a new generation of a feminist vigilante group continuing that legacy. Law enforcement has confirmed that they are working on discovering the identities of the group members so if you have any information on this group and who they are please contact the local police department at 754- (audio cuts off)

Portfolio Project: And the academy award goes to....

Give my mom an Oscar Award! 

My mom volunteered to be an actress in my opening which at first I was apprehensive about but the more I thought about what I could have her do in the opening it actually was a good idea. I want to have her act as a news broadcaster that is reporting on the vigilante's defeat of another bad guy. My mom has tons of experience being in front of the camera, being an emcee, and working in a plethora of productions like this so I think this will be a really good touch to add! I'm going to write her script and film her doing the report as if she was an actual news reporter then I'll add in all of the effects to make it looks like a real news broadcasting. After coming up with this idea I realized that it would probably be cool if the film opening opens up with my mom's new broadcast and then have Zora make her entrance. I'm going to do a whole blog on this soon because I have a lot of ideas that I'm so happy about because I was having a creative mental block for a while hence my mini-breakdown video posted two days ago...

Anyway, this is blog posting is going to be me writing the outline of my mom's script that she's going to be reading for the news broadcasting clip. For a moment I was thinking about just having my mom's news report substitute Zora's narration, and I'm not entirely hating the idea. Having the news report play in the background of the film opening is actually a cool concept. Instead of having Zora explain their story, I'm going to let my mom, the news broadcaster do it. The visuals would all match up to what my mom would be saying on the TV and the way it looks and sounds in my head is really good so I'm hoping I'm able to get it right.

Since the script is acting as the narration in this opening, I have to write the script so that I know what kinds of shots I need to film. In the next blog, I'm going to be writing out the rough draft of the new report script! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: I think I've figured it out! (sort of)

I think I've decided on how I'm going to film the majority of my film opening. Eureka! I still haven't figured every single detail out yet but I think I want the characters and the overall plot to be introduced through a gradual pan and then incorporate shots that give the viewer hints about the character's lifestyle, their individual personality traits and what life is like as a vigilante group.

I know that the sudden coronavirus outbreak and us being quarantined made my film opening progress turn completely in the opposite direction but after thinking about it and trying to overcome this hurdle, I think I have come up with a solution. I wanted to figure out a way to maneuver around not having my 4 main characters in my project anymore while still incorporating them in my opening if that makes sense. At first, I was thinking of just having Zora mention each of them briefly in the narration (yes I'm still planning on having a narration, I made up my mind finally) but then it hit me, I can introduce them in a different way while still revealing them.

We've already established that I want to film part of the opening with a pan of Zora's living space but I wanted to still have the other 3 characters involved in it somehow. The whole purpose of the pan is to give the audience an inside look into the life of the characters so I'm going to use this pan to my advantage. Since I can't physically film with 3 of my actresses I can use the pan to infer the existence of them. Zora is the leader of the group and they're all sisters so they'd all be living in the same house. The focus is on Zora mainly but this pan is going to be the tool I use to bridge the gap.

My idea for using the pan to introduce the other 3 sisters is by having the pan show pictures on the wall of all 4 of the girls as young children. I'm friends with all of the actresses so I have plenty of photos of them from their early childhood years that I plan on using. While the camera is panning around the girl's home there will be shots implemented that are meant to let the viewer know more about their lives while still keeping the other girls a mystery in a sense. One idea I had to give a hint about their living situation is having a shot of their bathroom and all 4 of their toothbrushes so that the audience gets an idea of what each girl is like.

Here are just some of the pictures in my camera roll of my gorgeous actresses! :

Bria (Caroline)

Valencia (Keira)

Luana (Claudia)

Zora (Aneesa) 

This blog really assured me that I've got this and I'm going to do just fine in this project! I have the pieces I just need to put them together to complete the puzzle and that's what I plan to do. I'm going to get started on all of this ASAP so I'll keep you guys updated, see you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: Project update (video)

Hello again! This video is me having a very tiny mental breakdown in my bedroom while trying to figure out what I specifically want my final product to look like. I promise there are no tears or anything like that, I'm just explaining what my thoughts are on my current dilemma. I take this project so personally because this will be a creation of mine that I'm sharing with others. I know it's for a grade but this is something that I want to genuinely be proud of. I don't want to just pull something randomly from thin air and hope it gives me a passing grade, I want to do my best and surpass my own expectations. When things like this don't turn out the way I intend them to, I get frustrated and become unmotivated but I'm trying my best not to let that happen. I'm going to remain as positive as I can and film the coolest film opening I can!

So without further ado, here's my mini-mental breakdown video, enjoy ;)

Portfolio Project: I have no idea what's happening right now

Mid-project crisis.

Trying to figure out how I'm going to shoot this is honestly so hard for me because it could be so simple but I'm over complicating it. I tend to overthink so in my head bigger is better and in terms of this project that translates to "the more complex it is, the technique and visuals, the better". I struggle with the "less is more" concept so trying to brainstorm a new storyboard for the opening is frustrating me.

I have no idea what I want the concept to be or if I even want my sister, who's playing Zora, in it. I'd love to have her in it but right now I don't know how I'm going to make having Zora in the opening fit cohesively with the rest of the opening. I don't know if I'd have her revealed in the beginning or towards the end of the opening, I don't know how much or what she's specifically going to say in the narration or if there's even going to be a narration. A lot of stuff is up in the air right now and this part of the process is the worst because everything functions in sequential order so without having the key element that determines literally every decision you make regarding your production (the concept/ main purpose/ intended message), you really don't have anywhere to go. And this is where I am right now. I don't have that much time left to still be in the brainstorming stage so I'm hoping writing all of my thought out in this blog will help me think of a solution to my mid-project crisis!

When we had a conference meeting with Mrs. Stoklosa she was saying that our openings did not have to have actors and there doesn't even have to be people in it. There are so many unique ways to film an opening but I just have to get creative and think until I have some sort of epiphany. I researched a few examples of film openings that I liked and most of them didn't incorporate people in them but I still don't know how I'm going to introduce Zora, her sisters, and the fact that they're a group of vigilantes. I like the film opening concept where the camera is just panning around the living space of the character. The film example from Back to the Future was so cool and I learned a lot about the character without physically seeing them or being introduced to them through a narration. A pan is a very simple camera movement but with editing techniques and engaging shots, I think I would be able to execute this concept well.

I'm planning on drawing a storyboard and having somewhat of an idea about what I'm going to film soon. I was hoping that I'd be filming and editing by now but that's unfortunately not the case so I have to come up with something good and fast. I really think I can do something cool with the panning idea but I still don't know if I'd include a narration or not. Hopefully, I'll figure that out soon but like always, I'll keep you guys updated! See you in the next blog!

Portfolio Project: film opening examples: Honorable mentions!

HONORABLE MENTIONS!

These two film openings are not necessarily exactly what I'm looking for in terms of my production but I really liked the editing techniques used in them and the transitions used in them, especially the transitions in Shaun of the dead.

Shaun of the dead (2004)

Shaun of the dead

Short Circuit (1986)

Short Circuit

Source:

“Shaun of the Dead.” YouTube, YouTube, 2009, www.youtube.com/.

“Short Circuit.” YouTube, YouTube, 2011, www.youtube.com/.