Group Meetings

 Week Six: Under Pressure

I worked with some lovely people this morning to discuss any issues or concerns we had with our projects. It's funny how much you can resolve by simply asking for advice. My biggest problem was scheduling and the bike scene. One of the girls, Hannah, said that she faced the same problem due to daylights savings time and she said that she adjusted her film to fit any scheduling problems. Hannah also recommended that we make a schedule on Canva, which I liked a lot and I will do.  I also learned that Vane is doing a coming of age film with similar LGBTQIA+ elements, it's called Scrambled and it is adorable. Gianna Gomez, our lead actress is going out of town, time to call for a backup? I don't know. 

A photo of my lovely helpers!

In regards to the biking scene, I learned that you can stabilize when you edit OR we can switch to a car scene if we want. Both are suitable options. I'm still hoping to film either Thursday or Friday. I am starting to feel a lot of pressure surrounding this project. There are no issues, just scheduling conflicts.

A Pessimistic Mess

Week Five: Storyboarding and Scheduling

Since our opening is mostly in one location, we cannot film at school, so Hannah and I might have mundane blogs until we do. Call me a pessimist, but I already see some problems with filming. 

I made a list:

• Availability
• Weather
• Camera Movement
• Spring Break
• Bikes

Everyone is going out of town for spring break. How dare they! I know Keira won't be able to film since she is on vacation. So, we have to find a new assistant. Gianna Gomez has to film her AICE Media project, so Friday may not work. It is tricky scheduling around so many factors. Additionally, CAMERA MOVEMENT. We will film on our iPhones, which I don't love because the quality can be poor, and the video's usually come out shaky. I plan on asking our AICE Media teacher to check out either a stabilizer or a tripod, and if worst comes to worst, maybe borrow a camera? We also need bikes. Even though Hannah and I are teenagers, we don't have bikes. Worst case scenario, we change the bike scene to a car scene, but I hope we can borrow bikes from someone. Thanks for peaking inside my mind post-story board. Good night!

Yes, the Storyboard

Week Five: Storyboarding and Scheduling 

Simply put, I am exhausted. I finished West Side Story, so I am back to my part-time job as a blogger. BUT! GOOD NEWS! Hannah and I did the storyboard.

Maybe I'm doxing myself a little bit, but we decided the shooting location will be my house and neighborhood. My room has the misc-en-scene of a grunge queer teenager, and my community has pretty nature sights. I ❤️ Florida! I wanted to note that our video will not be only 16 shots. But, our shot count may be lower since our genre focuses on development rather than quick cuts. The beginning will consist of long shots of the sky, the trees, and a lake. Then, we will incorporate movement by doing a tracking shot of the road, and in the far distance will be two girls riding bikes. There will be a few shots of the girls riding bikes, a combination of tracking shots, mid shots, and long shots. The girls will reach the house, and the camera will stay still, focusing on the doors and the design outside. Once the door closes, there will be a pause to indicate time passing as they go into Maxx's room.

The room scenes are intended to focus on the posters and the objects in the room. Maxx and Sami will be browsing the room. There will be ad-libbing between the two. Eventually, the girls will end up pulling each other to the bed, and the laughter will change to silence, the "It's Complicated." 

That is our storyboard! The next few weeks will be heavy! Talk soon!

Its Been a Long Week

 Week Five: Storyboard and Scheduling

The number of times Hannah and I have changed our minds about film opening is insane. I am sorry. We went from this long Miami-montage idea to a park setting to our current vision. This week, I have also been playing Anita in West Side Story, hence my lack of blogs. Again, I am sorry. Here is our current idea: it still follows the same premise I mentioned last week, except we converted it to a film opening. The film opens, establishing a nature setting, then two girls ride their bikes, arrive home, hang out in their room, and end up on the bed together. 

Here is the outline! I am almost certain that we aren't going to change our minds again.
(This may be a lie)

Second-order of business. Filming. Goodness. There are a few minor scheduling issues. March 21st-27th is spring break, and Hannah isn't available Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Luckily, we have an early release on March 17th and a day off on March 18th, so we plan to film those days and edit over break. Because I am going to be acting in the opening, we are calling on a friend to help us with transportation and props.

OUR CREW:

Hannah Ackermann - Cinematographer 
Gianna Schultz - Actress [Maxx]
Gianna Gomez - Actress [Sami]
Keira Hochberg - Assistant to Cinematographer 

OUR DATES: (Tentative)

March 17th - Film

March 18th - Film
March 21st to 27th  - Edit

New Hobbies: Photography and Art?

Week Four: Character Development and Storyboard

Okay, I slept on it. If we do the outline, Hannah provided, that is a montage. But, if we pick two or three scenes from Hannah's outline, develop intimacy, and put in a few ad-libs of dialogue, that could make it an opening. So, I went on a walk for inspiration. 

I understand there are pictures of nature. Humor me. The beginning of the opening is scenes of the girls swinging on swings, blasting music, and biking/driving home. These scenes establish a bond, a setting, and a feeling of intimacy and freedom. 

I also used my room as inspiration. The nature scenes transition into the second half of the opening, which is either Maxx or Sami's room. There are a few exchanges of dialogue, each shot gets tighter to develop intimacy, and then both girls end up on the bed, and bam, "It's Complicated." The shots would range from close-ups on nick nacks found in the bedroom to shoes on the floor to the girls looking at each other. 

PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER AND DRUMROLL PLEASE...

Listen, I am no Picasso, but this is my rough storyboard and scene progression.

There is also the issue of endings. Should one girl break the fourth wall at the end? (INTERNAL SCREAM) I see Hannah tomorrow, and we will finalize the storyboard/overall concept. I have a love-hate relationship with partner work because the storyboard would be done if it were up to me, but Hannah needs to have a say in it. 

Please Don't Have Trust Issues

Week Four: Character Development and Storyboard

Ironically, I titled my last blog post "Keeping my Promises," yet didn't keep my promise on the storyboard. Again, I want to work with Hannah on it in person, but we have pushed it off long enough. We planned to do it on Thursday, but we didn't look at the syllabus (Our Fault), and we had to write an essay that day. So! Hannah and I talked about it and planned it out.

I'm going to sketch it out tomorrow, and we will finalize everything on Monday. 

HANNAH'S OUTLINE:

I love it, but here are some issues we are encountering:
1) How do we make this opening NOT a montage?
2) How do we make the opening flow?
3) How do we give detail but not reveal everything?

I call the following information "Gianna is SO Indecisive!"

Gianna is SO Indecisive

OPTION ONE:

Girl taking a BuzzFeed quiz with each question answered has a memory, a scene listed in the outline.
PROS:
Sets the film up as LGBTQIA+ based. 
CONS:
Seems like a short film rather than an opening.

OPTION TWO:

Flow similar to the Waves movie opening, going from scene to scene, removing Buzzfeed quizzes, and everything else remains the same.
PROS:
I am having trouble finding a pro to this option.
CONS:
- Seems like a montage/gives everything away.
- Takes many resources and locations.

OPTION THREE:

Swinging on swings, car jamming, dancing, arrive home, lay in bed, girl one brushes the other girl's hair behind her ear, and "It's Complicated" is shown. Each scene heightens intimacy (I.E., Camera shots get tighter).
PROS:
I really like this option. It removes the cons of the previous two.
CONS:
Not really a con BUT is something missing?

OPTION FOUR:

SAME as Option three, but before the title is shown, the shot freezes, and one of the girls gets up and says something along the lines of "Ah, shit!," breaking the fourth wall. 
PROS:
I really like this option. 
CONS:
No cons. Is the tiny bit of dialogue the "something missing" from option three?


I keep repeating to myself, "2+2 but not 4," option 3 and 4 seem to be "2+2" rather than "4," but the small detail at the end will require Hannah's opinion. For my visual readers, I will provide some sketches tomorrow. I am going to sleep on it. Good night!

Keeping My Promises

 Week Four: Character Development and Storyboard

   

I promised mood boards and background on my characters and a story board this week. WELL! Here is all the information on the extraordinary leading ladies. Hannah worked on one character while I worked on another, and we both gave each other inspiration. That being said, may I introduce to you Maxx and Sami!

I created the awesome Miss Maxx. Maxx's name and grunge style (Graphic T-Shirts and Baggy Jeans) play a huge role in her personality. As seen in the bottom right, Maxx has an absent father. As seen in the bottom left, Maxx struggles with her body image. The quote is indicative of how Maxx often feels unlovable or hard to love. 

Hannah created Sami. Sami's style is earthy, elegant, and edgier than Maxx. Sami constantly doubts herself, represented by the quote in the top right. Sami is a music fanatic, indulging in vinyl shopping, represented by the bottom right picture. Additionally, Sami is a book lover, as shown in the book picture. 

Sami and Maxx are closeted teenage girls, around seventeen years old. You may be asking: Why the mood boards and emphasis on developing characters that don't speak? Ironically, the answer is found in the question. Because the characters don't speak, there's such an emphasis on their emotions and WHY they act the way they do. Why they remain closeted. Why they remain so intimate, yet don't express their true desires. It all has to do with their internal emotions and their past. I loved creating Maxx and Sami, as I got to pick traits and aesthetics that I see around my high school.

The storyboard will be started on Thursday and hopefully finalized over the weekend. We are making good progress. After the storyboard, we intend to start the filming process (locations, planning, scheduling). After filming, we will edit, and finish up with the portfolio project. I know I sound overly ambitious but the process so far has flowed smoothly, and it is only a matter of time until we are pressing that submit button. 

If you want Hannah's take on ANYTHING regarding our portfolio... Han's Take