CCR

Major and Minor Tasks

Trailer #1: Unconventional

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7bb6k3muYIwYlBTaHRjWHdGaFE/view?usp=sharing












Trailer #2: Conventional

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7bb6k3muYIwdHV0ZTlpa3ljN2s/view?usp=sharing









Website: https://amygallagher7.wixsite.com/theorder



Poster:

The Home Stretch

Ah here we are, hours away from the due date. Yet again, I'm working up until the last minute but I low key like the pressure and the thrill of it. I also wanted to take all of the time possible to perfect everything. I uploaded one of my trailers, and the other is exporting as we speak. I even had time to make cute little thumbnails for each! I finished my poster yesterday after much distress; I don't have Photoshop so designing the poster slightly more difficult. But don't you worry I handled it! I crafted half of it on Canva and finished the rest of it on Word. I finished my website this morning; my one major issue is that my trademark font for the title wasn't available on Wix, so I had to improvise. I just used the closest font to the original. It isn't quite the same, but it will have to do. I also created a logo for the production company of the film, Oakmont Productions. This gave the trailers a much more professional feel.

I chose to add cinema bars to my more conventional trailer, as trailers for major motion pictures have them. I chose not to include them in my unconventional trailer so more attention could be paid to the visuals. On the note of editing, I almost chose to change the font of the textual graphics in my conventional trailer. The font I used for them is the same as the font for the title. I considering changing it because it might be considered too hard to read; though, I kept it for branding purposes.

All that is left is my CCR. I wrote my script and some notes a couple days ago. I recorded my voice-overs that will pair with screen casts, which are the only thing I have left to do. Well, that's pretty much it, it's all coming to a close. (Sheds tear)

Everyone Loves A Good Vlog

This vlog is from a few days ago, but none the less contributes to the post-production process. Enjoy!

Real Quick...

Real quick before I start filming again, I realized I didn't get to talk about mise-en-scene inspiration!
Even though I am having my piece take place in the present, I still want to have older, or more traditional, elements in the environment. This first piece I thought of for inspiration was Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain. I always loved the yellow, green, and orange hues throughout the film, and of course the symbolic contrast between lightness and darkness. The scene in particular, was the opening scene when Tomas was praying at a small alter. I want to employ similar techniques and create symmetry within the shots, and have the main subject be off center to imply that he is atypical and doesn't fit in.

I also find Aronofsky's CUs to simply yet beautifully capture the subjects. After my first days of shooting and examining my footage, there isn't enough variety in my shots so I think CUs and even ECUs will make the trailers more appealing to watch. Aronofsky also manipulates shadows to create depth within each shot. In addition, he uses shallow focus to make the point of the shots very clear.


In addition to shots and coloring, let's talk wardrobe! I was a little confused about what to have my actors wear. Since I am taking on a contemporary time period, I didn't need to buy or make any classical robes (very thankful about this). The narrative will focus on the boys in their studies and daily activities, not necessarily in mass, so this made costuming more lax. All of the actors I retrieved have very different styles so I had to think of something all of them would have and that was also in line with my vision. I decided to just have the boys wear slacks and button-down shirts. This way they still look conservative and put together, but it still allows for their different personalities and has modern elements. For example, Jason came in with the top buttons undone but I decided that it actually went well with his character and created some diversity. I also had to consider my audience and fellow teens, Generation Z! We are a fashionable bunch (especially those crazy hipsters) so in much of the media we consume, we prefer attractive costuming to authenticity. A perfect example is The CW's Reign, which tells the story of the French throne and all of the juicy details. The show takes place in 16th century France, yet all of the ladies have beautiful gowns that are everything but historically accurate. Though, fans of the show recognize this but look past it because they are so invested in the narrative. Therefore, I have some room for the guys to add in some of their own personal style. Though, in the one scene with all of the guys in the church at their induction ceremony, I do want them to be wearing black polos and I will make them priest collars. This scene in one of the more religious scenes so I want to be as  respectful and accurate as possible.

Historically accurate? Not at all. Possible prom dress? Absolutely.

What Would This Be Without Problems?

Wonky shadows, mysterious blue hues, uncomfortably framed

After my first two days of filming and looking over the footage that I got, as always, I need to refilm. For the scene between Gabe and his mother, I filmed at night so all of the natural lighting was gone; I had to use lamps, one normal and one blue bulb, but it looked too artificial. I can film in the same location, my brother's room,  but I think it'll look better with natural light coming through the blinds. I also think the shot will be better if I use a CU, rather than a MS, so that the desperation and controlling nature of his mom is more obvious.

The scene I spent most of my time filming was the dramatic dinner scene. When I was imaging the scene and storyboarding, I had the table filled with 5-6 priests. Though due to scheduling, I couldn't round up enough actors for this scene. I thought that if I used tighter shots, it wouldn't be obvious, but even so it looks awkward and lame. Therefore, I am going to get some more male friends to help me out. When I film this scene again, it should go a little quicker because I already have an idea of what shots I want. Another issue I had with this scene was that the light fixture in my dining room was too low, so it was partially in a couple of the shots. The whole setup of my dining room ended up being more difficult to maneuver than I thought, so I am planning on using my neighbors dinner table. Her house is a bit more modern, but I could easily manipulate it to fix my miss-en-scene. The lighting in her house is more ideal because it had whiter and cooler hues rather than my house that has yellow hues. 

The scenes that I filmed with Diego came out good! I successfully captured shots of him in his room, reflectively writing in his journal and also a couple of him sitting under a tree as he reconsiders his life's purpose. 

This coming week is spring break (whoop whoop!!) so all of my actors are available (whoop whoop!!!!) I get back from New York on Monday night, so I plan on filming all day Tuesday and finishing up on Wednesday. Tuesday, I am taking the gang down to my church where we can get some shots. My friends mom is a teacher at the school connected to my church and she said we could use her classroom if we need to. Then I'll edit all day Thursday and finish up my website and poster. 

Posters

Naturally, I can't just think about what I'm doing at the moment, I need to think about what's next; I'm in the filming process but I can't help but start planning my website and poster. I won't lie, I'm not the biggest fan of making websites because I feel like the ones I make are always ugly and unorganized. I have made movie posters before, using simple templates but I want this one to be clean, crisp, and professional. In the past, I have just used a still from the piece but after looking up film posters, most include a separate photo. I definitely want to use the conventions for my poster, so I plan on doing
something similar.

I found a simple website that could help me construct my own poster. From many drama film posters that I have seen, usually the main character is the subject of the poster. I envision either a CU of Gabriel looking into camera, or a MS of his body, from the neck down. With the latter, it would be a little more interesting because it isn't revealing the face of the main character, therefore leaving some part unknown. Classic GenZ will be so intrigued with the person and why their face isn't shown that they might go out and find the film. 

I want to use the conventions but I want my poster to be original enough to get attention; the Moonlight poster is an excellent example. It used the basic conventions of a film trailer, but the image itself was to well-thought out, simple, to the point, and not to mentioned eye-catching. 10/10 to their market team because people are still talking about the poster. Even though my Photoshop skills are a solid mediocre, I want to try and attempt to make a poster that is new and enticing. This will help to aid in my branding; The Order will use traditional conventions of drama but it also
 is new and innovative in the narrative.

Vlogs Are Back And...

...better than ever! Here's a vlog from last night, which has some set design, hair and makeup, director's notes, and of course bloopers. Enjoy!

Storyboard

I'm 90% done with story boarding! Yay! Hooray! I usually storyboard on regular paper or in a notebook, but this time around I chose to use index cards (Wow it's crazy, I know. Everyone please just calm down). For the trailers, I have to use the same shots in different orders so I thought that if I went into filming already having an idea of each, it would make things easier.

Trailer #1

Trailer #2

 






















As I tried to indicate on my story boards, trailer #2 will take on drama trailer conventions: chronological order, textual graphics, etc.) Trailer #1 won't be in chronological order, and leave audiences (hopefully) intrigued about the whole film enough to go see it.

There are scenes and shots that I didn't get around to story boarding but it makes filming a little more exciting. For now, this creates a good guideline for filming. Now I'm excited, let's do this thing!

Frosted Flakey

Diego looking fresh and clean

I had everything planned with Adrian to film after school on Friday, but unfortunately he was called in to help with a drama club production. I understand he's very committed to his extracurriculars but he told me that the next time he is available is this Sunday evening. I won't lie, I freaked out for a hot second (which was more like a hot hour) until I got my act together and compromised; as much as I want Adrian to play Gabe, the main character, his schedule isn't very flexible so I'm going to move him to Chris, Gabe's closest friend. I'm recruiting my friend's younger brother, Diego Estrada, to play Gabe. Diego, like Adrian, is very involved in our school's theater program. He will be playing the lead in this year's production of Fame. Now that I have him as Gabe, I feel like he is even better for the role! I'm very excited but I also have to work fast. Fame is opening next weekend, so Diego has rehearsals after school  every day until 5pm, so I am going to try and film the majority this weekend. Also, having Diego as Gabe and Adrian as Chris is convenient because they will be both staying after school this week so they will be together if I need to get a quick shot or two.

Jason (left)

In addition to Diego, I also got my friends, Jason Liu and Francisco (Fran) Acosta, to act as well. I failed to find other actors from drama club so Jason and Fran kindly volunteered. Jason has no acting experience but he has helped me film other production so he knows how I work. When I asked Jason to act he eagerly said yes and, "this will help me complete my destiny of being the next Ronald Reagan." Fran has acted for me last year in a small piece for class. He isn't in front of a camera often, as he spends most of his time with our school's math club, History and Science Bowl teams, and keeping his status as salutatorian.  Though, Fran is a good friend, who is always willing to help and I am extremely grateful.

Fran (right) and our friend Kassidy (left)
enjoying some yummy crepes

I am casting Jason as Sam, the make-shift antagonist, who is the main reason for Gabe's exclusion. There is an important scene where Sam is questioning Gabe's relationship with Chris, and I feel that Jason has the power and passion to execute the scene well. Fran is going to be portraying Michael, a supporting character that doesn't have any huge scenes, but adds to the group dynamic.

Today, I am going to try and shoot the dinner table scene, with the argument between Sam and Gabe. I want this scene to act as the climax in the trailers, so it is really important that I give the scene enough time to shoot.