Media in quarantine

     Although this is slightly unrelated to my film production, I feel that this is something that I wanted to talk about. I have never been through a pandemic like this in my lifetime, but I do know my quarantine experience would have been so different if I was born earlier. This is because with the media being not as advanced, it would have been a harder time for me. Media and technology has really been beneficial during this coronavirus situation. I am so grateful to be able to have media platforms that allow me to stay connected with my friends during this. Communicating with them keeps me in check and I don’t feel myself at home all the time. I have been using group FaceTime on my phone to talk to my friends and stay connected with them. Another way I have been connecting with my friends is through Snapchat. On this social media platform I am able to text in group chats as well as see what people are posting about their experience in quarantine. 

     Other than social media, I have been playing board games online with my friends to keep busy and stay in touch. On this platform called rento fortune, me and my friends connect and play monopoly together. Another website called skribbl.io we connect and play a game like pictionary. Another way I have been staying connected is by listening to the news. Although this is an obvious response, the news has been a very important role in keeping my family and I aware of what is happening with the virus and it has helped me understand what is happening all around the world and the severity of this problem. I have been watching plenty of shows and movies that have helped me stay entertained at home and one movie called “1 Mile to You” has actually motivated me to start running again and staying active.

FILMING PROCESS COMPLETE!

     I am so relieved to say that I have finally completed the filming process for my opening earlier today! The raw footage for my two minute opening is all done, and my next step is just to edit it together. For the sound element of my film I am planning to use the song "Finally," which is one of the three songs that I posted about in one of my blog posts previously. The hardest part of the processes other than the other two difficulties I stated in the last post was getting my sister to write "find true love" on the checklist similarly each time we filmed it from different angles. My sister and I only had small arguments when the shots weren't turning out the way they were supposed to, but we got through it and made everything work. I will begin editing tomorrow on WeVideo and I will keep you updated on how the editing goes. I am also beginning to figure out what to do about my CCR:)

Here is some pictures from today

FILM FRIDAY!

     Although I am still sick my parents agreed to let me come to my dads in order for me to be productive this week with my production. I was beginning to worry that I wasn't going to be able to film, but with every problem there is a solution. Today is my first day back home and I successfully prepared the costume for the main character, I made the set look as colorful and as suitable to Skylar's personality in the film, and I was able to film during the day and finally begin. To be honest I am beyond proud of myself for coming this far through all of the tough circumstances and push through to create my opening while being sick. Thank you for being patient with me, we are getting closer to the finish line. I ran into some difficulties with lighting because it was hard to not get backlight in some of the shots. Another difficulty was filming her in the mirror without me being in the frame. We worked it through and got some good shots. My 14 year old step sister Valari Cronin took the role of Skylar Woods. She has been a tremendous help during this process and I couldn't have done it without her.

Here is some picture's of filming today!

I had to postpone my filming schedule

     Today I was planning to go back to my dad's house where the new set is, my sister who is the main character, and all of my props are. However I woke up not feeling well and my mom decided that it would be best if I stayed for a bit longer to rest and feel better. During this pandemic it is not the best time to be feeling under the weather and my mom wanted to make sure I get healthier before any of my other priorities I have. I am planning to stay here till the end of this week but in the meantime I have been going through all of my research and planning how I will direct my film opening and get my sister to cooperate and not get frustrated with me or laugh during the scenes. I put together an outline and the order I am planning to shoot the shots and keep myself organized. I am hoping to feel better soon and get to my dad's house to start this process. I have done some research on tips for producing a first film and ways I can direct the film more effectively and it has motivated me to make this work despite all the limitations and setbacks.

This website helped me understand how I can make the production process a success.
https://www.indiewire.com/feature/directing-your-first-feature-film-movie-tips-68413/

Here's my personal outline of the production

Medium shot from high angle showing her waking up in bed

Gets out of bed and looks in the mirror

Eyeline match to window in the room- with credits

Artwork - with credits
Record player - with credits
Guitar- with credits
Pictures- with credits
(credits with any other random things in room)

Changes out of pajamas and into a new outfit

(jeans, black shirt, jacket with a painted blue butterfly on the back)

Does hair with yellow hair piece
[try to include close up shots]

The list of things to do before I graduate on the board

“The Checklist” title at the end

Update on my plan B

Happy Sunday!

     As of right now I am self quarantined at my moms house and I have been communicating with my sister through FaceTime. My parents are divorced and my sister is at my dad's house so I haven't been able to film with her yet. My plan is to go to my dad's house some time this week to start the filming process so I don't have to rush to edit and I need some time to do my CCR. I have been putting together an outline and I am trying to make this project as possible to accomplish as I can.

     My sister agreed to take the role and I will be filming. My plan is to make some more props with the help of my sister and make my room look more artsy, considering I had to change the setting completely. I also want to spend one day filming and a couple days for editing. I am finishing my shot list and getting it ready for when I go back to my dad's house for a while. As far as my CCR goes I have began answering the questions in my blogposts but I do want to put together a script. My instructor has not informed my classmates and I of any updates about this project yet. I am continuing to try my best to make my final project a success.

     My sister took the role so I have a new main character, my room will be the new setting, I still need to make and gather some props for the room, and once I finish the shot list and outline and go back to my dad's house I will begin shooting my film opening! Stay tuned for more progress updates.

How the Corona Virus is affecting my production process

     The situation with the COVID-19 virus is something that is currently affecting my original plan for the film, and I have been brainstorming ways I can make this work.  I am waiting for an update from my instructor during this situation to help figure out how this process will carry out. Schools in the state of Florida are all closed until April 15th as of right now and many people are choosing to stay home to stop the virus from spreading.
     Originally I was supposed to work with Briana as my main character or Julia as my back up. However, with this situation, I have not been allowed to go out and interact with people for the sake of my personal health. The rules implemented by my parents have strongly effected how I can not film with my cast member. Having to be socially distant and self quarantined have caused me to alter some elements of my film opening.
     Last week I wanted to begin the filming process but we had to postpone because of the virus. Now I ca no longer film with Briana, therefore, I have come up with some plan B ideas. I am planning to create a group call with some of my classmates to get their insight and hear how they are handling this situation as well. Even though we are in a crisis I am determined to make this work to the best of my ability and help my peers succeed with this project as well.
     Now I will have to film in my house which has changed the setting of my film. This is something beyond my control, but I can still make it work. I was supposed to borrow my friend's camera but I no longer will have access to it. I realized it's ok because I can still produce an equally stylistic film opening with the camera on my iPhone 8.
     As far as casting goes, I was thinking that I can either be the main character and have my 14 year old sister help me film. Another option would be that I would film and my sister could be the main character. I am fortunate enough to have a sister that can easily fit the role as a high school teenager, and I am lucky that she would be able to help film if I take the role.
     I have weighed out the pros and cons and I realized that I would have to spend some time teaching my sister different camera angles and movement techniques and what composition is. This is something that could take more time than if I was filming with someone with prior knowledge, but it is still manageable. If she were to take the role as the main subject I believe I would have to give her insight on some acting tips and how to fit the role effectively. With Briana, she has more experience with being behind the camera so this would be easier, but my sister can still learn and do it well enough.
     Even though there has to be major changes to my film, I have some up with a method to try to make this accomplishable despite the limitations. I am attempting to stay positive about this situation and I will be discussing it virtually with my classmates to get there opinions and meet with my peers. I will keep you updated on my plan B and what my classmates say.

Distribution

     During the process of producing my film it is very important that I know how to properly distribute my film. As a new filmmaker it is important for me to find the best ways for my film to be accessible to my target audience and gain exposure. However, being a new filmmaker will bring more limitations to distributing my film on bigger streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu.

     I conducted some research to help me find the best way to distribute my new film. One method I believe will be really beneficial is by displaying my film at local film festivals. I found that there is a Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival, and Naples International Film Festival. All of these film festivals are local and I would be able to distribute my new film at these events. While doing research I discovered that there are various film festivals around the United States that are specifically for teen produced film which I would be able to enter in. This is beneficial because my target audience is teenagers so these events will help me distribute my film to my target audience and help me gain exposure for my film, and myself as an amateur film producer. I found this website that has links to the websites of film festivals in Florida and I also found a website that gives information about teen film festivals.

    I want to use YouTube as a platform as another way to distribute my film. Even though it is not a streaming service, it is available to the public and it is a great way for me to post my video at no cost. Based on some research I gathered I learned that YouTube has 1.8 billion users and it is the #2 search engine after its partner company Google. 81% of the 126 million monthly viewers are from ages 15-25. This is an advantage because the 81% falls under my film's target audience.


Here are the links to the sources I used:

https://filminflorida.com/florida-film-festivals/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/296227/us-youtube-reach-age-gender/

https://www.rev.com/blog/indie-film-distribution

https://miamifilmfestival.com/

https://nofilmschool.com/2018/07/18-film-festivals-filmmakers-18-under-submissions

https://www.news.tobeagency.co/learn/choosing-a-video-distribution-platform

Source: Audience Project- Statista 2019

                                       

My production process update

     Since we have been on break I have had plenty of time to come up with some ideas to make my film opening special. I am currently coming up with what I want to put on the list of things she wants to do before she graduates and I will be making that prop soon. I want to write “get a boyfriend” or “go on a date” on the list to foreshadow the romance that will be present later on in the movie. For the film opening I felt that introducing a love interest in the first two minutes was too soon, this is because I want to develop the main character first and allow for the viewers to understand her personality, interests, and get a better understanding on who’s point of view the story is told in.
     With the corona virus situation we are on break however it has been difficult for me to go out, because my parents believe it is not the best time to be going out. I have been staying in contact with Briana and we are planning to film sometime this week but hopefully we still will be able to. As far as costume design goes I’ve been working on painting a butterfly on the denim jacket as one the most important costume/props. I finally finished so here is a picture of the jacket before and the final product.
         

audiolibrary helped me find some music!

     For the sound element of my film I wanted to incorporate upbeat music to represent Skylar's positive and outgoing personality. The source I used to get the copyright free music from audiolibrary.com.co, this was a platform that had a copious amount of unique beats to choose from. The music will begin during the credit scene as non-diegetic sound and then when the actual scene begins it will change to diegetic sound as she is listening to music either through a record player, cd player, or in her headphones as she gets ready in her room. 

Here's some copyright free music that I liked:)

Midnight Stroll [Relaxing Study Music] by Ghostrifter Official
https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-official
Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2CFc6KR
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/DHo1pPMvXdM

Morning Routine by Ghostrifter Official
https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-official
Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_morning-routine
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/lsbbGAKhxLI

Finally by Loxbeats https://soundcloud.com/loxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download: http://bit.ly/FinallyLoxbeats
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/fGquX0Te1Yo

Target Audience

     Typically this film genre is aimed at women ages 13-18 and sometimes older. In my film, the reason I chose to focus on a female character is to target the female target audience. Based on the data from the graph below females make up 77% of the share of respondents within this genre. Not only will it target females but Skylar Wood is 16 which will target the adolescent audience as well because they can relate to her life being in the same age group. In my film my target audience would be for both male and female’s around the ages of 16-20. In my film I want to stray away from heavy stereotypes and I want my piece to be realistic to the main character’s life to give the film a authentic representation of her life. The socioeconomic side of my target audience for my romance film will be directed at all people of all different classes on the hierarchy.

     As a way for me to make my film more appealing to the target audience I surveyed everyone in my class to find the best title for my film. All my classmates are from 16-18 so they meet the age criteria. My target audience is directed at both genders, and luckily I was able to get a balanced sample of students. This is because out of the 18 students half were male and half were female, this 8:8 ratio removed bias from the sample. Another good element of this survey was that the students in my class are also studying media studies like me, therefore it can be assumed that they have more knowledge of what makes a good title for a film. Overall this was a specific way for me to make sure I attract my target audience. The results from the survey showed that 72.2% liked the title "The Checklist" better and 27.8% preferred the title"A Teenage Dream." From this data I decided to chose the title that has the most interest. My film is officially called "The Checklist!"

Survey was conducted on 3/13/20

                           

Female and male percentages share of respondents 

Genre Conventions & Representation

     Some characteristics or conventions of the romance genre is, that Romance films typically involve an emotional element or problem such as, the characters going through a loss of a family member, heartbreak, mental instability, financial problems, or any other hardship. Another aspect of romance films are that they are filmed in a popular location that most viewers could recognize. Some examples of where romance films can be set in is a well known city, on the beach, or at school. The main characters tend to be two young adults, which is mainly to target the adolescent audience. Romance films are typically revolved around the girl, so it magnetizes a female audience. This is important to the success of the film because the viewers will enjoy watching a s story which will be more relatable for the for the viewers. A genre convention that I am challenging is having an emotional element from the beginning. I want my plot to revolve around a young girl that is happy and seeking adventure in her life.
     The reason I chose not to start off with heartbreak, mental instability, or any other hardship is because I want to show the target audience that not all teens are going through problems or emotional distress. I want people to know that there can be a romance film that doesn't derive from something bad happening to the main character and love can come from the happiness that a person has. As far as representation goes I am representing a young female character as my lead due to females being underrepresented in the film industry. She will have a unique sense of artistic style and she won't depict of any nudity throughout the film. Statistics show that there was a 32.5% increase of nudity in teenage females in films. The male to female ratio of actors in films are
2.25:1. Therefore, my film will do a good job in representing females because she will even be the main role.

                       

Research sources

https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/gender-inequality-in-film/

https://prezi.com/2tx2j21lib1a/generic-conventions-of-romance/

Scheduling

     One thing I learned during the process of creating my opening is that I need to manage my time well and work efficiently for this project to turn out the way I want it to. So I am writing this blogpost to help me plan better for what I should do for the following week. Some things I want to do before starting the project is make sure my actress is available to film preferably on the weekends that I am free and if not, then during the week after school. This communication is important so I can plan my shooting schedule accordingly and manage my time well so I don't rush to do this last minute. In my planner I wrote down the specific things I want to cover in my blogpost's for next week. Time is flying by fast and I believe I need to start the filming process soon, however I need to make sure to have everything ready by this week so I can begin!

My goals for next week are:

-confirm with Briana that she can take the part

-create an outline

-possibly create a storyboard

-pick out the music I want to use (from Purple Planet or the copyright free music from YouTube)

-start getting supplies together and create and buy some props/costumes

-start filming this weekend:)

Casting

     In my film opening my goal is to introduce the main character Skylar Woods as she is getting ready in her room. I want her to be artsy and full of energy and I wanted to express this through mis-en-scene elements, sound (the music she is listening to), and most importantly casting someone that is fit for the role. After communicating with some of my friends I believe I found two candidates that I believe will be an awesome fit as Skylar Woods. My classmate Briana Farnsworth is the person I selected as my first pick for the role. She has experience on camera and she also is taking media studies so we will be able to help each other create our productions. My friend Julia Eberhardt said she is willing to be casted as Skylar as well. As a back up plan if Briana carry through with her role,  I can still create my production because Julia will be available to film with me. 

Briana Farnsworth, Age 16

Julia Eberhardt, Age 17

What will the title of my production be?

In regards to the title, I want to make sure it is not too complicated to the point where it would make the audience confused or uninterested but also not to simple or close to another major film name. This is important when selecting a good title because it is the starting point in intriguing the viewers to continue to watch the film. Some ideas I have so far are:

Titles

-The Checklist

-Countdown

- A Teenage Dream

- Youthful Fantasy

-The Golden Years

- A List That Never Ends 

- Never Ending Possibilities

Fonts

Group Meeting

In our group meeting i was able to discuss my idea with my fellow classmates. Not only did I go over my blog and my production plan, I also listened to the other people's ideas which inspired me as well. I felt reassured that my simple idea is something that doesn't have too many elements to cover and that is not a bad thing. At first I was worried that my idea for my opening was too basic and I didn't have something unique about my production, but now I feel better about it.

My classmates told me that I will be able to focus on technique and I can create something simple but it is probably better than something that could end up being messy. I was thinking of adding an element to show representation of characters with disabilities such as adding a Deaf person, but after more discussion I decided that it would be too difficult to cover in the first two minutes. Another thing we discussed about my production is that I could put "find true love" on the "list of things I want to do before I graduate." This can introduce the concept of romance that can foreshadow or address what may occur later in the film.

My classmates gave me ideas of what steps to take next like making sure the credit scene shows images of props that represent an adventurous teenager. They also gave me ideas of progressing in the production process such as, finding a setting, getting artistic props to develop the main character's personality, find music to incorporate during the credits and throughout the scene, find a main character, and start thinking of titles.

Update on my plan

     I decided that I'm going to stick with the idea that I came up with but here is an overview on some things I added and how I plan on executing these ideas. So, the first important element of my film is the beginning. I want to have about 30 seconds to implement a credit scene only. This will include different videos of objects in the main character's room that represent being a teen. These props will show the viewers the credits in a unique way and will inform them that the movie is going to be about a teenage girl seeking for adventure. I believe that will the use of fairly quick shots it will help show how time is going by quickly in her life.

     The scene will proceed to include the development of the main character which is another major factor in a good film opening. From the start the audience should be able to know who the story is focused on and this is done by introducing her first. Her image based on the previous costume design post will develop her personality and drive about life. The viewers will learn quickly that she is an artistic person based on the mis-en-scene elements around her room and with her painted denim jacket. I want her to be playing music as she's getting ready to add an element of what music she is into, in which will also develop her character. This will be diegetic sound from inside her room.

     She then will show the prop of the list of things she wants to do before she graduates. This part of the film opening is the beginning of developing a narrative. The viewers will begin to understand that she is an adventurous teenager that is seeking for more in her life. She is goal driven and determined and has desires to accomplish things. From here on, depending on the amount of time I have, I can add more. So far this is what I desire to do in my film opening and I believe it can be executed well