Video Issue

As my partner and I were reviewing our recordings, we came across this one that had an interesting lightning change.

In this specific video, we were filming the beginning part of the opening, where the main character is waking up, after three alarms have rung, at 2:00. When the main character snoozed the alarm clock a third time, the lighting changes from this muted gray/blue to a bright orange, and then back to the muted grayish blue tone. As we both watched that video, we were puzzled as to how this happened, and if this ruined the low key lighting we were trying to establish.

We were able to figure out a solution, which was through our editing software, WeVideo. In the application, there is a color correcting tool that we can use to duplicate the low key lighting that is in the rest of the clip. With that, we were able to use the clip, and not have record it again, which would affect the continuity of the other clips we had filmed that day.

Target Audience

For our film opening, my partner and I realized that we needed to establish our target audience. With the plot of our video dealing with a teenager losing a friend, we wanted to cater this to ages around 13-20, but I feel that people in any age range can watch this.

Our primary audience is teenagers, with the age range being around 13-20. Our film opening does not have overt symbols or processes that attract to this audience, but the representation of emotion and feeling that the teenage female character has in the opening, is something that this audience can relate to. As grief is something that is experienced different between person to person, teenagers as a whole experience grief in a similar set of ways. According to the article, "Experiencing Grief as a Teenager", by VITAS Healthcare, some of the ways that teenagers express grief with an emotional change to the smallest of things, and being in daze and not with reality. The film opening expresses both of these types of grief, with a major influence being certain object that the main character and her deceased friend shared. Even if the targeted aged audience has not experienced grief and the loss of a special person, they can relate to the emotions and actions being portrayed, as it would be the way that they would act in that particular situation as well.

In the case of our secondary audience, which is all the age ranges, it appeals to this audience in a variety of ways. One of the major ways is the subject matter of grief and loss, which can appeal an older audience, men and women, to watch such a movie. Past the film opening, the rest of the movie would involve the main character exploring the feelings related to her friends death, which can lead her to major insanity. This would be something rated for audiences 13 and above, making the age range mostly versatile.

Sources

“Experiencing Grief as a Teenager.” Hospice, Palliative Care, & End of Life Services, VISTAS Healthcare, www.vitas.com/family-and-caregiver-support/grief-and-bereavement/children-and-grief/experiencing-grief-as-a-teenager/.

Today's Work

Today Colin and I recorded half of our storyboard today. We were able to establish a type of lighting scheme, which was low key, through implementing the amount of light we were letting in from the blinds. Also, we created the set of the room by having a whiteboard, that served as a bulletin board and a to-do list. With this, my partner and I decorated the board with pictures of the main character and friend, and other personal mementos. Also, we also included a to-do list, to show the number of things the main character has to do, being a teenager in high school. Though, the list is dated about 2 weeks ago than what the current date is, to show that she has not made any changes since that day, most likely due to her friends death, which seriously impacted some of her daily activities and obligations

This shot is an aerial shot of the main character sleeping, as our opening begins with the girl sleeping for a long period of time, due to the event of her friends passing, which makes her not want to get up and do anything at that current time. We had recorded a repeated snoozing shot of the main character turning off the alarm, in an attempt to avoid the events that are coming. With this current shot, it begins to introduce the situation of the main character, and what event has really happened. Moreover, doing this as an aerial shot allowed for more visual interest, as we also recorded a medium shot of the same actions, to put them together and flow in the film opening.

Schedule+ New Prop

As my partner and I have finalized on our idea, we have decided to come up with a more definite schedule of production in order to get this project done in the most timely manner.

03/08/2020- Film half of storyboard

03/09- 03/13- Find handprint art prop/ edit project

03/14- Finish recording the opening

03/15-03/22- Edit project(Include credits and title)

03/23- 03/27- Finish Editing project/ Do last minute shots and changes

03/28- 04/05- Creative Critical Reflection

In other topics, the prop we are going to need to find this week is an art kit, that will help make an imprint of a hand. My partner and I wanted to find a third symbolic prop that represented the main character and the best friends friendship, and we already had a friendship bracelet and pictures of them together. The significance of the handprint is to show the time their friendship has lasts, and how connected both of them were to each other, and possibly how connected they are now. It would look like a project that they both did in elementary school, which would be a more explicit show of how long the main character and the friend were friends. My partner and I love this idea, as it would also be a good intro to the title of the movie, which is something we are still working on.

Storyboard

Finally, our storyboard is done! Below is both pages.

The plot of the opening deals with a friend getting ready for her best friends funeral. She wakes up, after snoozing the alarm for hours, not wanting to confront the impeding event. She eventually wakes up, very tired. She walks to her bathroom, overcome in emotion, but prepares herself by washing her face. She later walks back into her room, and sees a friendship bracelet she shared with her friend, and goes through more emotion of denial and acceptance of the incident. Later, she sees a picture of her friend, and changes her clothes to get ready for the funeral. As she leaves with the funeral announcement and her stuff in hand, she exists her house to see the last reminder of her friend, which is a handprint of his and her hand on the side of her house door. The title of the movie will come up after this part, which is something we are still trying to figure out.

Idea Reflection

During class today, my teacher had us sit in groups and talk about our project and the processes that my partner and I are doing. As I discussed my project, everyone was really responsive to the idea of grief and how to express it through modes other than sadness and crying. But one of the undecided things in the plot was the symbolic prop that would end the film opening, and allow the audience to understand that the opening is about a funeral. Some of the things that the people in my group recommended was having more objects or pictures of the friend and the main character, to imply what the opening would be about. Though, one of my doubts was using implied visual cues and props, as their is a chance that it can be misinterpreted, or make the opening more confusing. I went to ask my teacher about this, and she recommended to make a funeral announcement, which would have the deceased friends picture and certain title on it. This was a really good idea because it would help to conclude the opening, and make it definite to what the story is about.

In my partners group, he got the recommendation to change a part in our story, where the main character throws away a friendship bracelet, as it reminds her of her deceased friend and makes her really mad. Some of the group members thought it was too harsh, and recommended that the main character would have a more pensive and emotional moment, and have reflection on their friendship.. This could be further shown with a flashback, which my partner and I were thinking of doing. 

This week, Colin and I are planning to start the first half of filming, and make many of the props to add to the room. We are hoping to finish to finish the storyboard before, as it has been every- changing thing for us. 

Props and Symbolism

This past week, I have been researching certain symbols and customs that come with having a funeral. As our opening deals with the main female character getting ready for her friends funeral, my partner and I focused on the certain things people have to do to prepare to attend a funeral.

Some of the things done during the time around the funeral is a group gathering, involving the people close to the deceased, as they express their feelings about their event, mostly in a way to find peace with the situation. This would make the actual event of the funeral somewhat easier to handle emotionally and mentally. In the main characters case, it begins with her waking up in the afternoon, sleeping with the covers around her in an unorganized manner. She has not confronted her feelings about her friends passing, and has been sleeping for long periods of time, as a result of her continued feelings of sadness and grief. After this, her alarm clock begins to ring, and causes her to angrily get up and smash the button to turn it off. This progress highlights another feeling part of grief, which can be anger or rage, which is something she is going through on her own.

In terms of props, we had decided that the girl would have a shared memento with the deceased friend, which would be a friendship bracelet. As the girl gets up from her bed and gets ready, she would see the bracelet, and have a emotional reaction towards it. At this point, many things in her room are reminding her of her deceased friend, and she does not want that, shown as she ends up throwing the bracelet in the trash. Due to the bracelet, the characters emotions are shown related to the death of her friend, which are denial and anger. This can prompt questions about the character and the friends relationship, and how the main character is involved in the events related to her friend.

Some other props that would be used are a black dress that the main character wears to the friends funeral, and roses. With roses, their is not a specific one that needs to be used, and it can depend on the person. In the characters case, she would bring a white flower to the funeral. The color white can mean purity and innocence, which is representative of her friend. Her friend bringing a white flower is a way to pay homage to how nice and pure her friend was, which is different to how the main character is now.

Sources

Freud, Emma. “How to Do a Funeral.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 Jan. 2014, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/04/emma-freud-guide-how-to-do-funeral.