Making changes

    In the past week, we have made several changes to our plan and film. The first change was the filming days. At first, we had a plan to film last Wednesday. We had that plan since the weekend before but something came up so we had to reschedule. We decided to reschedule the filming to Monday the following week. We thought this would be a good idea because we have our winter break. On Sunday, the day before we were going to film, something came up once again. We decided to just move the time to later in the day instead. When Monday came around something new happened and we had to reschedule once again. We decided to reschedule for Tuesday because no one had any plans so we were going to meet up in the morning.

   Tuesday came around and everyone gathered at my house to film. We were all supposed to meet up at 10:30 in the morning. Everyone got there except one person. We tried calling but had no luck. We waited around for a while to see if he would call or show up. After about an hour we decided to give the role to someone else. We called a few friends and found someone that was able to do it. We later got a call that the other person couldn't be in the film anymore. In a way, it was a good thing that we had to reschedule the filming because if he was in previous scenes we would have to refilm everything since he couldn't finish his scenes. Even though we had several changes it worked out for us in the end.

Starting to film

    My group and I have started filming. We decided to meet up on a weekday because that was when everyone was available. Since it was a weekday and we had school the next day we did not film the entire movie. We decided to only film the start of the movie. In the beginning, we didn't need the entire cast there. We only needed the 3 of us who are in the group as well as Olga. We decided this was the best idea because everyone else was studying for finals and we did not want to take up their time. The scenes only required Stephanie, her mom, and me. Since Dominic did not have to be in the scenes he filmed. We want to make the groups as small as possible due to COVID.

   We all met up at Stephanie's house and talked about what we were going to do. We decided to print out the script and the storyboard. We used the printed out a storyboard to be able to set up the scenes and angles right so that we knew what we needed to do. We also looked over the script to make sure we didn't need to make any changes before filming. Once we were done proofreading everything it was time to start. Stephanie and I changed into the clothes we were going to wear and touched up our hair and makeup. We started filming and everything went smooth and well. We were nervous in the beginning but as filming went on we became more comfortable in front of the camera. Printing out the script and storyboard was definitely a smart idea and it made filming much easier. We need to talk to the others in the film now to continue shooting the rest of the movie.

Progress So Far

    We just had a week off school due to thanksgiving breaks. We were planning on filming but some things came up. We didn't realize that certain people who were in the movie were going out of town. Instead of filming, we needed a new plan. We needed to discuss with everyone to see when they are free to film. We want to make sure we get everything done on time. We had to rethink the order in which we will film. The best thing to do was to see who needed to be in each scene. Then depending on the people and scenes, we could come up with a schedule that works. If we have to we can film different scenes with those people on certain days.

    Since we already have our script and storyboard this could work. We just need the actors who are in the same scenes to be available on the same day and time to make it work. We could film out of order since we know what happens and it's more efficient. The only issue we might face is refilming. Or if we have a new idea we would need to go back and reshoot. We still need to figure out the details. At least we havé the general idea down. For the first scenes, we only need Stephanie, Olga, Mats, and me which can be easily organized. We will most likely film the beginning scenes this week. We will figure out a schedule with everyone else later this week.

Music Choice for Short Film

 The music choice for our short film is still unclear. At first, we were thinking of different songs that would go well with the movie. We then started researching how to get the right to use it in our film. We realized that we needed to reach out to the owners, get permission, and a bunch of other steps. We realized this would take most likely to take a long time. And that's if they even decide to respond whatsoever. We decided to use uncopyrighted music. This would be a lot simpler and faster. We then started to search for uncopyrighted music. It was a lot harder than we thought. 

We started to search for copyrighted music but realized it was also a lot of work. We needed to first find a song that fit the film. We also had to make sure we liked it since we have to listen to it over and over. When we found a song that was decent we had to make sure that it was copyrighted. Since we don't know much about music in film and copyright we didn't know if certain websites were scams. We wanted to be 100% sure it was not copyrighted. We are still searching for a song we like. We are not too worried about it yet though. Since it will be added in editing we still have plenty of time. And if something changes in the script or plot we can make sure the music fits the change.

Marketing Campaign for Short Film

    My group and I recently started thinking about the different marketing campaigns available. We realized that the easiest and best for us would be through social media promotion. We have opened several social media accounts. We opened accounts for the film on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and TikTok. We know that these are some of the most used social media platforms and will be the easiest to grow on. We also already know how to work these platforms which makes it a lot easier for us. We ourselves have followers on these social media platforms and have told our friends and family on there to follow and support the accounts. The names of the social media's are basically the same, just the name of our film "The Slicer". We have followed other kid's accounts in our class that has also made social media accounts for their films. We are excited to start posting things about the movie.

    We have decided to not split up the responsibilities for the accounts. We decided to manage all the accounts together. We know that we all work well together and rarely argue so it would work. We usually agree on most things or are good at negotiating so we know that there won't be a problem with posting and someone getting hurt or angry in the process. We created a TikTok which was not required by our teacher. We decided to open one anyway because we know the power it has and how popular it is. Since we have and use the app ourselves we know the ins and outs for the most part. It's a way to try and gain a larger audience. We have seen how people can become very popular through these apps and even though it is very rare, it's worth a shot. We are all excited to start recording and posting about our journey. We have not posted anything yet but we will soon.

Storyboard for Short Film

 

My group and I worked on our storyboard. Stephanie and Tekla met at Tekla's house, and Dominic was on FaceTime because he couldn't join. The entire process took approximately 4 1/2 hours. Stephanie worked on writing the descriptions. This includes the camera angle or movement, location, and description of what is happening during the 6 second period. Tekla worked on drawing the pictures for each of the storyboard boxes. She then colored them in so everyone can distinguish the characters from each other. Dominic was on FaceTime to help us decide what to write and draw. Since Stephanie finished her part of the storyboard before Tekla, she helped Tekla color the storyboard. Stephanie had to go home before the storyboard was finished, so Dominic left the call. At home, Stephanie finished up the drawings. The next day, we all were on FaceTime to write this blog. This process went smoothly and didn’t take a long time. Our team worked efficiently to finish the storyboard. We now know how our film will look like. This will be really helpful when it comes to the filming process. It will allow us to save time because we know where we need to be, and what the angles have to be. The storyboard will keep everyone involved in the film organized and on track. The storyboard is an essential part of filmmaking for this reason. The storyboard process went smoothly. Overall, our group works very well together and we are optimistic to begin filming.

Planning For Short Film

 My group and I decided to film on one day. Everyone will meet at Stephanie's house at 11:00 or 1:30. This depends on which character the actor is portraying Then at 11:15, we will begin filming the opening scenes in which Bella is waking up and getting ready. Then at 12:00, we will film the kitchen scene and the news reporter scene in Stephanie's house. At approximately 12:30 we will have lunch until 1:15. Then we will set up the camera in Tekla's house. We should be filming by 1:30. From that point, the rest of the actors would already be there in costumes. We would film all of the scenes that are in Tekla's house. We should be done by 3:00. Then, we will set up the camera in the neighborhood that Stephanie lives in. Then we will film the scenes in which the character Bella is walking to the character Brandon's house. After that Stephanie will quickly do special effects makeup on herself (Bella). This should be done by 4:00. Then, we will film the last scene in which all of the characters are looking for Bella and eventually find her. This should be completed by 5:15

The locations include Stephanie's house, Tekla's house, and Stephanie's neighborhood.

Our participants include Stephanie as Bella, Tekla as Chloe, Dominic as the News Anchor, Olga (Stephanie's mom) as Bella's Mom, Mats (Tekla's dad) as The Slicer, Blake as Brandon, Julia as Sasha, and Luca as Grayson.

Since there is an ongoing pandemic, we have decided to keep our masks on at all times except when filming. If a person is currently being recorded, they will not have to wear their masks but everyone else will have to. In addition to this, everyone will be tested for COVID-19 a few days before filming. We will also be washing our hands whenever we feel necessary, and always have hand sanitizer with us.

One prop that we have is the board game at the character Brandon's house. This is because they are playing the board game when Bella enters the house.  Another prop is a mobile phone. This is because Bella's mom calls Brandon in one of the scenes. Other props include beds, makeup, cereal, a bowl, tv, a mask, and a tv remote.

Our costumes are normal clothes that a typical teenager would wear. This can include jean shorts, a tee-shirt, a cropped shirt, a skirt, etc. However, the Slicer will be wearing dark clothes, and possibly some type of face-covering/ mask.