Testing camera angles

This past week I have been finalizing my storyboard and testing different camera angles for recording day. I used my canon camera to take pictures of different angles I would like to film from to see the range of the camera and what looks more cinematographically pleasing to me. I created a group chat with my friends on Whatsapp and asked them to let me know what their next week looks like so that I can prepare a shooting date where we can spend many hours overshooting so that way I have much footage to choose from and work with when I am editing. I gave them a run down of what I want the film to be and what character each one will be playing.

 

Film Audio

Something really important in my film will be the audio. On a resent class project we worked on sound production and editing and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I plan on having a film major at SCAD and contemplating on a minor in sound editing and production. I want the color and audio of my film be two very important things that stand out in quality. I am currently watching the second season of an Argentinian show called Envious. The show really portrays Argentinian culture and language. The characters often speak over each other and all at the same time but not in s messy way as you are still able to understand what each character is trying to say. I plan on doing the same thing in my film. 

Mise - En - Scene Day 2

 I went to the store Michaels today and bought some craft things including colored paper, colored glitter, colored markers, and glue. This will be used as background for the close ups of the hands working. When I arrived home, I tested the lighting and ambient of filming in my play room versus my kitchen. My play room is full of color and art equipment while my kitchen is black and white. I prefer the colors of my play room although I have more space in my kitchen. I decided to film in my kitchen and edit the saturation and color of the video after recording. 

Mise - En - Scene

Thankfully, as I have always liked acting and have been very dedicated to it outside of school. I am familiar with sets and production but mostly in front of the camera. As I am used to filming my own reels i have a variety of equipment at my disposal. I have a microphone for recording videos and I can use it for foley sound production. I own 4 different types of ring lights that vary in brightness and temperature that I may use to control the lighting and ambient in my film. I have a Canon camera that I plan to use throughout the majority of the film. In the film however, the character are recording something. For that video I will use my digital camera to give that vintage and home made look. Throughout the years I have collected a variety of costumes and unique clothing items from thrifting. Although, the film is not extravagant and I will likely have the characters use their everyday clothing. However, I will likely color code each characters aura with their outfits. I plan on buying things like arts and crafts very colorful confetti, creative tape, glitter, markers, and scissors to give the film color and for the scene where the girls are preparing the prank I wanted to make it look sinister and attractive.

Character Development

In my film, I am going to have 5 characters total. They will be played by my friends. The characters are five teenage girls named Camila, Emma, Luna, Isabela, and Olivia. I am not sure if I want to add dialogue to my film as my friends are not actresses I am afraid the dialogue would lower the films quality. I am thinking of keeping myself from recording my friends faces and making the dialogue a voiceover while I record close ups of their hands preparing the pranks. The personalities I want to portray for these characters will rely heavily on speech. I plan on making one girl pushier than the others to insinuate her influence on the others in regards to the harsh prank. While researching, I came across different a sight what properly explains each different personality type. My vision for the characters personality is as follows:

Camila (Killer): ENTP - These personalities are the ultimate devil’s advocates, thriving on the process of shredding people’s arguments to pieces. Sometimes they even rebel against their own beliefs by arguing the opposing viewpoint – just to see how the world looks from the other side.

Emma: ENFJ - These personalities possess the unique ability to remain hopeful in the face of difficulties, always remembering that there is something to be grateful for.

Luna: ESFP - There’s nothing that makes ESFPs feel quite as unhappy as realizing that they are boxed in by circumstance, unable to join their friends.

Isabela: ESTJ - People with the ESTJ personality type are dedicated individuals who pride themselves on always finishing what they start, rendering them reliable and trustworthy.

Olivia (Dead): INFJ - These personalities might come across as somewhat reserved, but they are fueled by a profound internal passion. Stimulated by deep, reflective thought and an enormous amount of empathy, they dedicate themselves to the pursuit of purpose.

Personality types. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Written Story Board

1. FADE IN: A dimly lit bedroom cluttered with prank supplies.

   • CLOSE-UP: A hand hovers over the contract, fingers tracing the rules.

   • INSERT SHOT: A line on the contract reads, "All pranks must be recorded."

2. SERIES OF QUICK CLOSE-UPS:

   • A girl filling a bucket with water above a doorway.

   • A second girl unwrapping plastic wrap and stretching it across a toilet seat.

   • A third girl loading fake blood into a shampoo bottle.

   • A fourth girl setting up a phone on a tripod, grinning mischievously.

   • BACKGROUND SOUND: Fast-paced music, hushed giggles, adrenaline-charged whispers.

3. DIALOGUE (OVERLAPPING, TEASING TONE):

   • “This one is genius.”

   • “She’s gonna freak.”

   • “I am SO winning this year.”

4. CUT TO: A bathroom door, slightly ajar.

   • A shadow moves behind it.

   • CLOSE-UP: A girl presses record on the phone camera.

5. POV SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BATHROOM:

   • The doorknob rattles.

   • A bucket teeters above the doorway.

6. MID-SHOT: The door opens

   • A scream.

   • A splash of water.

   • The pranksters burst out laughing.

7. QUICK CUT TO:

   • The victim gasping, drenched, a mix of fear and laughter in her eyes.

   • The phone camera captures everything.

8. SLOW ZOOM OUT:

   • The girls collapse in laughter, playfully shoving each other.

   • The camera remains recording on the tripod.

9. LOW ANGLE SHOT:

   • The camera tilts down

   • FAKE BLOOD seeps from under the bathroom door.

   • A PAIR OF MOTIONLESS HANDS rest just beyond the threshold.

10. MUSIC CUTS ABRUPTLY TO SILENCE.

Short Film Plot

The way I approached this project is by thinking of a whole movie plot in order to establish an intriguing introduction to the movie.

My movie would be called "April Fools" as it focuses on a group of teenage girls that every year take April Fools pranks very seriously. This group of four girls have an old home made contract from when they originally planned their game including the rules and regulations. The rules state that the first week of April is prank war. In order for pranks to count they must be videotaped. Group members may team up but the points earned would be split. At the end of the week the person with the most points wins. The points earned vary from how complex a prank is to how often you prank someone. 

In this film this final year one of the group members dies because of one of the pranks pulled. Throughout the film the audience follows the mystery of the girls death. Was it murder? Was it suicide? Did one of the girls do it? Was there a motive?..etc.

From my researched I have noticed that most action and suspense films begin in the middle of a sticky situation. For example Baby Driver 2017 by Edgar Wright the film begins with the protagonist and a group of mutuals escaping from the police after robbing a bank. This highly adrenaline first clip keeps the audience intrigued. I plan to do something similar by showing the teenage girls hands preparing a prank glancing over at the contract they made making sure they are following the rules. The way I plan in filming these shots of the girls preparing a prank is through various close up shots from different perspectives. The teen girls may make comments here or there but the music is going to be most prominent in the film. Finally, the scene will end with a slow zoom out of the group of girls hanging out to a zoom out of a tom on fake blood peaking through the bottom of the bathroom door. My idea for this film is to start from the end and retrace steps to figure out the end result. 

Color Theory

In Aice Media Studies class we had a lesson on color theory. From my experiences outside of school I have learned that understanding color in film is rare and very appealing in the film industry. I have always loved the idea of color psychology and how different colors in a film may create emotions, set the mood, and make scenes visually appealing. 

Different colors can represent different feelings. Blue often symbolizes sadness or isolation like in the movie Moonlight 2016 by Berry Jenkins. Red can show danger or passion for example in Schindler’s List 1993 Steven Spielberg. Yellow can represent happiness or madness as seen in Kill Bill 2003 by Quentin Tarantino. 

In my film, I want to use color psychology to reflect the overall tone of the scene. I plan on using a contrast of vibrant happy colors with a mix on horrors and suspenseful music to make the audience feel a sort of discomfort. I will carefully be choosing colors in lighting, sets, and costumes, so that I can help tell the story in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Group Discussion Meeting

Today, I met with different individuals which were working on their project alone or in a group. We all shared our idea's for our projects and helped each other brainstorm and gave constructive criticism to help everyone construct a well produced short film.

Julian:

Julian is working alone. He still does not have a main plot but he is looking to make an action scene with around 3 characters. With the group we explained that "action" is a very broad topic and we helped him narrow down his idea. He wants his main character fleeing the scene of a robbery. I suggested he watch the opening scene of the movie Baby Driver as that film begins with a group of delinquents escaping a robbery which may give him inspiration for his film. 

Elisa:

Elisa is working in a group. Her groups is looking to do a horror/thriller film. They are looking to do horror focusing on the supernatural. She is looking to start the scene with a missing poster of a girl. The missing poster catches the attention of the male main character which leads him into the woods to look for the missing girl. They are going to avoid showing the supernatural creature but insinuate its presence with sounds and by dragging the character out of frame at the end, leading him to go missing as well. Her group doesn't know where they want to film yet as their original idea of Markham park location wont work because they cant be in the park after sunset. They are looking to see if Regional Park is good enough for their vision to come to life. We helped convince her of the movie name she was unsure about. Her groups project will be called Amber Alert and something she mentioned that intrigued me was the groups idea to add the amber alert sound at the beginning of the film during the introduction of their made up production company logo.  

Robby:

Robby is working alone. Robby had the overall idea of a complete movie and we helped him figure out how he could introduce his idea with only two minutes. He is looking to make teen comedy set in the early 2000s with a male lead. His character was not popular in high school but after he throws his first high school party while his parents are out of town, he gains massive popularity. The film follows the the character hide the fact that he had a party from his parents while also trying to balance and keep his popularity as the party guy. Diary Of a Whimpey Kid inspired his project as well as Isabelle and I recommend that Robby watch Project X because his project idea is very similar to that film. To introduce his idea in two minutes we suggested that film the main character cleaning up his house the morning after the party quickly before his parents get home. Robby mentioned he wants to include 2000s nu metal music into the aesthetic of the film titling it "After Party".

Isabelle 

Isabelle is working in a group. Their film idea focuses on a doctor who is crazy and suffers from munchausen syndrome and makes his patients more and more sick. Every time the doctor injects or gives a patient a pill he is not supposed to, he puts a marble in a jar. He has a collection of jars with all of his patients names and adds marbles to the jar of each patient he treats. The short film will end with the doctor walking out of the hospital nonchalantly suggesting he's a normal neighborhood doctor as he greats everyone. The title Isabelle and her group agreed on is "One More Marble" they are looking to film it in one of the group members garage. 

Blog Post Research

This past two weeks I have learned that efficient and successful blog posts are rich in detail. My following blog posts will elaborate and dig deep into the explanation of my thought process through the overall production of this project and the steps taken to reach a certain vision or due date. I will include links to any research or ant references idea that I may be taking inspiration from to create the final result of my video. Finally, I will include images of the upcoming time stamps, behind the scenes footage, or editing process of the film. 

Production Schedule

This project is really intriguing to me so I find that I will likely work on it consistently. I know the most important part of production is pre-production as it is the moment of  complete organization and planning. Pre-production is like planning an essays once you have all your points and evidence to put the essay together you are simply following a checklist. 

I have began using google calendar to set important schedules and due dates. I have set dates in which I want to be finished with pre - production, production, and post production. Today is February 9th and the final project is due March 25th. I have a well thought out overall idea of what I want my film to show and how I will execute it. However, I want to write everything down and think it over for a few days to assure that there's nothing I would want to do differently. 

I plan on assigning the due date for pre - production to be February 20th. I need to set a week or two for production as I am relying on my friends to act in this project for me and I need to find time where they will all be available for various hours of a day to shoot various clips. I have set my production due date for March 8th. Post production had to do with a lot of editing. I am learning to use the DaVinci Resolve platform and I want to give myself time to experiment with my clips and video as well as I know editing may be slow and take several hours I want to have a lot of time to make it look just right as I plan to play around with color theory as well. The final due date remains March 25th.

Title Sequence Research

For title sequences, the font of the wording, the color of the font, transition between titles, any animation created for the title and overall location of the title in the screen must comply with the vibe and aesthetic of the film. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I am looking to make my project very colorful and aesthetically pleasing. I do not yet have a color pallet planned but I am thinking of concentrating on primary colors. I am creating a suspenseful and mysterious film introduction which has a combination of bright colors and light in addition to suspenseful music and sounds. The idea is to made the audience feel uncomfortable. 

The film will showcase various close ups of hands preparing something. As the close ups are used to show detail, I do not want the titles to take over much of the screen. An example of a title sequence I admire is from the series The Bear (2021) directed by Christopher Storer. 

    - The titles are shown in the edges of the screen in a simple font. The color purple is a cool toned color which matches the aesthetic of the series as the show has cool tones and is concentrated on the color blue. 

I am looking to add the titles and have them jump to different corners of the screen. I would want to have the title transition in and out with a fade from different corners of the scree. A series that includes their titles in different corner of the screen is The Last Of Us (2021) directed by Ali Abbasi and Jasmila Zbanic. 

    - The following title sequence demonstrates the names in the same simple font transitioning slowly from one corner of the screen to another. This is the same way I would like to demonstrate the titles in my project. 

Something that I find very neat and aesthetically pleasing is the way the titles are in The Beekeeper (2024) directed by David Ayer. 

    - The titles in this movie mention have the job description in smaller writing and the name of the artist in bigger bold lettering. I feel as though this gives the name of the individual more importance and remembrance. 

Overall, I have come to the conclusion that the titles in my film will consist of smaller font for the job description and bigger wording for the artists name. The titles will transition in and out in a fade while appearing in different corners of the screen aligning with whichever corner it is located on. The coloring and font will depend on the overall aesthetic of my film which has not yet been determined. This title sequence idea may change but I am glad to have an idea set from the beginning. 

Film Openings Research

Today I was focusing on researching examples film openings for the genre of suspense and mystery. I am looking to make my project about a crime occurring leaving the audience with little to no details of  why or how this is happening. I want to emphasize fear of the unknown throughout the film which will be highly reliant on sound and music production. A film opening that is very similar to what I want to establish is from the movie Goodfellas (1990) directed by Martin Scorsese.                                              ( https://youtu.be/WphqOW0E-2A?si=43-h3_Cg9NNpMMqa ). The film begins with a crime being committed followed by a narration from the main character explaining how and why he got there. That's what I would want my introduction to show. Another example is Baby Driver (2017) directed by Edgar wright. ( https://youtu.be/6XMuUVw7TOM?si=01cLFkEoJ_KY95X2 ). It came to my attention that these suspenseful films begin with characters in the middle of an important event and the explanation becomes unraveled as the film progresses. 

As my film will focus on a group of girls playing around and a murder occurring I like the idea of playing around with color. Most horror and suspenseful films are dark and show little color. For example, the film Midsommar (2019) directed by Ari Aster is a horror film but contains a lot of bright colors and constant daylight. I feel like the mix of bright colors and suspenseful music and sounds makes the movie uncomfortable for the audience as it shows the evil hiding in plain daylight in comparison to what is usual. 

The two movie opening examples I just gave are highly produced and include a lot of action which are things that as a student I can not develop for a film opening. However, another suspenseful example of a more calm film opening is from the series Dexter (2006) directed by Michael Cuesta. (https://youtu.be/ej8-Rqo-VT4?si=tEnrqHC1rISE3I54 ). The opening shows little of the characters and mainly hands preparing something dangerous. There are various examples of horror movies with openings like that one such as A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) directed by Wes Craven also focuses on mainly close ups of hands preparing something. 

For my film opening I am looking to create a combination of both ideas. I will have the group of girls repairing something sinister but the use of bright colors and their laughs in the background will make the scene uncomfortable. The preparation would be interrupted by an important event like the arrival of a new friend that results in more of the unknown leading the audience to remain intrigued and want to know more by the end of the two minutes. 

Brainstorming film genres and plot ideas.

My approach to this project was to initially decide the aesthetic I want my film to show. My favorite type of movies are more organic using a lot of hand held camera technique like Project X. However, I realized if I produce my film this way it would not help my grade and it would probably look unprofessional and uncared for. I must focus on showing technique and strategy. I have many long term movie ideas but I need to think of a proper introduction to one. 

I enjoy horror films so most of my ideas are resulting in such genre. I am looking to create an introduction to a drama or a horror film. Films in these genres tend to have very strong sound edition and music production. Horror films often explore themes of unknown which is something I would like to integrate into my film. 

Around 3 years ago I had watched the comedy movie TAG directed by Jeff Tomsic. The movie shows a group of middle aged men meeting up after years of not seeing each other just to play a very competitive game of Tag. This movie happens to be based on a true story. This inspired me to do something similar with my old group of friends. We had made a contract with rules. Every first week of April we had a prank war, the pranks had to be filmed in order to count, players were allowed to team up but only in pairs... etc. With this, I had come up with a movie idea in which one of the characters dies because of a prank that was pulled and the whole movie focuses on personal issues each friend had with that girl and who actually killed her and was it an accident?