This past weekend we have made slow progress. Nyaira and I completed all the preparations behind the scenes. I picked up mirror tiles from the store for ou title sequence clip. Nyaira has a younger sister who benefited our project. Nyaira collected most of the props needed for our childhood scene from her. She collected little backpacks, snacks, and toys to use. This will make for an easy scene to shoot with all the necessary props gathered. preparation
We both conferred and finalized costumes for all scenes. We picked similar color palettes for each scene as to keep with the established Mise en scene. I selected a dark blue and white stripe dress and white shoes because it is darker and subdued but, still looks sophisticated and mature. My next outfit was my childhood scene where I will wear a pink shirt with a jean skirt. I will accessorize that with hair in pigtails and bows. Lastly, we decided in wearing black tank tops and black leggings for the dance feature so it is easy to dance in but equally simple. Nyaira's costumes should reflect the same mood as the ones I've selected. We will make sure to have them washed, pressed, and set out for filming day.
We also secured our filming locations. This was important to do to ensure we are not breaking any rules and we have communicated well enough to have the space free for our shooting time. Nyaira confirmed with Ms. Parisi, at school, that we could film our dance feature in her classroom aka the dance room. We thought this would be a good space because it is simple, empty, and has a large mirror for the mirrored aspects. This was important to us because we wanted all emphasis purely on the dance and not on a dramatic and dressed set. I looked up filming guidelines for Plantation parks and made sure we were abiding by all rules. With our locations secured, we are ready to film.
Unfortunately, Nyaira and I were unable to film over the weekend. I was on an overnight band trip to Orlando. Nyaira caught the flu and has been on bed rest. We hope to complete a bit more filming then planned over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. After this leap in our schedule, we will try to resume back to the previous schedule. This plan should catch us up and keep us on track to edit in time to submit.
Monday, November 25, 2019
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Music Video Storyboard
Today, Nyaira and I finalized our storyboard and all aspects of Mise en scene.
For costumes, we decided to do three separate looks for both of us. We would begin with an adult casual outfit in darker muted tones. This would be used for the first scene when two strangers are walking on the sidewalk and bump into each other. It will then move into our flashback childhood scene where we will wear brighter colors to reflect a younger "us" and happier times in our childhood. Our last outfit will be a simplistic moveable ensemble for our black and white dance feature.
The lighting will be natural and with deeper contrast to look more "real world" for the first sidewalk scene. For our childhood flashback scene, we will do a more saturated and bright look to emphasize the joy shown. The dance scene will be shot in very dramatic shadows and light due to the intense feeling we want to portray.
The actresses in this film will be Nyaira and I. We wanted to keep the concept simple to help the audience understand our story so, we did not want to involve excess characters to confuse the plot. Logistically, it would be easier to correspond with just Nyaira then a full crew. So, that's why we decided to only have us star in the film.
Makeup in this film will remain natural as to show more of the "mirrored" personalities rather than dramatic effect and glam. The adult scenes may have a bit heavier makeup just to show a bit more maturity and age from the kids.
Props will be childhood things to illustrate our ignorance and joy when we were together. Things include toys, streamers, juice boxes, etc. Props for the dance feature would be mirrors to reflect more dramatic angles for added effect and intensity.
The setting is an empty sidewalk for the adult strangers meeting. Then the childhood scene will be set on a playground to show the playfulness of the children. Lastly, the dance feature will be in a barren room with mirrors all around it.
For the actual filming and editing, we are planning to begin the video with a pan over broken mirror tiles with the title graphic over it. It will then go into a wide shot of the two strangers walking towards each other when they bump and we will cut the film to get a closer view of the reactions of the two strangers. We will then burn out of that scene into the flashback childhood scene. That will be composed of mostly jump cuts and movement match snippets of the kids having fun. It will end will a POV shot of the two kids holding hands and spinning. It will then transition into the dance feature which will be shot from many different perspectives and angles so when we edit it together we can take the best shot with the reflection in the mirrors from the different angles.
Finally, in regards to the sound, we will have the audio track of the song. We will also add some diegetic sounds to the beginning and to hopefully transition the viewer from the “outside world” (with sounds of footsteps and wind) to the “world of our characters”.
For costumes, we decided to do three separate looks for both of us. We would begin with an adult casual outfit in darker muted tones. This would be used for the first scene when two strangers are walking on the sidewalk and bump into each other. It will then move into our flashback childhood scene where we will wear brighter colors to reflect a younger "us" and happier times in our childhood. Our last outfit will be a simplistic moveable ensemble for our black and white dance feature.
The lighting will be natural and with deeper contrast to look more "real world" for the first sidewalk scene. For our childhood flashback scene, we will do a more saturated and bright look to emphasize the joy shown. The dance scene will be shot in very dramatic shadows and light due to the intense feeling we want to portray.
The actresses in this film will be Nyaira and I. We wanted to keep the concept simple to help the audience understand our story so, we did not want to involve excess characters to confuse the plot. Logistically, it would be easier to correspond with just Nyaira then a full crew. So, that's why we decided to only have us star in the film.
Makeup in this film will remain natural as to show more of the "mirrored" personalities rather than dramatic effect and glam. The adult scenes may have a bit heavier makeup just to show a bit more maturity and age from the kids.
Props will be childhood things to illustrate our ignorance and joy when we were together. Things include toys, streamers, juice boxes, etc. Props for the dance feature would be mirrors to reflect more dramatic angles for added effect and intensity.
The setting is an empty sidewalk for the adult strangers meeting. Then the childhood scene will be set on a playground to show the playfulness of the children. Lastly, the dance feature will be in a barren room with mirrors all around it.
For the actual filming and editing, we are planning to begin the video with a pan over broken mirror tiles with the title graphic over it. It will then go into a wide shot of the two strangers walking towards each other when they bump and we will cut the film to get a closer view of the reactions of the two strangers. We will then burn out of that scene into the flashback childhood scene. That will be composed of mostly jump cuts and movement match snippets of the kids having fun. It will end will a POV shot of the two kids holding hands and spinning. It will then transition into the dance feature which will be shot from many different perspectives and angles so when we edit it together we can take the best shot with the reflection in the mirrors from the different angles.
Finally, in regards to the sound, we will have the audio track of the song. We will also add some diegetic sounds to the beginning and to hopefully transition the viewer from the “outside world” (with sounds of footsteps and wind) to the “world of our characters”.
Planning for Music Video
Today in class, Nyaira and I began to set the logistics for our music video project. We began by establishing a filming location. Our initial vision was to show a friendship between two girls as adults then flashback to them as kids. We wanted to highlight the time as kids as pure joy. The playground at a park was our first idea. Nyaira and I also decided that we would have a dance feature intertwined during the chorus and maybe the bridge. We felt an empty space or dance room would be suitable to film a dramatic scene with mirrored effects emphasized.
To stay safe during the duration of our shoot, we planned accordingly. For our playground shots, we planned to bring a first aid kit just in case one of us may fall during minor stunts and get hurt. We would also be mindful of inclement weather and lighting alarms for outside scenes.
We then needed to decide on props. For the flashback parts, we were going to use backpacks for the first shot to look as if we (the kids) were coming home from school. In addition, we are also going to plan to bring other childhood "props" so we can experiment with different takes to see what looks the best. Prop examples include juice boxes, chalk, jump ropes, etc. Then we moved into deciding props for the dance feature. We were going to keep it simple with just a few mirrors for added effect.
Lastly, we needed to establish a schedule so we stay on time and make the final deadline. Today, we are planning all logistics out. On 11/21 we will finalize our storyboard. On 11/24 we will begin filming and on 11/27. We will begin editing on 12/2. These are our benchmark dates and we will add more filming and editing dates as needed. We aim to have our completed video done by 12/9.
To stay safe during the duration of our shoot, we planned accordingly. For our playground shots, we planned to bring a first aid kit just in case one of us may fall during minor stunts and get hurt. We would also be mindful of inclement weather and lighting alarms for outside scenes.
We then needed to decide on props. For the flashback parts, we were going to use backpacks for the first shot to look as if we (the kids) were coming home from school. In addition, we are also going to plan to bring other childhood "props" so we can experiment with different takes to see what looks the best. Prop examples include juice boxes, chalk, jump ropes, etc. Then we moved into deciding props for the dance feature. We were going to keep it simple with just a few mirrors for added effect.
Lastly, we needed to establish a schedule so we stay on time and make the final deadline. Today, we are planning all logistics out. On 11/21 we will finalize our storyboard. On 11/24 we will begin filming and on 11/27. We will begin editing on 12/2. These are our benchmark dates and we will add more filming and editing dates as needed. We aim to have our completed video done by 12/9.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Intro to New Project
Today Nyaira and I transition into our music video project from our commercial project. Hopefully, our music video will improve from our first film project with more experience. We want to challenge ourselves so we develop more advanced moves for our final AICE Media project. The first step to our new project is to select our song. We want something catchy and repetitive so we have plenty of time to cut out as the video can only be 01:15. Additionally, we want a song with a dramatic message so we can both dance and act for the bulk of the video. Lastly, we wanted a song that wasn’t our favorite so when we hate it by the end of the project it would not matter too much. From then on it was trial and error with what song we would select for our next major project.
After countless YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music searches we found our song: Mirrors-Justin Timberlake. We liked this song because, we were both familiar with this song and felt we could play on the theme of identity and smoke and mirrors. The genre of this song is pop (specifically a male solo artist). After deciding on a song we now need to think about the Misc en Scene usually used for solo male pop songs in the music videos.
After countless YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music searches we found our song: Mirrors-Justin Timberlake. We liked this song because, we were both familiar with this song and felt we could play on the theme of identity and smoke and mirrors. The genre of this song is pop (specifically a male solo artist). After deciding on a song we now need to think about the Misc en Scene usually used for solo male pop songs in the music videos.
- Costumes are usually kept to one maybe two for the artist himself and they fit the theme of their song. They are usually quite styled nicely but, not as much as their female counterparts. Justin Timberlake usually likes to hi-light his dance moves at some point so his outfits are usually layered and accentuate his moves.
- Lighting in Justin's videos are usually quite dramatic with deep contrast with the video in black and white. He also uses moody dark lighting that shows shadows to show deeper parts of the song.
- Acting in this genre is usually serious especially for a darker song like this one. It follows a strict storyline and evokes the emotion of empathy for the actors so you "relate" to the lyrics. The acting conveys a deeper message in the overall video.
- Makeup is very minimal as it is not expected from a male artist. He probably has light touch-up makeup on but, it plays no theatrical significance to the video.
- Props are used to illustrate a point in the acting or they are used in reference to a specific lyric.
- The setting is usually one specific set for most of the acting then it will pan to a “cooler” set with stage lighting and eccentric props for most of the dance sequences and his brief singing.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Final Editing
Nyaira and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with our commercial project. We lost our footage from our first shooting day so we had to refilm. We regrouped our props and costumes and prepared for our reshoot. We wanted to take this opportunity to improve all aspects of the previous footage. To start, we worked the scenes from beginning to end with our transition scene from sleepy to the Autumn outfit. Then we moved on to transition shots and wide shots with dancing. Lastly, we filmed our promotional footage highlighting aspects of the products. It began with a slow-motion pour of the iced coffee. We then did a pan of the Dunkin donut box and coffee cup that ended with a zoom of the slogan.
After re-filming, we dumped our footage from the SD card onto our google drive. We found that Google drive was a good tool to share the same resources with each other and have it always available on any device. We reviewed our footage and briefly discussed our intentions with each take. If that meant using it, using some of it, or throwing the entire thing out completely.
Later that day, I began editing our footage. I began to do a rough cut where I put all shots in the order I wanted to on the editing platform. Then I cut each clip to size by trimming the beginning and end to keep just the essentials for timing and point. Next, Nyaira and I decided we wanted to only use music and a voice-over as audio. Therefore we disregarded all audio from original footage by deleting it. I downloaded an mp3 of the song we selected and uploaded it to our current video. I now aimed to match up some sections of the video to pieces of the song by either trimming, rearranging, or adjusting the playback speed.
Today in class, we finalized our script for the footage we have. We found a quiet space and Nyaira recorded voice memos of herself. We broke up each line as its own recording as we felt it would be easier to adjust one line to the shot then a continuous recording. The last step of editing is fading out the music at a certain point and matching up the voice over. We can't wait to share it!
After re-filming, we dumped our footage from the SD card onto our google drive. We found that Google drive was a good tool to share the same resources with each other and have it always available on any device. We reviewed our footage and briefly discussed our intentions with each take. If that meant using it, using some of it, or throwing the entire thing out completely.
Later that day, I began editing our footage. I began to do a rough cut where I put all shots in the order I wanted to on the editing platform. Then I cut each clip to size by trimming the beginning and end to keep just the essentials for timing and point. Next, Nyaira and I decided we wanted to only use music and a voice-over as audio. Therefore we disregarded all audio from original footage by deleting it. I downloaded an mp3 of the song we selected and uploaded it to our current video. I now aimed to match up some sections of the video to pieces of the song by either trimming, rearranging, or adjusting the playback speed.
Today in class, we finalized our script for the footage we have. We found a quiet space and Nyaira recorded voice memos of herself. We broke up each line as its own recording as we felt it would be easier to adjust one line to the shot then a continuous recording. The last step of editing is fading out the music at a certain point and matching up the voice over. We can't wait to share it!
Monday, October 28, 2019
Final Filming
Today in class Nyaira and I made more progress on our commercial project. We left off our filming the previous class period with the Autumn transformation and end scenes. The plan for today would be to film the beginning scenes when the character wakes up and goes through their morning routine. We signed our paperwork and got all of our equipment. This included the camera, tripod, and SD card. We began on the Senior patio with may wake up scene. It was a difficult decision if we wanted a wide shot of me sleeping or a closer shot. We decided to set up the tripod for a full body shot.
Next, we decided to show the passage of time in the character's morning routine. Nyaira and I felt the best way to accomplish this would be to jumpcut scenes together of mundane tasks. We first took a medium close up of the character getting coffee. Then we took a wide shot of the character walking from the car to school. That moved into a high angle pan of more walking in a new location. It ended with a shot from behind of walking to the final spot in a new hallway. We felt that each jumpcut to another shot should be different from the first as to keep the viewer interested. We did this by experimenting with different types of shots, angles, perspectives, and locations.
After reaching the last location, we tried to line up the shot as best as possible for ease of editing when we connect the sleep scene to the autumn transformation. We are going to line up those scenes with an extreme close-up of the character's eyes. After shooting that scene, we packed up and headed back into the classroom. We would repeat the same process as the last class and dump our footage into our special folder. However, we would have to transfer all data to our google drive as the editing service is not set up on our high school computers. We hope it will be up and running by the next class because, we have a lot of scenes to cut, refine, and layer for our final project. My partner and I aim to create an elevated commercial with real cuts, graphics, and voiceover. Hopefully, this commercial comes together in the editing process from the raw footage we filmed today. Stay tuned.
Next, we decided to show the passage of time in the character's morning routine. Nyaira and I felt the best way to accomplish this would be to jumpcut scenes together of mundane tasks. We first took a medium close up of the character getting coffee. Then we took a wide shot of the character walking from the car to school. That moved into a high angle pan of more walking in a new location. It ended with a shot from behind of walking to the final spot in a new hallway. We felt that each jumpcut to another shot should be different from the first as to keep the viewer interested. We did this by experimenting with different types of shots, angles, perspectives, and locations.
After reaching the last location, we tried to line up the shot as best as possible for ease of editing when we connect the sleep scene to the autumn transformation. We are going to line up those scenes with an extreme close-up of the character's eyes. After shooting that scene, we packed up and headed back into the classroom. We would repeat the same process as the last class and dump our footage into our special folder. However, we would have to transfer all data to our google drive as the editing service is not set up on our high school computers. We hope it will be up and running by the next class because, we have a lot of scenes to cut, refine, and layer for our final project. My partner and I aim to create an elevated commercial with real cuts, graphics, and voiceover. Hopefully, this commercial comes together in the editing process from the raw footage we filmed today. Stay tuned.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Filming
Yesterday was our first day of filming. Nyaira and I prepared the night before by creating a list of things we would need for our first shoot as we didn’t have much time to film. Things on the list included props, costumes, and other things needed to get ready like mirrors, makeup, etc. Nyaira also decided to stop at Dunkin Donuts before coming to school to pick up a wide range of products for our commercial. I packed my bag and awaited the next day.
The next day, I went to school and I helped Nyaira carry in our Dunkin Donuts merchandise. In the classroom, we prepared for filming. I was the main actress so I got dressed in my first costume. Nyaira and I decided to work from the end to the beginning so I got ready into my “Autumn” outfit. While I got dressed Nyaira set up the tripod and began to film some of our still shots for the product promotion. I assisted her with some of our more artsy shots like the pouring of the iced coffee.
We then filmed our first action scenes where the character finally tastes the product and is amazed by the transformation. We are cutting the shot from sleepwear to the autumn outfit by zooming in on my eyes then zooming out. It was difficult to line up the shot of the eyes to be perfect in one continuous shot. After trial and error, we found the perfect spot and marked it on the ground for reference. We took a couple takes but, we think we came out with some pretty good shots. We then shot the next scene where the character is excited and rejuvenated from drinking the DD coffee. It was difficult to frolic and look happy without looking dumb and sarcastic. We did this with the tripod set up and the character starting off-screen so it doesn’t seem unnatural to have the girl start and stop when filming. Nyaira and I agreed to film extra happy scenes so we have many options to choose from and fill in with. This portion of the filming took most of our time as it is the bulk of our commercial. Overall, it was a learning process that I feel will help to film in the future. (I think on Monday!)
Lastly, we went back to the classroom when we had about 15 minutes left of the period. We were instructed to dump our footage onto the class computers. We received an SD card reader that we put our SD card into. Nyaira created a new folder for all of our footage from the day. We dumped it into the folder, labeled it so we can access it later, and saved it. Next class, we are aiming to accomplish initial editing and organizing of the footage we have. We can access what we have, what we need to improve on, and future shots. Next class I know we need to film some more aesthetic coffee shots for when we describe the coffee in voiceover. Additionally, we need to film the entire beginning premise with the sleepy and distraught character.
The next day, I went to school and I helped Nyaira carry in our Dunkin Donuts merchandise. In the classroom, we prepared for filming. I was the main actress so I got dressed in my first costume. Nyaira and I decided to work from the end to the beginning so I got ready into my “Autumn” outfit. While I got dressed Nyaira set up the tripod and began to film some of our still shots for the product promotion. I assisted her with some of our more artsy shots like the pouring of the iced coffee.
We then filmed our first action scenes where the character finally tastes the product and is amazed by the transformation. We are cutting the shot from sleepwear to the autumn outfit by zooming in on my eyes then zooming out. It was difficult to line up the shot of the eyes to be perfect in one continuous shot. After trial and error, we found the perfect spot and marked it on the ground for reference. We took a couple takes but, we think we came out with some pretty good shots. We then shot the next scene where the character is excited and rejuvenated from drinking the DD coffee. It was difficult to frolic and look happy without looking dumb and sarcastic. We did this with the tripod set up and the character starting off-screen so it doesn’t seem unnatural to have the girl start and stop when filming. Nyaira and I agreed to film extra happy scenes so we have many options to choose from and fill in with. This portion of the filming took most of our time as it is the bulk of our commercial. Overall, it was a learning process that I feel will help to film in the future. (I think on Monday!)
Lastly, we went back to the classroom when we had about 15 minutes left of the period. We were instructed to dump our footage onto the class computers. We received an SD card reader that we put our SD card into. Nyaira created a new folder for all of our footage from the day. We dumped it into the folder, labeled it so we can access it later, and saved it. Next class, we are aiming to accomplish initial editing and organizing of the footage we have. We can access what we have, what we need to improve on, and future shots. Next class I know we need to film some more aesthetic coffee shots for when we describe the coffee in voiceover. Additionally, we need to film the entire beginning premise with the sleepy and distraught character.
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