Final Product
https://youtu.be/x6qWB7l8B4I?si=gCE5JsEg_GbyXgR9
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Filming day two
With a brand new day we were ready to finally finish filming. No practice meant we got to spend all of our energy on recording scenes instead. This was also the one day we had with our other actor Zack. We had already completed all of the scenes that didn’t need him, so all that was left was to add in our villain. To achieve our POV shots without having him holding the camera, we had him slowly walk through the hallway with Alyssia quickly following over his shoulder holding the camera. We ended up trying once more with the microphone during my loud scream. I thought it would be too loud but then I realized it’s supposed to be loud. She’s screaming for her life. In the end using the microphone only for that scene was the best decision. After we finished all of our scenes needed at school, we thanked Zack for his help and drove to Alyssia’s house where we would be filming our last scene. That concluded our filming for the rest of the year.
Filming day one
For our first day of filming, we got a majority of the scenes done thankfully. Throughout the course of three hours we got up to right before the climax. We also filmed a couple bloopers to sprinkle into our blogs. Using the camera and gimbal was definitely not as hard as we thought it would be. Though we did get a little confused at times, we always found a solution. Re-watching the clips was awesome. Being able to see how good the quality was made figuring out how to use the equipment so worth it. We tried using the microphone for a couple of scenes but we found that it picked up every noise very easily and we were not very fond of it. We decided to hold off on using it for the day and to try using it again the next day. We ended our first film day by trying to record one last scene, but decided to hold off. We were so exhausted from the school day and practice that we figured we would not be able to focus enough while also trying to achieve the best footage possi...
Figuring out filming days
With me being so busy with theater it’s a little hard to plan things out. Luckily, Alyssia and I are both in Indoor Percussion. Our practices are Tuesday's and Thursday’s so we thought it was best to begin filming after practice one day on Tuesday. For our second day, we decided to stay afterschool on Wednesday since I was not called for theater. This gave us plenty of time to film every scene until it was perfect in our eyes. It also gave us comfort knowing we did not have to cram everything into a couple hours.
Audio
Even though our film doesn’t have much dialogue, we still were wondering whether or not to use a microphone. It was between having our own original background sound, or adding it in during editing. We decided to bring clip on ones just in case. Using them for the scream at the end would be a possibility and might help make it sound real and add emotion to the scene. We thought that the camera itself might record a small amount of noise but we were not so sure. Better to be safe than sorry.
Filming equipment
For our midterm we used a regular iPhone camera. We quickly learned from this mistake when some of our clips would not transfer onto the computer. In order to prevent this from happening again, we decided to go with using an actual camera. Something simple yet efficient was our main priority. We ended up with a Canon. To make the footage seem smooth and less shaky, we paired the camera with a gimbal. This allowed for easy filming and awesome footage.
About me
My name is Elizabeth Montero, I am a fifteen year old girl and this is my Media Studies blog! I’ve lived in Florida all of my life and it’s the place I call home. Some of my favorite things to do are hang out with my friends, play in band, sing in choir, and act + dance in theater. Taking this class has been so fun and exciting so far and I have learned so much about the process of film making. It has really opened my eyes to a whole new world on media that I would have never discovered. My favorite movie by far is Coraline, and my favorite tv show is Shameless. I hope you get to learn a little more about how I roll while viewing my blog!
Casting
Our protagonist was a pretty simple pick. Me and my partner decided that I would be starring in the film, while she would be the one recording. My style and edge also related me to our character which was a plus. While thinking of who to cast for our villain, we decided to go back to our friend from band who also played the same character for our mid term. Zack Tracey fit the costume perfectly which was a relief lifted from our shoulders. His all black clothing gave him that mysterious look we were going for.
Props
Since the main character is described to be a music lover, we thought it was only fitting that she was in band as well. Because of this, we used my personal flute to have in her arms as she’s walking through the school. She is also holding her phone is her hands to be able to communicate with her mom, which will be seen with the text bubbles on screen. Our last prop is the backpack she is carrying. This not only shows how she is obviously walking during the school day, but the keychains give her a fun quirky personality.
Costume design
Planning ahead for filming, we decided to think about the costumes we wanted for our characters. Our protagonist seems like a very normal teen, though we wanted her to be a little nerdy. For her clothing the best choice seemed to be all black to represent her not being someone over the top. The shirt she is wearing says Sarasota High School Singing Sailors. Though our character is not very popular, she enjoys doing things she loves such as anything music related. This also correlates to myself as the actor behind this persona. Moving on to our antagonist. Thinking about what a real school shooter would wear was not that hard. All black to not be caught. This represents the mystery of who is truly behind this tragedy.
Research on shootings
Shootings are currently a sensitive topic in the United States. With gun laws not being as strict as they should be, preventing these occurrences is more difficult now than ever. Providing representation for these tragedies is something that will not only inform citizens, but save the lives of thousands of innocent children around the country. Choosing to film about a controversial topic such as this one was a bold choice that might turn heads while also leading people in the right direction. Reinforcing the main goal. To keep students safe at school. A supposed “safe place” where teens are supposed to be able to travel to and from with no worries. This year alone there have been at least 21 school related shootings around the nation. Four months into the year and there has still been nothing done to protect our students. I hope that after watching my film opening the audience will feel a little more sympathetic for something most people never think twice about.
Planning our idea
For our midterm, my teammate and I, Alyssia Lubrano, did a film opening about a school shooting. We wanted to mention a topic that made some people feel a little uneasy and that would easily build suspense. When it came time to decide whether we wanted to stick with this idea or scratch the whole thing, we both decided that we really liked the story. It was something that no one else had thought of and to us it was definitely something that needed to be represented in media. Once we locked in our topic, it was time to plan the scenes. The best idea was to keep the same sequence as our midterm but to add more emotion and suspense. This also made it easier for us as we did not have to spend more time planning what we were going to film, and more of how and when.