It’s the Little Details! - Creating an Instagram

     In the website, there tends to be social media icons located somewhere on the page. Not only do the little symbols add a nice touch to the site, but the social media pages help to further market the short. I knew from the beginning that I would add these icons, but I want this to feel as real as possible and having some symbols there that do not lead to anything is not real to me. For this reason, I decided to go the extra step and make Twitter and Instagram accounts for our short film! These two applications are used by the pre-teen to early 20s age groups, so they are perfect.

     I started with the Twitter account. I went on the Twitter application on my phone to create an account. I searched and searched, but found no “add account” button. Taking into consideration that I don’t remember my own Twitter account’s password, I could not log off to create another one because then I would not be able to log back onto mine. Things got a tad complicated, so I decided to move on to the Instagram and try making a Twitter account from my computer later on.

     So now, it’s time for Instagram! I simply clicked on “Add Account” and since theupside was taken, created theupsideshort. Short, simple, easy to find. Since we do not have a postcard yet, I will leave the profile picture blank until we finalize that or create a logo I could use. For the name, I typed in “The Upside” and all that was left was a bio! I did not want to put any useless information and can’t really add something like “Academy-award winning short” because unlike the website, Instagram is more public and I would rather not get in trouble. I simply decided on adding the link to the website and moved on to the following.

     Once again, I needed this account to feel real. If I were trying to get my short film out to the world and wanted others similar to my account to follow me, who would I follow? I started by looking up some academy-award winning shorts and followed the ones that had Instagram accounts. They all had much less "following” than "followers” and followed directors/producers or other relevant accounts. I then looked up the directors of the academy-award winning shorts and followed all of those accounts that I found. It still seemed just a bit too little, so I looked up some common animation companies/short film-producing companies. Finding these was much harder than I had expected, but at 13 the number seemed pretty similar to the other short film accounts I had looked into, so I was done.


     The most popular Instagram pages have high quality images posted with fun, quirky comments. To make it as realistic as possible, I created two folders on my photo gallery and labeled them “to post” and “saved story.” I will prepare all of the images I want to post in the future ahead of time and insert them into these folders, so I can later post them daily/on different days quickly. I went through the camera pictures we took whilst filming on every single day and separated the nicest ones, also adding some that I knew would make for funny posts. I will not only post at all different dates and times, but I will add a variety to not make it boring! I will upload single pictures, a combination of pictures at once, and videos. As for the comments, I plan on involving emojis (commonly used by the target audience we desire) and hashtags to put the account on the discover page and attract followers. 



     The second folder I created is labeled “saved story.” I will post a new story every single day and save them all under a highlighted story for anyone to find at whatever time. This will add a nice touch to the account and make it more interactive. I labeled the highlighted story “B. T. S.” for behind the scenes. I knew I wanted to add polls, questions, gifs, stickers, and many other things to make it interactive and visually appealing, but I had no idea how. I did some searching on the App Store and found “Pic Collage.” After a lot of playing around and learning, I figured it out! I separated other pictures we had taken on filming days and started joining them together in different templates and organizations. I looked up stickers and added the ones I felt fit. I then saved the picture and went on the Instagram to finish them. I drew on the collages with different colors and tools, added the gifs and other things I wanted to add, and finished up the stories with some nice final touches. I then saved the image and added it to the folder. Re-doing this entire process for every picture was VERY time consuming. But, I absolutely love how they all turned out and is exactly what I would post if I were trying to make my account known.

     By pre-preparing all of the saved stories and posts, my only work now is to remember to post daily and make up some new, fun comments for each post. I know that this account and all of this extra work was not a necessary component of the project, but I think it adds so much that the time it required was worth it.

Websites and Titles !?

     Since the project started, I have been writing down some inspirations that I want to include in the website… and now it’s time! For starters, I created a page on my Wix account by customizing it with as much of what I want to include beforehand. For starters, the website is missing a background image. The problem, however, is that until we create a postcard or logo, I do not have a good background to add. For now, I will leave the image of the mountain that the page comes with and will do an easy switch for the correct image when it is ready. Up next, I will create tabs and connect them to the pages that I plan on creating. There are some pages that I know for sure I want to include already, so I will create those tabs for now and add the other ones in the future.

     I will add a “Behind the Scenes” tab with all of the great images we took as we filmed and will definitely include some videos of clips that were not included. I plan on editing some clips into a Bloopers video which will make people laugh and want to keep searching the page. I will also edit some clips together of never-before-seen footage to include these exclusives, attracting larger audiences to the website. This link with the photo/video gallery will add a compelling item to the site that makes it stand out! 

     I will also add an “About” tab to include little paragraph descriptions of every actor/actress in the short. This allows audiences to get a better understanding of everyone in the short and adds something different and interactive. It would also be visually appealing depending on the style I end up choosing. Lastly, I will most definitely include a blog tab. I would like everyone interested to have the opportunity to go through the journey with me just like all of you reading this. At the bottom of the page, I will include an Instagram icon and possibly a Twitter icon. I plan on making these accounts this week, so keep an eye out for my next blog! Lastly, of course, I will make sure to include the link to the actual short story once it is completed!! I am extremely excited to finish the website and see my inspirations come to life! I know it will turn out very nice once all of the images are added and everything is complete:)

     Now for the exciting news..... WE HAVE A TITLE! In order to create the social media accounts that I plan on creating, the username should be the movie title to make it easy to find. However, once created, I can't change it. I texted Nico about this and he suggested "Perspective." We created a documentary that included the word perspective and I just do not think that it fits the short. I then started thinking and came up with "Half Full." The short is about looking at situations as a 'glass half full' rather than a 'glass half empty,' so I thought it was cute. But, I understand that it can be confusing or hard to get, so I kept trying. Nicolas then suggested "Buoyant." This word means cheerful and optimistic, which does make some sense, but just still does not sound right. Finally, I thought of "The Upside." This word literally means "the positive part of a situation." [1] The message we are trying to portray is that every situation has an upside to it and you should focus on this positive rather than on the bad. After googling, I found that it is currently a film starring Kevin Hart. However, it is what fit this short the best and it is what I have decided on and Nico has agreed with, so we have our title!

[1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/upside

A Big Introduction Out of Few Items

     We filmed the introduction for the film! It feels like we have so little left to film that we can already start on the editing and everything else. It’s ridiculous how fast time passes without one even noticing. For the intro to the film, Nico and I had already storyboarded the entire thing, so we hoped the process would be quick and easy. For starters, we will need our actress, Paz! To not pick her up and leave her waiting as we prepare everything, we decided on having everything ready before so we can film quickly and drop her back off at the house. What are we going to need for this scene? A table, chair, markers, pencils, glue, scissors, papers, boxes, the notebook, drawings, etc.

     Since Nico’s house is almost empty, we had to do some digging to find everything. In some closets, we found his little sister’s markers and paper. We kept looking and found a little table and chair that were left behind in the office. With everything being packed away already, we got  only two empty boxes, but also found a suitcase that could add a nice touch. Finally, we grabbed some poufs, a blanket, some colored paper, and other random items we felt might be useful.

      The first thing shown once the film opens are the drawings. Since Paz needs to look like an art lover, we have to include several different drawings that could have been made in her past. The good thing? Since she was moving, we can’t fill the room up too much, meaning not as much preparation. For starters, Nico and I cut up some papers in half because the walls are very large so it would not be noticeable, and it was easier to fill it up with smaller drawings that look like a lot when joined together. At first I looked up drawings made by children and tried to replicate them, but then Nico and I started using our imagination because it was taking too long. I did what I could and even started using my left hand to make them look childish. We also grabbed some colored paper and tried to make different cut-out drawings to add some variety. Some drawings looked more child-like than others, making it look like some are more recent and some are quite old. I absolutely love how the drawings turned out!

     Now that this was done, we scouted the house. His little sister’s room is located inside of his parent’s room. It has a beautiful window and the best lighting in the entire house. Right away, we both agreed on this room and made a plan. As I put everything together, Nico would go pick up Paz! He left the house and went to get the actress as I taped the drawings to the window and brought everything upstairs. I prepared the tripod and light, the boxes, and everything else involved. Suddenly, my phone starts ringing. Nico called me to say that although it had been pouring all morning, Paz’s soccer practice never got cancelled. We. Have. One. Hour. To. Film. I finished setting up everything in two minutes and as soon as I heard the door, Paz and Nico came running upstairs.

     We filmed everything we needed just in time! We got all we needed for the introduction from several different shots, angles, and overall compositions. We always overshoot everything to later check what looks best and it definitely went well with this scene. It was a bit of a struggle because Paz came with a friend and she struggled keeping a straight face while acting in front of her. We also had to film a scene in which I spoke as the mom and called her to leave, yet after constant reminders, Paz never seemed to remember to not stare at the camera. Every video consisted of Paz looking straight at the camera and us sounding frustrated. However, we finally finished everything and got Paz to her practice on time.

     After she was gone, I put together some boxes and the suitcase I found to finish up the introduction. I went home afterwards and Nico finished up what was left for the introduction with some extra scenes of the papers I prepared. Now all that is left is to film my scenes! I will be starting some post-production editing and other components involved to get ahead and not run out of time.

Filming Day Three - Any Child's Dream !!

     Time to film my childhood dream! When we walked into the house, Nico and I realized that we never bought the confetti. So, he got back inside of his car and I set up the entire room to begin filming. Once he returned, I had already set up the toys, lights, lasers, smoke machine, and tripod to start right away. The room itself was quite a mess, but I kept everything in one corner and with close ups, I planned on making it look like a room full of toys.

     To make this look as natural as possible, we asked Paz which song she like to sing and dance to and played it. (She chose one from Teen Beach Movie) I gave her a microphone and some glasses and… it was so much better than I had expected. She completely got into character and started jumping up and down with toys as she screamed and danced crazily. It was so real that it showed on camera, which is just what I wanted. We then asked her to do the same thing laying down with some stuffed animals. Afterwards, I had her do it one last time but laying on the floor surrounded by animals to make it look like she was having conversations with them. The smoke and lasers made everything look so much better as well! Filming this scene went very well, except for two small bumps in the road. First, the lighting situation was a struggle because we could not make it too bright, but if it was too dark then nothing could be seen. Second, we had a situation with the smoke machine. We may have used it too much and well… set off the fire alarm. We were under the impression that the machine could not set off the fire alarm, but were proven very wrong:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12Em_yj7y9L8pRZFVPqFvNzcfgu5I-bMv/view?usp=sharing

Tea Party Scene

     Up next, Nico and I made a little tea party with the bears. I  remember having my tea parties when I was little, so recreated it with the toys that we had. We placed the table next to the wall to not have any distracting backgrounds and then propped up the minion on a mattress so it was visible. I sat some Barbies on the edges of the table as well to make it look more full, then Nico put some fun glasses and headbands on all of them to make it look and feel more childish. We told Paz to pretend we were not there and she absolutely killed it! She started grabbing the cups and fake pouring the bears some tea as she told stories. Hearing her talk with the bears was extremely adorable and made me wish I had my crazy child imagination again.


     When I saw the mattress on the floor that we used to prop up the minion, it sparked my imagination. Automatically, I pictured a great scene. In the spur of the moment, I got very excited and asked Nico to help me pick up the mattress. We took it over to the stairs and I held it at the top as Nico got Paz. I found an umbrella lying on the floor and had her hold it to add some more creativity. Paz had never done this before and was very scared. I spoke to her and told her it would be fun, but she was still unsure. For the first attempt, we put the tripod off to the side to make sure it wouldn’t get hit by the mattress and had her slide down. Paz LOVED it. I wasn’t happy with the angle, so we re-did it from a different side. However, still not happy, I took a chance. I got rid of the tripod and held it myself. I pictured it from straight underneath, but the tripod would fall if we did this so I laid on the floor and took my head and hand out of the way at the very last second. To my surprise, it worked just like I wanted it to!

Fort Scene

     For the last childlike imagination scene, Nico came up with the idea to make a fort. We put together some tables next to the wall, the mattress for one side, a blanket for the other side, some cushions on the floor, and added some toys. This scene was adorable, but we struggled with the lighting quite a lot. We finally tried putting the light behind the blanket and it made it look white and flashlight-like. Paz’s imagination ran wild once more and we recorded her naturally chatting with the toys. This story time ends the imagination in a nice way and makes it look like she spent the entire day having the most fun day of her life in her new house.

     We will have to see how these videos turn out as we edit, but from what we got today, I am extremely happy with these scenes. I ended up getting home at almost 9:00pm, making my family start dinner late to wait for me! It was a very long, tiring, stressful day. But, I think it will workout very well in the short!!

Filming Day Three - Outside Scenes

     Today is the day we film the most imaginative scenes. Trying to make Nico’s empty house look like a fun house full of toys and lights to turn it into a child’s dream is not very easy. Getting all of the toys and equipment for this was on me, so I started searching. I got the biggest stuffed animals that I could find to make it look as full as possible, got many colored lights and lasers, a toy car, some hats and glasses, microphone, etc. After getting all of the materials in the car, we went to pick up our actress for the day, Paz.

     Since Nico’s house would be used for the rest of the day inside, we had to make sure to get the outside scenes first before the sun went away. Nico and I knew the exact neighborhood that we wanted to film in because it is well known for it’s beautiful, large houses. However, we weren’t sure of what house to film outside of. To enter the neighborhood, I spoke to my friend Valeria who lives there to let me use her address. She said “of course!” and then we started searching. We drove around the entire neighborhood until we found a huge house that worked beautifully. It was full of palm trees, garage doors, and different rooftops. The door was placed right at the middle of the house, so Paz could stand in the center and look tiny next to the huge house.

     We started by filming the graphic match we are planning on doing with the box in the trunk of the car. I had Paz put the box inside the trunk and then take it back out to be used before and after, making it look like Paz traveled from her current, regular house to the new, huge house within seconds. It was easier to do both shots at once than have her removing the box now and then trying to set up everything perfectly to make it look the same for her to put the box back in. Afterwards, we filmed the scene with Paz looking up and running inside of the new house. We got several different angles to pick if we want to show her facial reaction as well or just her body running into the house. 

     The weather looked great and we drove back to Nico’s place to film the outside shots of the old, small house. Getting Paz walking down the front of the house was a mission. We must have recorded the same scene of her just walking at least 20 times. I knew that working with kids is very difficult, but it became very clear after Paz laughed and struggled looking upset for fifteen minutes. She tried hiding her smile by looking at the floor, but it just made it look even worse. Lastly, we recorded her looking at the house and walking away. To make the house look even smaller, I framed it in a way that showed only the front door and window, with as little garage and second floor as possible. 

     The very last thing we filmed outside was Paz walking over to the car and putting the box away to later combine with the graphic match. After we finished filming everything outside, it was around 6:15pm. Since the sun would be setting soon, we grabbed all of the things I had packed into the car and went inside of Nico’s house to decorate and start. I will explain everything that happened later in my next blog because… let’s just say it got a bit crazier than expected!

Filming Day Two

     Today was the day we were supposed to film Madelyn with Martina…however, after our change, it was time to film Martina and myself. Before we started filming, I knew I had to try to look like a girl about to go to college. Rather than sweatpants or shorts, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a nice, long sleeve shirt. I put on some makeup and hopefully now I looked older and ready for this part. I thought about the final scene that would be filmed today and what materials would be needed. When I realized that I had to get a trunk that looked like I was leaving the house, I started looking everywhere for boxes. I got some empty boxes and some full boxes and out them in the car to make it look as full as possible. Finally, all that was left was the other actress! I called Nico to come over to start filming and I went to pick up a very excited little girl.

Thiago Lesende & Martina Di Giuseppe

     When returning back to my house, I saw that my front door area was not going to work. The street is too far away from my front door and would make the walk from place A to place B too long. Nico and I then saw my neighbor’s house and noticed that the structure was perfect. I rang the doorbell and after getting permission, we started filming! Nico set up the tripod and I started explaining the scene to Martina. She understood it perfectly and did not ask for her lines to be repeated at all. She tried to look sad just as I had explained and didn’t look at the camera. The only downside would be her dancing! Martina is a dancer and wanted to show us her moves, which was super fun, until she started dancing every time we stopped the camera. Getting her attention was hard at times, but overall, she was an excellent actress!

     Everything was going well, until we looked back at a clip and realized that the camera was way too far from us for any sound to be heard. Since we had no microphones available, we had to improvise. I asked for my little brother to let me borrow his cellphone and started recording. At first, I attempted hiding the cellphone inside of the box. But after a re-do of the scene, all we could hear was the thumping of the phone against the box as I walked. I attempted holding the phone behind the box, but it was obvious that I was hiding something, so that did not work either. When I realized that nothing else would work, I turned around and put the cellphone in my shirt. I apologized to my little brother as he laughed at me and I kept the very large phone hidden with my bra strap holding it! A bit unconventional, but hey! It worked!

     We re-did the same scene about 40 times, redoing it anytime that something was off and trying it from several different shots and angles to have more options when editing later on. The  most important part of this day was to film the final scene. It has to be emotional and a nice way to end our short, so we tried to make it as emotional as we could with tight shots and other details we included. Martina was so great that she even reminded us she had to be holding the book in the final clip! I had left the book in the box after the last time we had shot and if it had not been for Martina, we may have forgotten to have her hold the book at all! Overall, today was a success and the sunny weather was definitely on our side. Now enjoy some pictures!

The Fashion Show Scene... A Nightmare

     I do not think I have ever filmed a scene as intricate as the fashion scene. It took so many more resources and so much more time and thinking than we had expected. Oriana changed into her first outfit (a shirt and shorts to contrast what was previously said by her boyfriend) and we started filming. To have enough space for the camera to get a medium shot of our actress, there was a large pool table in the way. In two, we moved it out of the way as much as we could, giving us more space to back away from the stair railings. Next, the camera was too low, so we grabbed the tripod once more and put it higher to reach the perfect height we desired. Lastly, we had to come up with a way for the camera to move smoothly down the hallway for the scene to look good. If we picked up the tripod and walked, it would have looked too bumpy/rough. If we removed the tripod and held it ourselves, the same issue would have occurred. So I went into my garage, looked into some old equipment, and found my longboard! With a lot of precaution and gentle, subtle movements, we put the tripod on top of the longboard to smoothly roll it down the hallway.

     At first, we recorded Oriana walking down the entire hallway and thought of repeating it for every outfit. However, later when we edited it, it would have been extremely difficult for Oriana to move exactly the same way every single time. If she had her body even an inch off from the previous walk, then the edits would have been rough and too obviously different. To get Oriana to switch outfits as she walked was very difficult and was not turning out the way we wanted. After a while, we decided to switch it up a bit. This time, we told Oriana to spin. I grabbed some colored duct tape and placed it on the three spots on the floor that she had to stop and spin. By spinning on those exact spots every time, it will make the transition to the next outfit that much smoother. Every time she spun, she lifted her arms so that the cuts would match the previous movements. When spinning, clothes and body parts move around everywhere, so it will help make it look much better when she changes clothes.

     Although the cool clothes changing effect will make the scene feel more like the imagination/surreal, it was not as 'fantasy land' as we wanted it. I asked Nicolas to bring any lights he had to re-decorate the room and make it feel like time has passed throughout the film, but they were perfect to fix this issue. We also had a smoke machine, making it so much better. Combining the lights, smoke, and clothes transformation... NOW the scene looked more like a girl's imagination- just like we wanted it to.

     Nicolas and I were planning on having one person on either side of the longboard to move the camera smoothly. But, after we started recording, we realized that the smoke machine was too low to be seen in the medium shots we were getting of Oriana. This was a problem. We eventually found that the best way for it to be seen is to aim it directly at the camera from the side, at an angle that it would not be shown on camera. This led to Nicolas plugging in the smoke machine into my bathroom and holding it towards the camera, while hiding behind a wall. While this was occurring, I was laying on the floor with my hands on the longboard and starting/stopping the camera. Let's just say, if someone had walked in at that moment, they would have been very confused.

     Oriana started her 'strut' and spun right on the duct tape, but forgot to lift her arms. RETAKE! Oriana started her 'strut' and spun too far away from the tape. RETAKE! Oriana started her 'strut' and the smoke machine got overheated, so it did not work. RETAKE! Oriana started her 'strut' and walked too quickly, so she went off-camera. RETAKE! Oriana started her 'strut' and I moved the camera too roughly. RETAKE!

     If you didn't get the message, this scene (a 10-20 second scene) took us over an hour and a half to film. Later on, Nicolas and I ended up switching spots to see who could move the camera smoother to make sure it looked the best it could. We then had to switch the smoke machine from the bathroom plug to a different plug with an extension cord we removed from a vacuum we found. I ended up using a luffa on one wheel and a mop on the other wheel to stop it and keep the camera completely still as Oriana changed into her different outfits. This scene brought up some difficulties we had not expected and resulted in a lot of quick thinking. Overall, it worked out pretty well! Hopefully the scene looks smooth when editing... and it was not all for nothing.

     However, if that is the case, we have a plan B like everyone should. The scene will remain a fashion show, but will instead be in the room. The girl will appear and disappear in the mirror, strutting back and forth with different outfits as she stares happily at herself. We came up with this before and knew it would be the much easier option, but decided to take the risk and film what we did because although much more challenging, we want this short to be very visually appealing and be the best it can be. 

FINALLY FILMING DAY

     Yesterday, we filmed Oriana's part of the short- middle school age, second dilemma. Nicolas showed up to my house around 4:10 pm and oriana showed up around 4:30 pm. I had everything prepared already, which allowed us to start right away! We decided on creating the graphic match for the previous transition before this scene at the end, so we began with the girl jumping onto her bed.

     Nicolas and I completely overshot everything! We re-recorded practically ever single scene and got a variety of different angles and shots every time to give us the freedom to pick which one looks best when editing. Thankfully, Oriana is a close friend to both Nicolas and I, so we were able to get in some pretty funky positions to get the shots we wanted (LOL).

     Oriana did very well and was able to act just the way I had pictured. There were a couple of times where she burst out laughing, but after a few deep breaths we continued and she got serious once again. Then came the imagination part. We had decided that Nicolas would be the boyfriend because Oriana and him are best friends, so they have several pictures together we could print out for the frame. The relationship they have also makes the whole process easier and less awkward and of course, Nicolas playing this part would make everything much easier for us by not having to search for another actor.

     The boyfriend scene took quite some time. Nicolas was embarrassed and was not able to say it in a way that looked natural on camera. He would stutter and felt unsure on what to say. We all put our ideas together and came up with a dialogue for him that he felt comfortable with. I am happy with the intensity of the scene because the aggressiveness involved shows how harmful the relationship was for Oriana and how much better off she is now without him. All that was left now was the scene in which Oriana puts her hand up and makes Nicolas disappeared. We used a tripod that our teacher let us borrow to keep the camera very still and had Oriana not move a single muscle until Nicolas left the shot and, just like that, we were on to the fashion show scene! This scene was the most difficult thing I have every filmed, so I will need an entire blog to share with you all! But don't worry, I will post it tomorrow to not leave you wondering.

     After the fashion show scene concluded, we had little time left. Oriana had to leave for a movie at 6:15pm and it was already 6:30pm, but she stayed with us after seeing how much more difficult the previous scene ended up being. We had Oriana change back into her sweatpants and hoodie as I put everything back in the same position it was in previously by looking at the last clip we filmed on the bed. Since we had already filmed Oriana's eyes opening when we filmed them closing to make sure the shot remained continuous, we started straight away with her finishing the second drawing.

     I told her to draw herself in a heart with a crown on her head and a spotlight. As difficult as this sounds, we only had a few seconds for this shot, so I told her to keep it simple. I was a bit nervous because even after erasing a drawing, the marks still remain. So if she messed up, then I would have to measure out another paper, glue it again, re-draw the line in the middle, and perfectly copy the top drawing. However, she drew it out quickly, but not too quickly to make it look natural, and it worked! After this scene, Oriana puts the sketchbook into a box and then walks away, for the future Oriana to pick it up and find it once more.

     Nicolas and I got a box and placed it on the floor, at a corner that we found would work the best for the future scene. Oriana had to do this scene about three times because the material of the box kept shutting, not allowing her to open the box smoothly. But after the third try, she got it! Thinking we were done, we started packing up some things until we noticed... the graphic match! We almost forgot! We had Oriana stand up and hold the sketchbook just how she was holding it when she throws herself on the bed and got the exact shot we wanted to quickly for her to get it her movie before it began. We shot this film and now for sure, we were done.

Valentina Lesende (me)

     When thinking of the next scene with the final actress picking up the sketchbook from the box, we need the camera to be exactly where it was to keep it looking smooth and continuous. We kept the tripod positioned the same to be able to do this and I was going to call Madelyn to come for two minutes to film this, but Nico and I then started looking at pictures. When we noticed the drastic change between Oriana and Madelyn, we realized that we could not do this. From Paz (who is so young) to Oriana (many years later), it is not so noticeable and could definitely work. But, between Oriana and Madelyn who in reality have a two year difference in age, it was way too different. The nose, face shape, eyes, everything. We had to think quick and Nico said "you do it." I did not want to act because I am embarrassed to look back at it. But after comparing the difference between Madelyn and Ori and myself and Ori, it was clear that my face made a much better match than Madelyn's.

     As much as I did not want to act and as embarrassed as I get showing people myself acting on screen, I knew that it would be a lot better and hopefully, less noticeable and less confusing for audiences. I changed into an outfit that I thought looked older and more mature than sweatpants and a hoodie, put on some makeup, grabbed a cardboard box I had prepared a few days prior, wrote college on it, and started acting. We added some junk I had previously created on top of the box to show that time has passed without her looking at the sketchbook, erased the whiteboard so the Christmas drawings didn't make it feel as childish, changed the surroundings in the shot a bit, and then started the scene.  Nico made sure it looked good before we moved the camera and then afterwards, I finished the scene we had planned. Nico re-shot every scene from several different angles to allow us to later choose the one with the best lighting and the one that looked the best overall, and we were done the for the day! Finally!

Preparation For the First Filming Day

     Research... check! Planning... check!Characters... check! Storyboard... check! Materials... check! Locations.... check!
     Just like that... it was time to start filming! Feeling a bit nervous and anxious to finally start making the ideas come to life, I got ‘the set’ ready! As I leave school earlier than Nicolas and Oriana (the actress we needed for the day), I started preparing everything to allow us to start right away when they arrive! I began by looking at the storyboard, storyline, and materials list. The first thing we will need is a middle schooler looking very down over a breakup. To creat this look, I texted Oriana to make sure she came over with no makeup, a messy bun, sweatpants, and a hoodie - the classic breakup look. Then, we will need headphones to show her listening to music as she starts doodling. I have my basic Apple headphones, however, I wanted something more flashy and childish (color-wise). Looking into my old boxes and items, I found my pink Beats headphones! They’re not wireless and broken, but by removing the cable and putting the hole on the side the camera can’t see, it works! They’re large and a flashy, dark pink color. Just what I pictured.
     After, I had to find a sketchbook. Every pad I found in my house with blank papers opened straight
up and not the right. Since I picture it being more book-like and less pad-like, these weren’t working. I kept looking and found an old notebook I used as a child. The glitter and flowers on the cover made it more realistic because the main character supposedly received it when she was little! However, it was a notebook... meaning there were lines on the pages. It may have been a bit extra, but I wanted this notebook to be the sketchbook, so I grabbed copy paper, pencils, scissors, and a glue stick. I measured the pages in the notebook on the copy papers and cut them out to be placed right on top of the lined paper. I got my glue and glued down all of the copy paper on top of the striped paper. Meticulously gluing and placing these pages in specific locations of the sketchbook, it turned out great!
     For the imagination part, I found a frame that my boyfriend gave me. Nico sent me an image with Oriana and I printed it out in color, cut it out, and replaced it in the frame for the picture previously there of my boyfriend and I (sorry Gianni). For the later part of the imagination, I went to my garage and took out some old boxes with laser lights and bulbs in it. Lastly, I had to make my room look more middle-school like. I put some teddy bears on the bed, added a Pink blanket on the bed (which could be later removed to make it look like time has passed and she got rid of it), and put some Christmas drawings on the whiteboard. Now that the materials were ready... I waited for Nico and Ori! As i checked the clock to make sure they arrived with enough time to film properly, I realized I had a dentist appointment at 3pm. The scenes we had to film that day were pretty intricate and require time. Since the dentist is unpredictable and may end up taking a long time, I had to prioritize the project. I called the office and after they told me I couldn’t go in earlier, I had no choice but to move it to Friday at 9am. This would mean missing school and waking up early to go to the dentist... but with me leaving to Argentina on Wednesday, I could not risk losing a filming day. Finally, now everything and everyone is ready to begin.

Storyboard... video!?

     Okay so... I have decided to do something a tad more creative than usual. Normally, I grab a single copy paper, make some boxes, and do my storyboard like that. However, this short is longer and more intricate that usual, so I wanted to do something that really allows me to see shot-by-shot and gives me a visual as to how it may look. Nico and I know the ending perfectly and exactly how we want to do it. We also know how we would like to do most of the film towards the latter half, so I downloaded an app I found to investigate and see how we could figure out the majority of it.
     I started searching on the App Store and found an application called “Storyboard.” I opened it and after some investigating with Nico to try to understand how to use it, I began drawing. As i looked back at our planning and descriptions of shots/ideas, I tried following my vision and what I would like to see on the screen as I read. Incase you don’t understand what I mean by our planning and descriptions, I’ll include the part that i followed for this storyboard here:
Introduction:

• (Film in Olivia’s room) close-ups of drawings with credits, pans of boxes in room, zoom out to shot of sketchbook with title appearing

• Paz sitting at a table finishing sketch of sad stick figure with small house and boxes behind her

First Problem:

• Close up of Paz’s eyes, eyes close, screen is now much lighter (to show imagination land) (continue filming from over the shoulder shot to eyes)

• Effect of light appearing as if eyes are blinking, Shot showing Paz standing in front of small house holding a box, Paz turns around looking sad with body shlumped, camera follows Paz to car, Paz places box in car, camera stays on box in car, Paz’s hands re-enter shot and pick up the box, camera follows Paz to outside of house, Paz’s head picks up, camera cuts to showing Paz’s facial expressions growing excited, camera back to where it was before showing Paz running into house

• Paz is having the time of her life in the house (JUMP CUTS) with confetti, laser lights, toys, smoke machine, cotton candy

• Imagination ends, eyes open, she is finishing the happy sketch of happy stick figure with big house behind her and a “SOLD” sign (by putting smile on stick figure)

• (TRANSITION) hear mom yelling “It’s time to go!”, shot of Paz walking with sketchbook in hand switches to Ori walking with sketchbook in hand OR Paz puts sketchbook into box to Ori opening box

Second Problem:

• Shot of Ori walking with sketchbook in hand OR opening box and taking out sketchbook 

• Ori throws herself onto bed listening to music while crying, Ori opens sketchbook and flips through it to newest page, Draws image of a broken heart with Ori on one side and guy on the other side, Close up of Ori’s eyes, eyes close, screen is now much lighter (to show imagination land)

• Effect of light appearing as if eyes are blinking, Shot of picture frame of Ori w boyfriend, Shot of Ori staring at frame crying from above, phone rings, Ori picks up phone, “Hey, do you wanna go out?”, Shot of Ori laying down looking at boyfriend standing on top of bed “You better say no. I just left you. How dare you go out. And if you wear your short shorts I SWEAR!”, Ori picks hand up, boyfriend disappears, Ori confidently says “You know what? Let’s do it!” OR post-it notes on mirror

• Shot of Ori walking next to stair rail, jump cuts of Ori’s clothes changing every two steps OR sassy walk in front of mirror with smoke and laser lights (fashion show)

• Imagination ends, eyes open, she is finishing the happy sketch of heart with Ori in middle wearing a crown and spotlight on her happy

• (TRANSITION) shot of Ori placing book in corner of room on top of letters and leaving to Madelyn cleaning up junk stacked on top of sketchbook while packing for college

    After some time and erasing (drawing over the image with white because the app doesn’t have an eraser tool...), my storyboard is done! With this completed, it will make the filming process much easier. Now we know what we want to see and do for the scenes that we were stuck on before. I drew, changed, re-drew, etc. until arriving at something I feel to be visually appealing and what the short needs. I will share these drawings with you, but just keep in mind that I’m not much of an artist, so please excuse my poor drawing abilities!!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Sp8MYdKoj-vFJuzAMUdITwf8jUxheeQK

Location Scouting and Gathering Materials

     To begin filming, we will need to know what locations we will be needing and what materials to have prepared before (making sure we do not run out of time on the days of filming). For starters, I have created a list of the materials to be used so we can prepare them beforehand: 

• Camera
• Papers with children's drawings 
• Crayons, colored pencils, markers, pencils
• Cardboard boxes
• Sketchbook - create with papers and staples
• Table and chair - for Paz to sit at and sketch
• Car - for Paz to place box into
• (Maybe) Confetti, laser lights, toys, smoke machine, candy, etc.
• Headphones
• Picture frame with picture of Oriana and boyfriend
• Post-its with harsh sayings written on them
• Clothes - for Oriana to model
• Skateboard/Longboard - for filming second imaginary scene smoothly
• Lights
• Junk - college letters, crumbled papers, etc.

     With all of the materials listed, it is time to search for locations. We will need a small house for the introduction and first conflict. Nicolas is moving out of his house, so it is currently empty. The first conflict is about moving, so it could not be more perfect! We will use his house for these scenes, but we also needed a big house for the imagination. For this scene, I thought of some neighborhoods near us that have very nice homes. Windmill Reserve is one of them and my close friend lives inside, meaning we have access, so it is doable! We will go to my friend Valeria's house for this scene, or we will find any home being built that would work as well. However, if for some reason we cannot complete this, then we could use my house. It is larger than Nicolas' and has an arch in the front door, making it look much bigger and nicer if only showing that. For the rest of the film, we could use the outside of my house or the outside of anyone's house, as long as it is not Nico's because the character supposedly moved away when she was little! Just incase to not forget, I have also made a small list to keep these locations in mind:

• Nicolas' house - empty room for first conflict, outside
• Windmill Reserve house - new house for first imagination
• My house - empty room for second conflict, incase Windmill Reserve fails

Organizing our Ideas!

     Now that I have researched my genre, know what I want to do for this film, and know what characters I want, it is time to get organized. Although we know what we want to do for this film and have specific clips in mind, we have not come up with a shot-by-shot plan or storyboard. On top of this, we do not know what we will need, when, or how we will actually complete this project. So it is time to set everything straight!
     First things first, we need to see what we're actually doing. My partner and I need to sit down and start brainstorming and bouncing ideas back and forth until we come up with exactly what the five-minute short will consist of. Today, we met up and came up with the introduction, first minute, second minute, and conclusion. All we have left is the third minute of the film, but Nico had to leave so we will leave that for Monday in class! We now know what we will need, what we will do, and even came up with different ideas/shots for some events in which we disagreed or couldn't decide which would look better! For these circumstances, we will record both ways and use different shots. When editing, you never know what may go wrong and it is always better to have extra footage than not enough. I will share all of this information with you guys on my Monday post after the final details are concluded and we complete our storyboard!
     Now that we know what we will do and who we will cast, we need to know when to film. I leave to Argentina on Wednesday, March 20th. I return on Saturday, March 30th. Being gone for over a week is a big problem for this project. The day after I return, we have exactly two weeks, with the second week being the final one in which we turn everything in! With the dates coming up much faster than we had expected, we need to see when we will film. If we start filming on Monday, then we have nine days to film before I leave. This is perfect. Nine days should be more than enough and if any re-does or extra clips are needed, Nico will still be here to record. Now that everything is planned, this should not be needed, but we have the backup plan just incase. While on the eight hour plane rides to and from Argentina, I will have plenty of time to work on the website and postcard, while Nico will have plenty of time staying home to begin the editing process. We will communicate any second that we can (whenever I find internet!) and FaceTime continuously to edit and create the other components together.
     With what Nico and I have to do in mind, we need to see how our actor's schedules are to plan accordingly and know exactly when to film what, without any surprises catching us off guard. I spoke to Martina, Madelyn, and Oriana. For starters, I spoke to Madelyn. Mondays are the best for her to film because of her schedule, but she is free any day of the week besides Wednesday. I then spoke to Martina's mother. Since Martina is so young, I wanted to get the permission from her parent first to make sure it was okay. As expected, her mom responded amazingly and said how happy Martina was when she found out because she loves acting and being the 'in the spotlight.' Martina is free to film any day of the week except for Mondays and Wednesdays because she has hip-hop classes all afternoon. Lastly, I spoke to Oriana. She walks dogs as a side job every day of the week after school, but after 5pm she is free any day! Nicolas will speak to Paz's mother and Paz today to complete our filming schedule and have everything ready! I know that we will need Madelyn and Martina together one day because they are together in the conclusion. We have also left Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for any missing clips that we may not have had time to film or just did not work out the day it was planned. I have to get a root canal on Monday (sadly), so I have created this filming schedule:

• 3/12, Tuesday: Paz?
• 3/13, Wednesday: Oriana, Paz? (second conflict)
• 3/14, Thursday: Madelyn, Martina (third conflict, conclusion)
• 3/18, Monday: Paz?
• 3/19, Tuesday: leave for missing clips, extras, and re-do's

      With an organized schedule of when we will film, who we will need, and what we will record, we are set to begin recording! On Monday we will conclude the story outline and the storyboard, to know what we want to do shot-by-shot without wasting any time. I am also planning on making a list of the exact items and locations we will need to have this week, to be completely ready by Monday!

Character Timeee!

    Soo.. it’s time to get our actresses! After a LOT of discussion with my partner, we have come up with some people we think suit the roles perfectly.

Paz DeLuca (bottom)

     For our first actress, the little girl, we wanted someone very petite. We want the transitions between a little girl to a middle schooler to a high school graduate to be very clear. At the same time, we needed someone outgoing to make sure there were no issues filming. However, filming with kids is always very difficult, so we also had to make sure it was somebody old enough to understand and follow our directions properly. This thinking process is how we found… Paz DeLuca! She is a fifth grader, which makes her old enough to understand us, although looks younger, which is perfect for what we wanted! With her outgoing personality, she is perfect for the role and will make the process very fun for all of us.

Oriana Risquez

     Continuing on to the next actress, we needed a blonde female in her early teens or middle school years. However, my partner and I do not have any siblings or friends in middle school, so this was a bit of an obstacle. The only other option we had was to find somebody as young as possible, who could look like they are in their middle school years. I considered some of my freshman brother’s friends, but none of them are blonde, so that was out. Next, we started thinking of the youngest friends Nico and I have. Then, we realized we know a junior in high school who is blonde with an outgoing personality and perfect for the role! Oriana Risquez is sixteen years old, but looks younger and with some ponytails or typical children’s clothing, we could make her look even younger. Looks-wise, she is perfect. Personality-wise, she is perfect!

Madelyn Lima

     For our last and final main character, we need a blonde female in her senior year of high school or early years of college. This decision was by far the hardest. We do not know anybody in college because all of my close friends left the state for college, therefore no longer live here. As for Nico, his older brother does not attend college and lives far away as well, so no luck there. Finally, we came to a conclusion that we are not 100% thrilled about, but could definitely work. Madelyn Lima is a senior in high school. With her blonde hair and hilarious, yet serious personality, she would follow our every direction and could make for a great ending. However, the change from Oriana and Madelyn is quite drastic and because they are so close in age, it makes it even more obvious. Nico and I will go to drama classes in our high school and search for possible actresses, but if we have no luck there, then Madelyn will be our final girl.

Martina Di Giuseppe

     Finally, at the very end of the film there has to be a younger sibling for the sketchbook to be passed down and the message to be continued. For this role, we did not have many restrictions. We just needed a young child, preferably blonde to make it more obvious that they are siblings, but it was not necessary. For this role, we are getting Martina Di Giuseppe, a third grader. She is blonde, which is even better, and is the perfect age for the book to be passed down to her. I spoke to her mother beforehand, just incase, and she said "Of course! She would love it!" Martina is quite the star and loves recording herself and posting images, so she was very excited when she found out! Although a very small role, the sibling is crucial in showing audiences that the message you learn is for everyone.

A Burst of Inspiration!!

       So, my partner went to class this time and we had a new idea that I’m quite excited about, so I had to write a quick blog post to share!
     “Quite often, the very definition of childhood is at stake in these films, changing as it does from one generation to the next and within different contexts.” [1] Re-reading this quote from my previous blog posting, Nico and I started to bounce ideas off each other… and we may have found a way to add the missing transitions we needed, while making the film feel more cohesive. Childhood changes from one generation to the next, however, the lesson we are teaching still remains and so does imagination. We will start with the little girl, but instead, we will have her growing in between stories. The three conflicts shown in the sketchbook will not all be about moving. With the first conflict, the actor will be a little girl. With the second conflict, that little girl will be in her late middle school/early high school years. With the last conflict, that girl will now be graduating high school and moving away to college.
     For the last conflict, we were thinking of showing her sadness and struggle with leaving her family and home behind, but then seeing all of the great opportunities it is creating for her. Towards the end, the girl is leaving for college and gives her little sibling an exact, blank copy of her sketchbook. This will get rid of the fear we had of making it look too repetitive. The different life stages will also help connect the story, while showing how the message is to show the good in LIFE and not just when it comes to moving. We could even make the introduction be the father giving the little girl the blank sketchbook! Although only a small new change, this helped us think of both an introduction and conclusion, while getting rid of some previous concerns we had.

[1] http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Academy-Awards-Crime-Films/Children-s-Films.html

Genre Research

     With the idea of what I want my film to be in mind and exactly the target audience I want to reach, I almost forgot to research the genre! I know what components to add and how to reach the interest of children (the desired audience), but it is also important to get an understanding of the genre codes and conventions. For this short film, I was a bit unsure as to what genre it fell into, so I started doing some research.
     Children (Kids) films “often include a child actor/actress (such as Shirley Temple), and/or focus on children’s-related themes that teach a lesson or moral, or show that good can triumph over evil.” [1] Our main actor will be a child (most likely a little girl) and from the very beginning, I have said I want to teach a lesson through the short. Especially when combined with my target audience, I would definitely say the genre of my short is ‘children’s film/family film.’
       “Children’s films may be divided into two categories: those made expressly for a child audience, and those made about children regardless of audience.” [2] My short will be made about a child and will also target a child audience. Now that I have found a genre I believe is suitable for my film, I have to see what some of the typical conventions are…

• “Pick simple story line” : I will make sure that my film is cohesive and makes sense, following only one main idea/message to keep it simple

• “Make it obvious” : To make sure the message is clear, my partner and I will combine drawings with imagination with action, etc. to continuously reinforce it

• “Look for human characteristics” : Since children learn best when human characteristics demonstrate the lesson, we will use imagination to show it, but will continue to make the child the number one focus

• “Emphasize the positive” : We will focus mainly on the good that is coming from the bad that is happening. Instead of showing more of the negative examples that are happening, we will show the newly found happiness most of the time to let it be repeated and reinforced, making sure it is understood.

• “Look for relatable characters” : The message we are teaching is something everybody, no matter the age, needs to remember. The main character of the film is also a child, and we are making this for children to see, so they will most definitely relate and see themselves on the screen.

[3]

     To get an even better understanding, I will look back at certain kids/family movies and possibly get some ideas and influence from the way those stories are told as well. The Wizard of Oz (1939), Inside Out (2015), E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982), and Coco (2017) are all popular, influential, greatly rated films that children and families adore. [4]
     Children (Kids)/Family films are sometimes considered a genre, however, it does not seem to appear in most websites when googling ‘film genres.’ Although my film definitely fits the descriptions I have found, it is a genre that may fall into other genres, one being fantasy. “Fantasy films are often in the context of the imagination, dreams, or hallucinations of a character or within the projected vision of the storyteller.” [5] Since we are still unsure as to what exactly will be shown through the child’s imagination on the screen (whether it will be more real or imaginative), the film may or may not be considered fantasy. This short will not “involve magic, supernatural events,” or mystical experiences. [6] However, many of the components that fantasy have will be shown in my short, especially through the representation of some sort of fantasy story and higher hopes/desires. So, in a sense, my short may also be considered part of the fantasy genre as well.
     However, genres “are constantly being reworked and reimagined to suit the ideological temperature of the present.” [7] As of right now, I believe my film fits these two genres, however, I will see if to follow and or/challenge the conventions because genres never stay still, so I am not afraid to stand against these characteristics if I feel it will be best for my short!

[1] https://www.filmsite.org/childrensfilms.html
[2] http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Academy-Awards-Crime-Films/Children-s-Films.html
[3] https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-movies-can-build-kids-character-and-the-ones-that-do-it-well
[4] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/top_100_kids__family_movies/
[5] https://www.filmsite.org/fantasyfilms.html
[6] https://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/987-fantasy/
[7] http://theconversation.com/ideology-and-the-genre-system-hollywoods-divide-and-conquer-24968

A NEW IDEA

     I know what I want to create! With the help of my classmates and my teacher, I have an idea for a film that I feel great about. I will remain making it about a child who is moving because it is still the conflict we came up with to have the most negatives and positives at the same time. I will also keep the film giving the message of “looking at the positive side.” But, here is my idea for the short:
     A little girl is moving and is clearly upset about it. The introduction will show how she is an artist, possibly by showing several drawings and writings on a desk filled with colors and papers. She will grab one of her many sketchbooks and open it to the first page. We will see a girl frowning with a small house behind her and several packed-up boxes beside her. After, I must come up with something to spark her imagination. We will then show the scene of what she is seeing in her imagination. When she returns to reality, she will flip the page and draw the same picture, but this time the girl is smiling and is standing in front of a huge new house. This will be repeated two other times with situations related to the moving, showing audiences how there is some bad and it may be sad, but there is always something good too.
     The idea of the sketchbook is easy to produce and makes for a great visual. However, my teacher did warn me of some things. Every scenario should be around 45 seconds long, but I have to find a way to not make it look montage-y. If it looks like a montage, the short will seem repetitive and bore audiences. I have to find a way to do this, while making sure it continues to make sense. Lastly, I must tie it all together. I can’t stray too far away from the general idea. I know I want to make the issue moving and I know what my message will be, but how do I keep it cohesive? I would love to discuss it with my partner and see if he brings some clarity to these issues and how to solve them…I just have to hope he goes to class next time.
     I think this idea of the sketchbook still has many holes I have to fill and will not be the easiest task, but it can definitely be done and will be exactly what I want. Making it into a sketchbook will also rid of the issue I had before. If I turn all of the issues into dream situations that the child imagines, then it may look more like I am trying to convey the message of ‘escapism’ by showing the kid escaping from real-life issues with their imagination. I need to do a lot of thinking to continuously improve this idea and complete the short’s storyboard, while figuring out exactly how to do it, when to do it, and what I want everything to look like.