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.
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!
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.
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| Valentina Lesende (me) |
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!
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