Feedback

I recently began editing and it was difficult as I forgot how to work the app and all of its settings/features. It took me a while to download the videos since my wifi was down but I managed to restart the router. I also took the time to watch videos on how to use editing apps so I could become familiar with all the tools. I used links such as: https://wevideo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/215518787-How-do-I-trim-a-clip-and-close-the-gaps- 

And the video:  https://youtu.be/kf25nK2XsIo 

These helped me work around the app and use various tools to my advantage. I also took the time to communicate with my fellow peers to see how they’ve overcome their obstacles and if they have any commentary on my current ideas or to see if there's anything I should alter. I also told my fellow classmates on issues I’m currently having and if they have any techniques to work/solve them. It has been very helpful as most have given good feedback and have responded quickly. 

Update

Recently, I had to update my schedule since I am kind of stuck. I think I decided I am going to use real life actors, as using figures would not be as interesting and I feel like it would be looked upon as unprofessional. It would also be difficult as my hands would be in the shot and I would have to imitate different voices. Tomorrow I begin and hopefully finish filming. Since I begin class on the 30th, my free time will begin to decrease but, I will hopefully finish all my assignments early to have the whole afternoon free, to dedicate all that time to my project. On the good side of things, I managed to get different shots of my backyard to resemble a cemetary. It looks pretty good and believable. I also have everything ready and set to film. I got all of my supplies ready to go and I already decorated the guest bedroom in my house to resemble an 80's 80’sbedroom. I even managed to find an old tv in my garage that still functions to emphasize that the setting takes place in the 80’s and not in the present day.

Week 7

This week has been very stressful. Due to the Coronavirus, I currently have no actors, rather I have just a few family members who are not the best actors. I don’t know what to do to solve this problem. The only idea that's so far occured to me was to grab dolls (ex: barbie dolls or polly pockets) to use as actors. I want to do some research on it to see how I could develop a good film opening. I was thinking about researching perhaps the “Lego Movie,” released in 2014. Had a box office of $468.1 million and resulted in other movies being released such as the “Batman Lego Movie.” Since I haven't begun filming I am trying to decide whether or not I want to use actual people as actors or dolls/figures.

Filming

Tomorrow I am going to grab my camera and take different shots from different angles to see which lighting benefits the scene/mood and tone. I will also bring my own flashlights/lanterns as I also want to film during the night time. I want to have one shot of the cemetery at night and during the day. The rest of the filming will take place most likely indoors and it will be in my guest bedroom. Although the coronavirus has made the situation extremely difficult, I am trying my best to improvise and work around it. I need to prioritize my filming and get it done before things continue to worsen. I’m right now planning a calendar to carefully organize myself as I have been waking up very late and sleeping a lot. I will now be setting an alarm to wake up at 8 am and will start filming by 10 am as my main actor does not have online class at that time. I also want to take advantage of the sun shining bright at that time. 

Good news

Starting tomorrow since I have time to kill, I am going to dedicate myself to redecorating my guest bedroom to make/convert it into an 80’s themed bedroom. More good news, I am allowed to go to my community park that’s about 2 minutes away from my house and since there’s a big field. I can use that as a cemetery instead of my backyard. I still don’t know which one I want to choose/decide on but, tomorrow I am going to go outside to see which has better lighting and can benefit from the film. I have to work quickly for as of right now we are not technically in quarantine but, I have fears we may soon be. I’ve also decided that if some actors are not available, then I will have to improvise and grab my protagonist and disguise her as different characters and put make up on her to fulfill different looks. Luckily my protagonist is very good at working with make up, as I have no idea.

Week 6

Since I decided to re film my opening, I need new actors. Luckily, my sister had to come home from Boston college and I’m going to use her as my protagonist. I think I might have my next door neighbor also help me. It’s difficult since I need a couple actors but I think I can make it work if I keep a distance and if I use people nearby or family members. Moreover, in one of my scenes I wanted to go to a nearby local park (Markham park) to film the tombstone as before mentioned in my past blogs and I can no longer do this. However, I found a way to work around it. Since my house has a pretty big backyard, tomorrow I am going to dedicate myself to wonder throughout it and see from which angles I could possibly film to make it look like a cemetery and which angles would work with natural lighting. I am also going to search throughout my house for possible supplies I could use to emphasize that the scene is taking place in a graveyard. 

Covid-19

One huge problem I am currently facing is that I have no idea how I am going to film as though I was in a cemetery. I think tomorrow I am going to see if I could possibly step outside for a bit to see some possible locations. If all goes well, I can pull it off without having to scratch everything off and begin with a new film opening. Another current issue is that my new actors (family members) are busy or occupied with online classes or work. This makes it difficult as I have to see what time fits each and every one of their schedules as they are each busy at different times. My goal is that by exactly a week of today, I will be done editing and filming and will only need to work on my CCR. It’s a bit difficult as I don’t have all the supplies I need nor can I leave my house due to the pandemic of coronavirus.