First Day of Filming

So today was my first day of shooting for the film we have still not figured out a name for. My friend Irina was able to come over so she helped me a little bit with filming and also is going to be briefly appearing in the film. I was really excited going into it knowing I had my new and improved camera setup!

Today I filmed the beginning shots where the credits will be rolling. I used my zoom lens to take videos of the many pictures frames in my house. I'm hoping to use this to open the movie up in order to foreshadow the importance of photographs in the storyline. (Here is an example)

Next, I moved onto the daunting task of filming with my family. I filmed a large dialogue scene with them in the kitchen and then moved to the master bedroom where my parents had a scene of their own. Based on just my initial thoughts, my family did an okay job with the acting, so I am really gonna have to do some good work with regards to editing. 

Screen Play... sorta

So I know I need to map out what is going to be filmed and overall details of the plot, but I don't really feel like making another screenplay. I just need something quick and easy to look through on the day of filming to give me some sort of guidance. So I'm gonna do that here...

Scene 1 (opening credits)
- close-ups shots of family photos
Scene 2 (MC room)
-Establish the main character
-Close-up of calendar establishing the year
-Gets called in by Dad to the kitchen
Scene 3 (Kitchen)
- Father reads notice from the government to family
Scene 4 (Parent's Room)
-Initial reactions
-Father plans on hiding some important things in a lockbox
Scene 5 (Kitchen)
-An alarm starts going off, loudspeaker starts playing instructing that any attempts to lock away any materials will result in immediate arrest.
-The family is frightened by the invasion of privacy and begin freaking out
Scene 6 (Numerous locations)
-Montage of family erasing all traces of themselves (throwing stuff away)
-Scene in slow motion
-Soundtrack playing in the background
Scene 7 (Living room)
-Next morning
-Whole family sitting in the living room waiting nervously for the inspection
Scene 8 (Front Door)
-A single inspection worker comes to the door
-Door closes behind the worker showing the front house
-The camera slowly drags away from the house as you can hear the conversation of the inspection worker and the father.
-A gasp is heard and you can hear the agent call for reinforcements.

For right now, this is all I really need to get to filming, I feel like I have a clear picture in my head of what I am going for. For filming dates, I need to consult with my family the best times for them but I know for a fact filming needs to be done by Friday, April 10. Nine days will be plenty for editing, wrapping up their smaller components, and of course recording and editing the CCR... I hope!

New Plot!!

So after that whole mishap Wednesday where I realized I don't even have family footage, I've spent the past few days constantly thinking about a new plot idea that is going to be able to be completely filmed at my house, with the limited cast of my own family. This is definitely going to be a tough one but as long as I really focus on the details and put in the work I'm sure it can be done. Luckily I'm not going to be alone, because my friend Irina is going to be helping me with the filming and maybe even make an appearance in the film. With regards to my partner Raul, we have been communicating back and forth and have determined that he won't be able to help me with filming and editing this project. However, we have agreed for him to take the reign of the two smaller components of the project.

Now for the actual plot, it is a little bit out there but here we go:

So the movie is set in the year 2040, a year after a radical form of government rapidly gained control in the United States with a totalitarian focus on community and dismantling any sense of individuality. Normal Americans are forced to give up their sense of self and quickly adapt to the government's radical new rules in order to stay safe and avoid government eye.

The movie follows a middle-class South Florida family as they get an inspection notice from the government. Being only a year since these insane government rules have been put in place, talk of inspection has mostly just been a rumor. The inspection notice gives the family 24 hours to adequately remove all markers of individuality from their house or else they will face the full consequences of the national government. Over the course of 24 hours, life becomes a living hell for this family as they go through a soul-crushing journey to erase any trace of themselves. Photographs, art, and everything in between has to be trashed. Will they make it through the inspection?

Though this plot idea does seem to be a tad intense, I do want to add some lighthearted aspects to it knowing my cast will be entirely made of amateurs. I'm pretty proud of this idea because I know it is something new and hasn't been done before. With a little bit of editing magic, I feel like this story can really come to life.

Another Mission Failed

So after a brief period of procrastination, I decided to try for the daunting task that I knew I had to do: look for the old home videos of me as a kid. I could have sworn I remember watching tapes like these in the past so I just assumed my parents kept them in the garage. So with my Mom's help (sorta), we whipped out a ladder and began looking through numerous storage boxes in my garage.
(Here's a photo for reference...)

Five minutes in, my Mom was already gasping over her old high school photos so I guess I was on my own. 

(Here's another photo for reference lol...)

So after an hour of looking through all of our old CD's and picture boxes, I came to the conclusion that we no longer have any of our old videos. So yeah, that is pretty much it for this plot idea because the whole film is based around the use of old footage. I'm just happy Mrs. Stoklosa extended the due date because I am literally back to the drawing board. Wish me luck :/

New Plot

Raul and I have finally come up with a general idea for our new adapted plot. We wanted to maintain the key plot components that made up our last script. More specifically, we wanted to still tell the story of a teenage leaving for college and what they are leaving behind. 

Here is an overview of the changes that are going to be made:

Characters: The main character of this film will be me! The other characters included (my family) will be seen in the archived footage. 

Setting:  All the footage shot in "real-time" will be entirely done at my house. 

Plot: 

-The main character finds a box in the attic with a bunch of CDs, and discs, filled with past footage of their life.

- The main character will be recollecting their past before they make their next step towards the future. 

- Emphasis on the family bond.

Changing the plot like this was definitely a challenge, I feel these changes had to happen in order to start making some actual process even during a pandemic!

 

Filming Cancelled

Due to social distancing and COVID-19 concerns, Raul and I were unable to gather our cast in order for filming. Most importantly, our main character is not going to be able to film. Thankfully, Mrs. Stoklosa held another online meeting so that she can reach a consensus on where everyone is at with the project.

As of now, AICE exams are all canceled due to the virus. Knowing that this project is a component of the AICE Media Studies A Level Exam, I was definitely a little concerned with what to do next. In the online meeting, Mrs. Stoklosa explained to us that we still will be completing the project and doing everything as normal. We were also informed that we may have to alter our plot to only have one actor. Additionally, we were told that we could use archived footage in order to combat the inability to film.

Since our whole plot revolves around a group of people and involves going to different public places, Raul and I are going to have to go back to the drawing board. Man, this is hard...

More problems...

It is crazy how fast things have changed with regard to this virus. Just over a week ago we were told we will be not having school for two weeks to stop the spread of the virus. Today, the school may be postponed indefinitely, mostly all restaurants and public areas are closed now due to the new social distancing measures put into place by most local governments. There are around 500 cases in Florida right now and I do not think it will be too long before we get put in a statewide lockdown. With all that being said, we are now unable to film at most of our filming locations. I have been talking with Raul a lot and he has been telling me how strict his parents have come due to the virus. He pretty much hasn't been allowed to see people ever since the news started recommending social distancing.


There is some good news though!!!


Thankfully, I will be able to film with Irina where we can film the main part of the film as well as take pictures so that Raul can work on the print component. With regards to our plot, we may have to scrap it or at least change it to locations that we would be allowed to film at.