Talking to the Team

 I spoke to my friends and we arranged for a time to get together when I come back from visiting family. Since I return on Wednesday, we can start filming as soon as Thursday morning. I want to find a time when everyone is free because there's a handful of people involved I need to find a date that works for everyone. I also need to make sure they also have the proper attire for filming.

When I spoke to Josh he said that he's coming home tomorrow and he would be happy to film with me because it's the middle of spring break and there's nothing to do. Honestly, I think he just likes to hang out, so he's happy to do whatever, even when it's something like homework and not like going to the movies. He would do chores with people if he knew the people were fun and nice to be around. This information has me thinking that I'm really lucky to have him for some good company because he makes the most boring things in the world some of the fondest memories I will never forget.

Ana said she's probably down to help out, but she might be visiting some family out of the country, so she's not completely sure. She said that if she's back in town that she would definitely 100% come to film. I plan on talking to her either tomorrow or tonight, but it might be tomorrow just because I am currently trapped in the airport. (Shout out to Rochester International Airport!).

~ Update: She said she'll be here and she can't wait ~

Jamian said that he got injured in a bike accident and was unable to join tomorrow for filming. I wish him all the best in his recovery and I hope to see him at school next week.

Also ~plot twist~ we got 2 extra people! 

Give it up for Akash Anand and Jason Brik, we are so excited!

Jason and I have known each other for about 4 years. He's an aspiring baker and he loves to hang out with his friends. He loves all kinds of animals. He has a loving heart and he would do anything for his friends.

Akash was probably previously mentioned. He is a 17-year-old junior at our school and he loves playing video games. His favorite game is smash bros. If you end up watching the video I'm going to publish, you'll find him being a bit shy, but if you met him he's a really great guy and he's got a good head on his shoulders.

~ he's single ladies ;)

Lets Talk About The JCC

  

   The JCC or the Jewish Community Center is located in Davie, FL. The JCC is a huge part of the community providing education, child care, job opportunities, a gymnasium, and more. 

Why would I choose to film here?

This is an important piece of my past that contributed to who I am today. I went there for elementary school and both of my siblings graduated from there. When I was in elementary school, I had a brother of mine in high school, so I would literally be stuck there for hours. Having ADHD made me want to move around, doing anything to not sit there. This got me to basically explore the entire facility. There was a gym, racket ball court, basketball court, a pool, extra classrooms, a stage, vending machines, a little snack shop that sold coffee, and even just the regular school clubs. 

Growing up at the school helped me understand the campus better and it also gave me a place to hang out of just walk around or do whatever. The design of the campus is also ideal for filming the opening. I wanted to originally film at the school because of all the space and hallways that it has, but I realized that there would be no way to do so. School is basically locked after classes end and I can't pull my friends that I'm filming with out of class, so my option was to film somewhere else. This is why David Posnack JCC was the perfect answer. It contains tons of hallways, rooms, and it's even bigger so there are more locations to film. The layout gives us a better way to shoot more complex scenes because at the school we would have been filming in all the same places multiple times.

What's Going On This Week

Hey guys, so I'm on a trip and I won't be back until Wednesday, which means I'm on a bit of a time crunch for this project so I wanted to do what I could away from the group/main filming opportunity. This means my job up until Wednesday is to get a loud ticking clock and film it for a while. I originally wanted to use my parent's alarm clock, but I think since I'm out of town I'll have to find one up here where I am. This means my options are either my cousins' house if they even have one or I'll have to go looking. Some of the places I could go looking in the area are thrift stores, 5 below (I love this store :)), Tjmax, Marshals, Micheal's, or maybe I can use the audio of a google clock or something. 

The clock ticking is really important because it brings the elements of a thriller and can make the audience nervous or unsettled. The constant ticking is the pacing element because the main character is basically running away from something throughout the entire film. As it gets more intense for the viewer there should be more ticking from the clock and create sort of chaos keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat. This also keeps people wondering and on their toes for the film because it keeps people paying attention instead of drifting off.

Props and Location

  To shoot the opening I needed to get some supplies and props to have mise-en-scene. I'm using the alarm clock from my parent's room to get the ticking sound effects and create the thriller element. I also went to 5-below to purchase a phone stand/tripod to have a better film because it would keep the camera stable while shooting rather than film handheld.

     The location for shooting a scene is also important, you want the situation of the scene to agree with the background. You don't randomly place different characters in random settings, you wouldn't find a knight on a horse fighting for a king in a mall, you have to keep filming and the plot persistent. This is why I decided to film my project at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center (JCC). The JCC is sort of like the YMCA. It has a huge location to film because its an athletic center and it's also a school inside, so it would be a good setting to film a scene that required a school setting.

Some fun background information: I used to go to David Posnack for elementary school and it where my brothers both graduated from so I know the location very well. I also go for weekly meetings there, so I'm happy I get a wide variation of shooting locations on one site. I'm also excited to bring a personal place into the mix!

What Would We Need to Shoot?

     To be able to shoot any film you would need costume design, props, and even a good filming location. The mise-en-scene of a film is what gives the film its essence, to feel like you could even possibly be inside of the scene. Think of any of your favorite movies, they all have these elements in different ways. Let's make up a scenario. We have a woman in a tower. She's wearing a corset and puts on a fancy dress over it. She has her ladies fix up her hair and dress her. Her accessories include necklaces, rings, a crown, and fancy shoes. Her location is a castle overlooking a town where her father makes decisions for. When she and her ladies leave her room they enter a hall with the ceilings rally tall, huge portraits on the walls and they walk on red carpeting. Can you guess what this character is? The answer will be at the bottom of this post so you have time to guess!

    For my film opening, the mise-en-scene needs to be appropriate for the plot. The costumes would be casual, to make it seem like it could be in everyday life. The costumes would include shorts, pants, and/or skirts, t-shirts, or even crop tops. It would be in a school, so background characters would need to have proper accessories. These would be backpacks, close-toed shoes (sneakers), bracelets, a necklace, a book in hand, even a hoodie. My film opening is at a school and all of my cast and crew are students, so they would just need to wear something they usually would for school.

~ The answer to the first paragraph is a princess. 

Did you get it? Let me know in the comments what you thought it could be!

Cast and Crew

 Hello everyone I'm pleased to announce my cast and crew, you guys are going to love them! They are all personal friends of mine and they all have something unique to contribute to this project.

Ana Carolina is a friend of mine whom I met in a school science class. She and I bonded immediately with a little goofball named Ale. They are some of my closest friends. Ana's skills that could help out with the project would be her organization and her creativity. She is in the Philosophy club at school and she knows what others might enjoy watching.

Jamian is one of my really fast friends, "He's a runner, he's a track star." In order to have a main character that is running on camera, I needed a cameraman that was just as fast if not faster. He also helped me with my storyboard and with this genre. He really likes horror thrillers and helped me incorporate those elements within the storyboard and hopefully the film opening. He has much interest in media and the creation of it. We met about a year or two ago at school and we hit it off as great friends. 

Josh has agreed to be the main character of the opening. He said that he's open to whatever and thinks acting would be really fun because on the weekends he's dying to get out of the house. He loves video games on discord and he plays League of Legends. He is a hard worker and is also looking for a job, so if anyone's hiring, please let me know in the comments below.

Akash is one of my really good friends as well, he also plays video games with josh. He's super friendly and caring. He loves playing Mario and Smash Bros as well and he is really good at a shrimp eating contest! He also competed in an E-sports competition and he was one of the finalists. He also loves playing PC games with his friends on the discord application.

THE STORYBOARD

 Hey, guys I finally finished my storyboard! It took so long due to some complications and plan changes. I wanted to kind of incorporate suspense throughout the piece. I have collaborated with friends to make sure that the film could appeal to several different audiences. I like that I used everyone's input because that means that I have created something likable for viewers, I think working with the target audience is what bigger production companies do and it gave me insight into what the job of a filmmaker would include. It was nice to view something I wouldn't ordinarily do or achieve.

Okay so I have other news as well, I have assembled a team! Some of my closest friends have graciously offered to help and be the cast and crew of my project! On the next blog, you guys will find out all about them and what to expect from the film. We will also talk about possible filming locations and costume design! I'm so happy we are getting ready to shoot in a couple of weeks and it will be amazing, just you guys wait!!!!!!

The Genre Of My Upcoming Film Is.....

Today I have officially decided what my genre is and you'll never guess what it could be! I chose to do the genre of a thriller! I wanted to do something fun to make and I'm really excited. I want to do something that grabs people's attention and keeps them intrigued throughout the entire film opening, but I didn't want to be extremely basic. I really hope when we present our projects that mine will be somewhat remembered.

- What can I do to find help for my project? 

I have spoken to some of my friends and they have agreed to help me with the project! Give a round of applause for Jamian, Akash, Josh, and Ana! So Jamian would help me create the right mood, Ana Carolina and Akash would be a part of my cast. Josh would be my cameraman. I think this project is going to have a lot of love involved in filming because these are some of my close friends so I think that hanging out would help create a fun vibe to the film. To me, it seems different than working with people I don't know very well because of the friendships utilized in the creation of this project.

- How is my film opening unique?

        My film opening is unique because it is set in my setting. I know that sounds weird, so let me explain... My friends will be involved in many different ways. I have my friend Josh who agreed he could help me film, I have Ana who is an extra hand if I need any help, and Jamian who wants to help set the right vibe for the opening. The costumes of course will be casual, this means they have to dress how they would normally to make our setting seem natural.

Update

       Hey guys, I have good news and I have bad news. 

The Bad News:

        Due to lack of availability and differences in creative direction, Julieta and I have agreed that we are not the best fit for this project. We are both very busy outside of school, so we decided that we are not the best match for a project that needs to be done meticulously. 

The Good News:

        I have chosen to collaborate with a close friend of mine on the music for the film I intend to create. The genre is a surprise in my next post. What I will say is that yes, there are plans in the works as I am creating a couple storyboards at the moment, which should be included in the post for tomorrow. That's why I've just been brainstorming for a while to find something I hope you guys are just as excited as I am! Now with full creative liberties, I want to add a little bit of a flare, but everything will be revealed tomorrow!