Final thoughts

This class has effected my ideas and perception about being a filmmaker in many different ways. One thing I learned is that coverage is essential and that, for the most part, cannot shoot too much.  I always felt that with good enough preproduction material and organization you can get away with shooting just the essential takes you envision, but you there is so many outside factors that contribute to how a scene actually develops, like acting and the weather. One thing I learned about filmmaking in general is that it requires tons of patience and working long hours. It isn't as glamorous as it is portrayed on tv and movies,  and hopefully that is something I can show in my wildcard film.

Preproduction Material for Wildcard Project

Below is all of our preproduction material for The Omen Queen, a short mockumentary film about student filmmakers trying to make a short film called The Omen Queen. Sounds complicated, but it's not. Enjoy!


WARNING THE FOLLOWING CONTENT IS VERY GRAPHIC

The Omen Queen Budget

The Omen Queen Budget

The Omen Queen Marked Shooting Script

The Omen Queen Marked Shooting Script

The Omen Queen Shot List

The Omen Queen [Shot List]

The Omen Queen Mockumentary Storyboard
(mainly just the dramatization, since we want that live captured feel while getting mock footage)

The Omen Queen Storyboard

The Omen Queen Trailer Storyboard

The Omen Queen Trailer Storyboard

The Omen Queen Trailer Overhead

The Omen Queen Overheads for Trailer

Wild Card Crew Position

As director in this final wildcard project I am excited, part of it is that there is less restrictions and more freedom because we aren't limited to a certain script, like the Bran and Park one. For this final project I will not only direct, but will also act as a naive, narcissist Director who has to act in his own films. While working on the script I wanted to incorporate as many film references, as well as inside jokes in regards to the film program, hopefully we are able to make our fellow students notice comic attributes of being a film student, after all this film is made by us for us. One of my personal goals for this film, current title The Omen Queen, is to create memorable characters that the audience can not only relate to, but find interesting to watch. I think this film has the possibility to be something special. It is almost like Inception in many ways, it is a film about making a film, and the short films within this film will be shot in very different styles than the mockumentary that holds this all together. I am very excited, and I hope the viewers are as well. :) 

Experimental Film

Editing 3b was actually quite fun, especially as producer, all I really did was make sure everybody was doing their tasks and keeping track of the time that was left until the assignment was due. I also provided the raw sound files and some input for the artistic development; but I mainly wanted to try and keep as much artistic control with the director along with getting the sound designer to give his input on certain sound aspects of the edit. 

Producing during the experimental project was pretty much only management of people and time while also providing assistance during some technical aspects of editing. This usually involved me searching for how to do certain editing effects while the rotating editors kept adjusting the rest of the timeline. If anything I was just IT, powered by Google J with minimal file logistics; since I was responsible of knowing where all of the files are located. 

Sound Recording Experience

Sound recording was actually very fun. One thing I learned about the directional / shotgun microphones we used is that they can really zero in on an exact area, an example is when we wanted to capture the noise of the fountain but were unable to get really close to the fountain so we just used our backpacks to cover the sides of the mic to prevent wind from distorting the sound, and aimed right at the area that we found most interesting to listen to. During most of the time it was Luqi and I walking around and listening to unique sounds and trying to capture them. After removing our headphones the world sounded different, we were unable to hear the specific noises that we picked up on the mics. 

I think one of the hardest things to do is record people (at least without them being aware). One has to develop a skill of almost becoming invisible and recording people in their natural environment; it might be invading some privacy laws, but capturing nonsense is a skill that I have yet to develop. 

Editing the Master Shot sequence

Editing the master shot sequence was quite interesting, for one because we shot it all in one day and in sequential order the editing for the rough cut was fairly easy. The hardest part about this edit was trying to be creative with it, I needed to get with the director more often in order to edit it together, but sticking to the storyboard the workflow became pretty quick. One thing that I would like to have done with this footage was apply more effects, but unfortunately because I am just starting off I am unable to know exactly what it is that I wanted to achieve. I think the shoot was pretty solid and once I sit down with the director it will be easier to get an idea of what exactly it is that he wants to do for the visual look of the film. Until later this week there will be another, better version of the film, hopefully a final edit.

Previsualization Experience

Making previsualization material was not difficult once everybody in the group knew exactly what they were doing. I feel the hardest part was starting due to the fact that everybody was still working with their previous groups finishing up the documentary project. Regardless of the early struggles, the previsualization materials are very useful; one can see how many different camera setups are required for a simple scene. I feel the storyboard and overhead diagrams show how complicated we are making this scene. Not that it is bad, but it shows that we are willing to try something challenging, and hopefully we are successful. I was in charge of making the overhead diagram and one of the things I learned from it is that you need to know exactly where all of the camera shot placements will be before you start drawing your overhead. I started the overhead with a general idea, and at one point the camera setups where getting really close to one another. Anyways, this previz stuff is very useful, and I definitely see the benefit of incorporating it into even the smallest projects.

If you build it, they will come.

So, what are my ideas for my role in the Master Shot Sequence? Well I have been assigned as Cinematographer for this assignment and I would like to experiment with camera movement. I have been given a shooting script from the Director (Chic Scaparo) and there seems to be a lot of tracking shots. I don’t think the FST 201 class has access to a doorway dolly, or one of those tripod dollies that looks like a giant T or the other one in the form of a triangle, so odds are that I will need to get my hands on a wheelchair. 

I think the wheelchair would be the smoothest option, as opposed to a shopping cart, and I may need to break out a saw and build a contraption to stabilize the camera around the armrest portions of the chair. Imagine a rolling high school desk with an old fluid head mounted to it. Needless to say, I am very excited to finally build something again with my hands, while being creative for film purposes. 

Reflections

Taking part on this shoot helped me realize a few things about capturing sound while out in the field. First off, had Jacob, our producer, not provided his own personal equipment the sound quality would not have been as good. For our Vox-Pops we used a Rode directional microphone that was in a blimp, and over that was some fuzzy cover which we labelled the “polar bear,” due to its arctic appearance. These filters where very useful in eliminating the most unwanted noises on the day of our shoot, which was wind. Although there was sound of other pedestrians walking by, and cars rolling by; those noises where part of downtown and only add a layer of realism. But because on this particular day it was windy, it was extremely helpful that Jacob allowed us to use his personal stockpile. Another thing that was unavoidable was this sound of humming while doing our expert interview. I don’t know if the humming was a noise created by the lights or perhaps the fridge in the other room, but hopefully we will be able to make it less noticeable by the final edit. One last thing I would like to state is that I went in feeling that I would have most audio control during the expert interview since we shot indoors, than the Vox-Pops held outdoor; but as it turned out I feel that the audio recording outdoors came out cleaner because there is no white noise, instead that is substituted with the sound of the city, rather than humming, which is not something we would are accustomed to hearing in the background.

Schedule

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
Continue Editing B Roll footage	Shoot A roll and possibly more B roll Get Vox-Pops Video Editing	More A roll Expert Interview Start matching sound with picture	Video Editing	*Video Editing Finalizing	*Video Editing Finalizing

Documentary Interview Plan

So for our documentary project our group will be taking an approach of “Film=Jobs” in the area of Wilmington.

I believe our vox-pops will take place around film landmark locations in downtown Wilmington. One location is on 5^th and Market, which can be seen in the film Blue Velvet.

I guess in order to break the ice, we will ask them what films or TV shows they can think of that are filmed in Wilmington.

1. Do you watch the shows or movies that are shot here, and if so which ones?
2. Do you recognize this location? (depending on the landmark we are by)
3. Do you feel the film industry is Wilmington is beneficial to the economy, and how or how not?

My questions focus more on whether the bystander is able to recognize the location they are at, and how they feel about the film industry economically.

I don’t know who our expert witness is yet, but Jacob (our producer), does know him. From what I have heard he is one of the view filmmakers who is deciding to stay here and try develop a feature length film. He has worked on some local filmed shows and I believe he is currently on Under the Dome. I think the tone we would like to set for the interview is informative.

Questions we may ask expert might include:

1. What made you pursue a career in film?
2. Are you local resident or came to Wilmington because of the industry here, if so why?
3. Do you think people of Wilmington realize how constant the filming is done here?
4. What sort of education or prior knowledge did you need to have in order to get where you are at now
5. Was it difficult to get film work in Wilmington?
6. Have you ever gone outside of Wilmington to get work? If so, why?
7. Do you know any people who have come from other places to work in film, here in Wilmington?
8. Do you know any people who have left Wilmington to seek film work, if so where and why?
9. How vital is it for Wilmington to produce local talent? 
10. Any advice you can give to local students now who are interested in working in the Wilmington film industry?

Light Observation 2

EXT. PARKING LOT

It’s a snowy day and although the roads are covered in a sheet of ice, it isn’t noticeable, perhaps because there isn’t enough light to reflect off of its surface. I stare at my car and there is a slight fuzzy shadow underneath it. The snow covered floor appears dull and flat, but the snow accumulated on top of the hood of my car is chopped and mangled (perhaps from me scraping the ice off of my windshield and letting it fall on the hood). The short shadows from this “hood snow” are being cast forward, only to conclude that the light source is coming from behind the car. The gray horizon is probably diffusing the sunlight coming in creating this dreary, dull lighting.  

Light Observation 1

INT. BEDROOOM

The light in my bedroom is not that interesting, but the shadows that it creates are unique. Because everything is hard lit, this creates dark, sharp shadows. A turned off desk lamp cast a shadow on the wall that is both elongated and disproportioned. The light source from the ceiling causes the space heater to cast a shadow with its honeycomb grill, and because the space heater is some sort of metal or aluminum the light bounces off it and hits the bamboo floor underneath it. The heater is unique, perhaps because of its position being directly underneath the light source, there are light shadows on its face and under every knob and button there is a shadow cast while at the same time glares of light bounce off of the edges of handles and its curves.

First Post

Hello, my name is Anthony Guevara, I am a Film Studies Major at the University of North Carolina

Wilmington. I love movies and although I may not have a lot of film related experience, I do own a high definition camera which I have made a few short films with friends. It has been quite some time since I have shot something; which I imagine is something rarely said in the South, but I would like to start filming again. Some of the tasks I would be involved in, when creating films with friends, was usually cinematography, editing, and minor sound design.

What I hope to learn from this FST 201 course is not only the fundamentals of making a film, but exploring different techniques and seeing which rules can be broken for narrative purposes.Ten years from now I would like to have worked on some feature films, more specifically I would like to be working on a project of my own. If I did have something completed by then I would hope it is not the same mainstream stuff that is seen an accepted by the general audience, I want to challenge people’s perceptions and beliefs and provide a different norm and hopefully they can experience something else and leave the film with something on their mind.

Something unique about me that is not film related, is that I am a huge soccer fan, or what the rest of the world calls football. Not only that but that my favorite team is English, I think it’s funny that most people assume that I would like a Mexican team because I am Hispanic, even though there is a Mexican soccer player on my favorite team, and he happens to be my favorite player. It all sounds pretty complicated, but to make it simple my favorite team is Manchester United Football Club, they are one of the most successful and followed teams in the world. They are kind of like the Yankees of soccer. So far this season they have been doing pretty badly, but I like to think of this as a test that separates the real fans from the rest.